East High boys fight back after 2 tragedies

East's boys soccer team may not have repeated as Class 4A champions in 2007, but it isn't very hard to see why it still had an extremely successful season.

Tragedy struck for the Salt Lake school back in March, and the team showed plenty of courage and resolve to overcome it.

Following the second week of the preseason, coach Mike Kernodle, who had been the face of East's boys and girls soccer programs for 20 years, passed away unexpectedly. A classmate died in an automobile accident the same weekend, and East's soccer program was left reeling.

Rather than pack it in, however, the Leopards fought back. They won their first eight games following Kernodle's death, they finished with a 14-win season, and they advanced to the quarterfinals of the 4A tournament.

"I think — for us — our goal was to get to the title game," said coach Rudy Schenk, who took over when Kernodle died from a liver illness on March 18. "But given the adversity our team had to deal with, given the loss of Coach K and the loss of a student the same weekend, I don't think it's anything but a success."

East High began the 2007 boys soccer season full of promise. The Leopards, with Kernodle leading the way, had hoisted the title a year ago, and they returned the bulk of that team.

Kernodle had been dealing with health problems for some time, but — as far Schenk and the East players knew — he was getting better. Which made his passing even more difficult to handle.

However, with Coach K clearly on their minds, East's players rallied. The Leopards beat Cottonwood 6-0 just two days after his death, and they went through their next 10 games unbeaten.

According to Schenk, the key to East's turnaround was senior leadership. The Leopards had a large senior class, and four guys, in particular, stood out.

Striker Jake Cook, midfielder Judd Tidwell and defenders Sam Skanchy and Montana Marsden had all been playing varsity since they were freshmen, and they helped the team stick together.

"Those are the guys that really carried this team," said Schenk.

Overall, East finished second to Olympus in Region 6 and lost to Bountiful in the 4A quarterfinals.

Peaking ahead to 2008, the Leopards will aim to contend with Olympus and others for the Region 6 title. They lose the bulk of their lineup — including the entire backline — but talented goal-scorer Stayner Langeland will be back, among others.