Things seem to come easy to Kollin Kahler on the soccer field.

But that’s only because of the hard work he’s put in almost since birth to make it look that way.

The Waco High junior began playing in leagues at the age of 3, spent countless hours after school at Lake Air Middle School being drilled on techniques by his older brother Kris, now Waco High’s soccer coach, and plays year-round.

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• List: The 2009 Super Centex Boys' Soccer Team

Waco High junior Kollin Kahler lit up opponents for 34 goals, including scoring at least one in all but two games, and 19 assists. (Duane A. Laverty photo)

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“I’ve been playing soccer basically since I was born,” Kollin Kahler said. “I guess I have a lot of knowledge of the game, and that helps me see where the other players are going to be.”

Add a 6-foot-1 frame with solid strength and good speed to his work ethic and high soccer IQ, and what you have is a nightmare for opposing defenses.

Kahler lit up the scoreboard this season, accounting for 34 goals and 19 assists. He was also remarkably consistent, tallying at least one goal in every game but two.

That resulted in the 2008 Super Centex Newcomer of the Year being named the District 33-4A MVP this season, and now he’s been selected as the 2009 Super Centex Player of the Year.

“I love it,” Kahler said of the awards. “It makes me feel good inside. It makes me feel like all the hard work — from practicing at Lake Air (Middle School), playing in the summer and staying after practice with my teammates — has all paid off.”

Kahler, a three-sport athlete at Waco High, is a key member of the Lions’ track team and also led the football team to the playoffs as the starting quarterback last season. He said the other sports help his soccer abilities.

“Track helps me keep in shape and builds my speed, and football builds my strength,” he said. “Playing quarterback helps me with my field vision because you have to see so many things. In soccer, even if you’re not the best player, you can be a key player on the team if you have vision.”

Kahler helped the Lions to a 19-4-2 record and a 11-3 mark in district and scored the game-winning goal in key victory over University. After receiving a bye in the first round of the playoffs, Waco High had a golden opportunity to make school history by advancing past the second round for the first time ever.

Despite outattacking Nacogdoches all night, the Lions couldn’t find the goal and dropped a 3-0 decision. With seven starters returning — including Kahler — next season, Waco High figures to have another strong chance to break down that barrier.

“District was great for us,” Kris Kahler said. “We carried some momentum into the playoffs, and we really outplayed Nacogdoches. We just couldn’t score. But we’ve got a good group coming back next season, so hopefully we can go a little farther in the playoffs.”

While Kollin Kahler is the go-to guy for Waco High, both he and Kris Kahler were quick to point out that he’s not a one-man team.

“It all starts with our defense and the goalkeeper stopping our opponent,” Kollin Kahler said. “Then our midfielders were big for us. They got most of the assists on my goals.”

“Kollin’s our target guy,” Kris Kahler added. “If we need a goal, we go to him and he does a great job finishing. But we also have some other guys who can finish. It’s not like we’re saying, ‘Get the ball to Kollin.’ It’s a team game, and we understand that this isn’t just Kollin’s award, it’s Waco High’s award.”

Kollin Kahler had stiff competition for the award from a pair of players within the district. Jacob Holecek came through with some huge goals to help Midway win the district championship, while Ricardo Cazares was the leading scorer for a University squad that reached the regional tournament after never having been past the third round of the playoffs.

Coach of the Year: Tim O’Leary, Midway

Close games often make or break a team’s season.

In the Midway Panthers’ case, they were at their best when the games were the tightest — and they had a knack for coming from behind.

Some examples include a 3-2 victory over Waco High in which Holecek scored the tying goal with eight seconds left in regulation and then added the winner in overtime and a 2-1 win over University in which the Panthers overcame a 1-0 deficit.

“There wasn’t one person on the bench or on the field that when the clock was going down, whether it was against University or Waco High, that felt like we couldn’t win the game,” Midway coach Tim O’Leary said. “We always felt like we could win the game until the whistle blew. Not one or two guys thought that, but the whole team thought we were going to win every game.”

While the players came through time and time again — all the way to a District 33-4A championship and regional quarterfinal berth — that kind of never-say-die attitude comes from the top. That’s why O’Leary has earned the nod as the Super Centex Coach of the Year.

“(Winning awards) is just like a state championship or a game for that matter — it never gets old,” O’Leary said. “What keeps you coaching and motivated is that every game is a new game. You try to forget about it and move on. When the season ends, you have to move on and start rebuilding for next year. But all the awards that come are great, and it kind of makes it worthwhile.”

Strangely for a team that finished 23-2-1, it was a 4-1 loss to University in the first round of district that O’Leary referred to as one of Midway’s highlights. Two days later, the Panthers posted the come-from-behind win over Waco High, and they were off and running and never looked back until a controversial 2-1 overtime loss to Brenham in the regional quarterfinals.

In that game, Midway was hit with a red card, putting the Panthers a man down, and Brenham quickly took advantage with a goal to break a scoreless tie.

But as was the Panthers’ way, they fought right back, scoring the equalizer with just less than four minutes left in regulation despite being shorthanded and having the wind in their face.

Midway kept attacking in the extra session, but Brenham broke through for what turned out to be the game-winning goal eight minutes in on its way to a state tournament berth.

“Losing the way we did, playing with 10 men, was kind of tough,” O’Leary said. “I thought the red card came out a little too fast. There was a foul they committed that was about the same thing, but I’m proud of how my guys responded.

“They didn’t do much complaining, we just got out there, changed our formation and pressured right up until the last minute. That’s all I ever ask my team to do is not quit. It would’ve been much worse if we had quit, but I wasn’t unhappy with our effort.”

Mike Chapman was also considered for the award after leading University to its best-ever playoff performance.

Newcomer of the Year: Usvaldo Zuniga, University

On a team full of newcomers, Usvaldo Zuniga stood out the most for University.

Not bad for a guy who didn’t think he was going to be on the field at all.

“I didn’t feel much pressure because I didn’t think I was going to make it on the team,” Zuniga said. “I just wanted to play well.”

Zuniga was a first-team all-district selection after scoring 10 goals and nine assists, but his biggest role as a midfielder came defensively. That versatility has earned him the Super Centex Newcomer of the Year honor.

“Usvaldo came to us this year, and he didn’t really know how he was going to fit in,” Chapman said. “But he fit in perfectly. He works really hard, and he’ll do exactly what you tell him to do. We have some big plans for him.”

The Trojans, who fell to Brenham in a shootout in the regional semifinals, have big plans as a team for next season. They reached the regional semifinals — their farthest advance in school history — this season with a roster littered with underclassmen, including Zuniga and Super Centex first-teamers Cazares and goalkeeper Arnold Martinez.

Zuniga won the award over Midway’s Cameron Dorsett, who scored the game-tying goal with the Panthers a man down in the playoffs against Brenham.

jorts@wacotrib.com

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2009 Super Centex Boys’ Soccer Team

Player of the Year: Kollin Kahler, Waco High

Newcomer of the Year: Usvaldo Zuniga, University

Coach of the Year: Tim O’Leary, Midway