NEENAH — The Neenah Boys U17 Soccer Club made program history last weekend when they won the Midwest Regionals of the youth soccer Presidents Cup. They now head to Nationals in Wichita, Kansas.
“I think it’s really a testament to our effort all year long, all the long runs and long training, all that led up to this moment,” said Grant Romjue, a senior at Neenah Elementary School.
The club are playing their best football at the right time. They have won 14 consecutive matches thanks to a mighty defence, but after a ponderous start their attack has come alive.
“We all rely on each other,” Romjue said. “I think that’s the great thing about this team, it’s not one specific player or one specific moment that defined our season. We’re all together. We support each other.”
JOHN MILLER / NBC 26
Most of the team has been together since they were kids, and many are from the Neenah Rockets high school team that won the FVA this spring.
“We’ve been friends since we were 9,” said Trey White, a third-grader at Neenah. “We were sitting hip-to-hip all day, every day. When it wasn’t football, some of us were even basketball teammates. So all the sports and just getting to know all the guys was a great experience.”
The players have high praise for their coaches.
John Pendergast, their coach, served in the Marine Corps and instills discipline in the juvenile group.
JOHN MILLER / NBC 26
“He’s a tough guy, but he makes us do what we need to do, and I think this year we’ve really stepped up the intensity of our training and the different tactics we’ve been working on,” Romjue said.
Together they made club history by organizing a trip to the national competition, where they dominated the Midwest President’s Cup in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
“One of the best experiences I’ve ever had in football,” White said. “It was just crazy to play all those good teams and blow them out of the water in a couple of games.”
NEENAH FOOTBALL CLUB
This team is not only joyful to be one of only eight teams in the country left on the field, they have stated themselves that they want to win it all.
“This is definitely a new level for us and we will be playing against teams we have never seen before,” Romjue said. “I am ready and I hope they are ready for us.”
If you would like to see the Neenah U17 team at the National Championships, download the VEO app where you can watch their games.
