Brayden Morris is staying home. The Callaway senior made it official on Monday, signing to continue his academic and athletic career at Point University starting in the fall.

“They say only about 7% of high school athletes get the chance to play in college, so this is a big deal for me,” Morris said. “Not everybody gets a chance like this, so I’m incredibly grateful.”

Staying close to home was appealing for Morris, who was committed to Reinhardt before flipping his commitment in recent months.

“Point actually offered me back in January, but I was thinking of going a different route at first,” he said. “They were actually the first ones that called and reached out to me, and that stuck with me.

“I also have a lot of family here that will be able to see me play,” he added.

Morris has seen it all with the Cavaliers. He went from another guy to THE guy for Callaway. Morris transformed his mind and body over his time as a Cavalier to become a brick wall in goal and a leader for the team.

“I wasn’t ready to play at this level when I was younger,” Morris said. “I put in a lot of work to get where I wanted to be. I also had that fire in me to play at the next level, I just had to put in the extra work to get there.”

Morris served as a captain for the last two seasons. He has been at the heart of Callaway soccer’s success in recent years. This senior class won 52 games, the best four-year stretch in program history, and Morris’ play in goal was a major contributing factor towards the Cavaliers’ success. 

“Brayden was a two-year captain for us, which is not the norm,” Callaway soccer coach Mike Petite said. “He really came into his junior year with a commitment to getting better for himself, but mainly for the team… he set a level of leadership that we haven’t seen at this school in a long time.”

Monday was a special occasion for Morris as the entire Callaway boys soccer team came out to support their senior. The boys were in attendance AND made some noise for the first Callaway boys soccer player to sign in college since 2023.

“It’s a brotherhood,” Morris said. “These guys have had my back no matter what.”

Wheeling, W. Va. – As the summer months begin, many Wheeling University student-athletes have begun their training as they prepare to come back to campus for the 2025-2026 season. The Wheeling University Men’s Soccer team will have two representatives right here in Wheeling, spending their summer with the Wheeling Highlanders. Cardinal senior goalkeeper Carlos Molina and former Cardinal, and current Men’s Soccer Graduate Assistant, Miguel Martin will be representing the Cardinals as the Highlanders embark on their fourth season. 

The Wheeling Highlanders have been a member of the Ohio Valley Premier League (OVPL) since the 2021 season, becoming the seventh club to commit to the league. During the 2024 season, the team went 4-2-3 across their nine games during the season and they began a partnership that saw them play their home contests at Bishop Schmitt Field. Since their formation in 2021, the team has had representatives from the Wheeling Men’s Soccer team, with former Cardinals Richard Afolayanka, Miguel Martin, and others having played for the club. The club is led by current Wheeling University Head Women’s Soccer Coach Ryan Wall, who founded the program in 2021, and looks to continue the program’s growth into the future. 

The first Cardinal representing the team will be Carlos Molina, who wrapped up a career year for the Cardinals in 2024. Molina appeared in nine games for the Cardinals, starting seven, while making 31 saves on 50 shots faced for a .620 save percentage. He finished with four or more saves in five of the nine games he appeared in, with his season-high effort coming in a six save effort against Davis & Elkins on October 6th. He would get his first win of the season against Point Park on October 20th, making four sabes on four shots faced. Molina has been a member of the program for four seasons and is looking to build off his success as he looks to grow his game and return stronger for the 2025 season. 

Also representing the Cardinals is current graduate assistant Miguel Martin, who is in his seventh year with the program as either a player of a coach. Martin played for the Cardinals from 2019 to 2022, finishing with eight goals, three assists, and 14 points across his four-year career. He would help lead the Cardinals to the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament during both the 2019 and 2022 seasons, bringing home playoff soccer to Bishop Schmitt Field for the first time during his senior season. Over the last two years, Martin has served as a Graduate Assistant under Wheeling Head Men’s Soccer Coach Brandon Regan, and has helped grow the next generation of Cardinal athletes. 

The Wheeling Highlanders kick-off their 2025 season schedule soon, for a full look at their schedule and information on the upcoming season, visit their website by clicking HERE. 

ORANGE CITY — The Le Mars Community boys soccer team extended a winning streak to seven games with a 4-3 victory over MOC-Floyd Valley at the Northwestern College Soccer Complex on Saturday.

The Bulldogs scored all four goals in the first half and led 4-1 at halftime. The team held off a comeback attempt in the second half as the one-win Dutchmen scored twice after the intermission.

Jovany Kabongo scored a hat trick for the Bulldogs as he brought his season total to 32 goals. Jude Dougherty had the other goal of the match for the Bulldogs. It was his second goal of the season.

Picking up assists for the Bulldogs were Jacob Plueger and Degi Kabongo. They both assisted on two goals.

Karter Melvin made eight saves while giving up three goals. Nathan Anderson scored twice for the Dutchmen while Owen Vander Pol had the other goal.

Le Mars improved to 9-3-1 with the win. MOC-Floyd Valley dropped to 1-8-3 with the loss. The Bulldogs have won the last three meetings in the series.

Le Mars girls held scoreless

LE MARS — The Le Mars Community girls soccer team was held scoreless by MOC-Floyd Valley on Saturday in a 4-0 loss at Jim Lorenzen Field.

Aubrey DeShaw scored all four goals for the Lady Dutch as the senior increased her season total to 26 goals.

Brooke Swier assisted on two of the goals while Addy Leusink had another assist.

Emma Keunen kept the ball out of the goal and made 10 saves against the Bulldogs.

MOC-Floyd Valley improved to 8-4 on the season. Le Mars dropped to 1-12. The series is split 2-2 in the last four years.

She walked the stage on Friday not for her high school diploma, but a college associate’s degree. She did that all while scoring a full-ride soccer scholarship.