Oswego East Student Athlete of the Week-Nathan Huerter

Senior Nathan Huerter will leave Oswego East as the most decorated goalkeeper of all time. Although his senior year ended prematurely with a loss in the playoffs to Batavia, Nathan's consistent strive to improve and impact he had on the program will be felt for years to come, which is why he is this week's Oswego East student-athlete of the week.

At just 5 years old, Nathan began his journey to what would go down as the best goalkeeper in school history. "I still remember watching him train with a former Brazilian National Team Keeper, and would train right next to high school players at the time and never backed down from a challenge," says Scott Huerter, Nathan's father. Nathan's mother, Cynthia, remembers how big of an impact that had on Nathan. "[Nathan] found his passion and never gave up," says Cynthia.

In regards to his accomplishments, Nathan finished his OE career as the leader in both single-season and career shutout with 6 and 16. He was also the first player in school history to play every minute of every game in a single season. "Nathan is not a terribly big player physically, but he covers so much space and he has a great command of his box," says head coach Steve Szymanski. He goes on to add, "Nathan makes saves that 6'4" goalies are making and he is only 5'10"."

As a freshman, Nathan had a tall task of making his way to the varsity, a goal he set for himself before entering high school. "[Nathan] does not let any success go to his head, yet he also does not let any obstacle get in the way of his goals," says Scott. He goes on to add, "As a freshman, his goal was to make varsity, and in spite of the coach saying there were 8 older keepers ahead of him in the program at the time, he overcame that obstacle and by mid-season was on the varsity team." Szymanski understands just how important Nathan has been to the OE program. "Nathan played 3 ½ years on varsity and has meant a ton to our program," says Szymanski. He goes on to add, "He is the first guy I could say is our man in the net with no questions asked."

Rather than being overly confident or cocky, Nathan has matured from a more introverted personality to a mature young adult who understands how to lead others. "Nathan is incredibly humble and has a quiet confidence," says Cynthia. She goes on to add, "soccer has helped him grow as a person, valuing the importance of sportsmanship, being part of a team, and has learned to not be so hard on himself or take everything personally."

Nathan's success does not end on the soccer field. Nathan has enrolled in multiple advanced placement and honors classes during his time at OE and has thrived, earning a 4.23 G.P.A. and a score of 1370 on the SAT. Soccer is potentially a deciding factor in choosing a college, but Nathan is sure he wants to major in electrical engineering.

Nathan's Honors Digital Engineering teacher, Michael Dutton, saw a lot of the same things in his class that made Nathan successful on the soccer field. "Nathan was a very intelligent student that worked hard and was thorough and detailed with his work," says Michael. He goes on to add, "He is not afraid to help those around him when they couldn't get there as well. Those skills are extremely important will serve him well in his pursuit of electrical engineering."

Although the early exit from the Wolves in this year's playoffs was not what Nathan and his teammates imagined, there is no doubt Nathan has left his legacy at OE, both on the soccer field and in the classroom. Nathan advises future Wolves to follow their heart, saying, "If you are passionate about something, work hard to focus your time on that." While it will be impossible for OE and the soccer program to replace Nathan, he will undoubtedly use his passion to reach a high level of success in his future, both in the classroom and beyond.