Brenden Bohlmann had scoring surge for Cheyenne East

Mar. 20—CHEYENNE — This past weekend felt like old times for Brenden Bohlmann.

He grew up scoring goals as a forward for his Cheyenne Sting competitive youth soccer teams, but moved to midfield when he stepped into the pitch for Cheyenne East. Bohlmann has continued to find the back of the net for the Thunderbirds, but not with the frequency he used to.

That changed this past weekend.

The senior netted five goals and assisted on two others to help East pick up wins at Gering and Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Those efforts also earned Bohlmann Prep Athlete of the Week honors from WyoSports' Cheyenne staff.

"I scored quite a bit when I was younger, but I got here and my role was to help people score," Bohlmann said. "Getting five goals this weekend was a lot of fun."

Bohlmann matched his goals and assists total from last season in just one weekend.

First-year coach Alex Stratton has tweaked East's formation and offensive approach to try to generate more offensive chances. Some of Bohlmann's tallies came from the new approach, and some came from the regular flow of play.

"We've been working on different passing patterns in practice, and we applied those to the game and were able to get behind (the defense) and get some goals," Bohlmann said. "Our team chemistry is also a lot higher than it was, and that's helped. We've all been working harder than we have been.

"We haven't really switched anyone's positions. We just put some things together, connected with each other and put the final touches on it."

Stratton was an assistant during Bohlmann's first three seasons in a T-Birds uniform, and described what Bohlmann did in Nebraska as an illustration of his natural ability.

"He can be dangerous when he gets into the box," Stratton said. "He's really patient on the ball and doesn't seem to get flustered ever. He always plays within himself, and seems calm and collected, like the pressure never gets to him.

"He's got this 'old man' style of game, where he knows what he's going to do before he does it, and that leads to a lot of successful plays."

Stratton pointed to a give-and-go with Liam Taylor that resulted in Bohlmann rocketing in a shot from 25 yards out and a header from a corner kick as two of Bohlmann's standout goals from last weekend. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound Bohlmann is a threat in the air, the coach said.

"He's really good at tracking the ball, and that helps him get his head on a lot of balls in the air," Stratton said.

Bohlmann is a two-time All-East Conference selection. He was the lone T-Bird to earn that distinction last spring. Bohlmann entered this season with simple goals.

"Individually, I wanted to step up and be more of a leader and help the team out," he said. "I want to show the younger guys how to work hard and rely on your brothers.

"Everyone has to do their job in order to make this work. Team-wise, I want to make it to state, since we've missed it the past two years. I want to go there and perform."

The soft-spoken Bohlmann leads East by example and consistently models the work ethic necessary to be successful, Stratton said.

"He's one of those guys who leads through his actions," Stratton said. "We're still looking for a vocal leader. (Bohlmann is) leading by showing the hard work, integrity and persistence we need."

Others recognized for their efforts:

n Aspen Custis and Kaitlyn Meyrick, girls soccer, Cheyenne Central: Custis tallied two goals and two assists across wins against Scottsbluff and Gering, Nebraska.

Meyrick also had two goals and two assists across those matches.

n Logan Custis and Sammy Shumway, boys soccer, Central: The seniors both scored four goals and assisted on another during the Indians' wins at Scottsbluff and Gering, Nebraska. Custis had a hat trick against Scottsbluff, while Shumway posted a hat trick at Gering.

n Jordan Griess, girls soccer, Cheyenne East: The senior scored two goals and assisted on another to help the Lady Thunderbirds start the season with wins over Gering and Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

n Connor Kling, Santiago Ramirez Munoz and Liam Taylor, boys soccer, East: Kling scored two goals and assisted on two others to help the Thunderbirds win at Gering and Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

Ramirez Munoz scored four goals and assisted on one in those matches.

Taylor netted three goals to go with two assists.

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on X at @jjohnke.