(Nancy Pierce photo)
SOCCER
Jim Tietiens ()
St. Louis Oakville, Missouri
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Nowhere in the United States is soccer so traditional and so popular as in the city of St. Louis. All year 'round there are leagues for ages six and up: winter leagues, summer leagues, spring and fall leagues, and so on. It's no wonder that some of the best high school soccer played in the U.S.A. can be found each season in St. Louis and surrounding areas. It's also no surprise that the top prospect for 1976-77 is from Oakville High School in St. Louis. What is surprising is the fact that the Tigers' ace goalie, Jim Tietjens, is only a junior. Cinderella Oakville marched through the district playoffs, upending powers Bishop DuBourg and Vianney en route to their first ever state tourney appearance against St. Louis University High. The Tigers avenged an earlier loss by taking a 2-1 decision, then took home the "big one" by riding along on Tietjens' 17th shutout game of the season to nip the St. Louis Rosary Rebels, l-0. No doubt the major part of the Oakville success story, Tietjens' amazing shutout mark, poise in pressure situations and physical prowess enabled the Tigers to march successfully to an impressive 23-3-2 record. "I can't say enough about him," said coach Jim Bokern after the finals. "I've run out of superlatives. He's the best high school goalkeeper I've ever seen. There've been a lot of college and professional teams show interest in him already, but I have to explain that he's only a junior." Rosary head coach Carl Schwarzen agreed, "We outplayed them. We outshot them and we had the edge in corners. But we couldn't score. That Tietjens beat us. He played the kind of game you rarely see in high school." Throughout the year, in shutout after shutout, Tietjens came up with many spectacular saves for Oakville, but never as many as in one game- the 17 against Rosary in the "big game". Ten were considered spectacular, like most of his saves, but throughout the season he remained humble. "I didn't win it by myself," he insisted. "You don't win a state championship by yourself. It was a team effort all season long and everyone contributed. I'm glad I was a part."
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WRESTLING
Roy Oeser Wichita Kapaun- Mt. Carmel, Kansas
22
Roy Oeser comes from a high school where academic and athletic excellence is a way of life. He's the product of the scholastic sports program at Kapaun-Mt. Carmel High in Wichita, Kansas, which is one of the strongest in the Great Plains. During the past four years, Crusader teams which Roy has played for have compiled a remarkable record. The wrestling team has won two Grand State championships, two AAA state titles, finished second and fourth at state, won the Wichita City League three times and are currently on the crest of a 28 dual match winning streak. His football team has won the Kansas AAA championship three times and was runner-up the other year. The track team was a close secono twice. Yes, Roy Oeser was an integral part of the Crusader success and winning tradition. Although an outstanding football player, wrestling is his first love. The college that lands Roy (schools like Iowa, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Colorado and Oklahoma State are still after him) will gain one of the best ever to come out of Kansas. His four-year record of four state championships while wrestling for Duwane Miller is an outstandinl!: 99-4-2 a~~:ainst scholastic competition. Three of those losses and both ties came during a 20-3-2 frosh campaign at 155 when he landed the state championship and beat the Oklahoma state champion in the process. His only loss during a 28-1 season as a soph was a split referee's decision. The Crusaders' all-time greatest finished 27-0 and 24-0 during his final two years. Regarded as the best wrestler in Kansas regardless of weight, Oeser often wrestled at 185 or HWT in order to help his team in tough situations during their unbeaten dual streak. He experienced no more difficulty than he did at his senior weight of 167. His physical attributes, quickness and strength are matched by very few high school athletes and are what made it possible to compete as a down lineman in football. As a tackle he won all-city and all-state honors twice, while giving away over 30 pounds almost every game. He was named one of the top eleven players in Kansas, regardless of classification (Kapaun-Mt. Carmel is a AAA school in a state where AAAAA is tops) and an honorable mention All-American.