It’s the start of a new era for Elizabethtown High soccer, with the retirement of veteran head coach James Sostack.
The new head man is former E-town assistant and star player Braydon Shuck, and there are “a lot of exciting ideas, a lot of exciting players” as the 2025 season begins, assistant coach Jereme Wells (left in bottom photo) says.
Competing for the title in Section 2 is always a goal, Wells says: “It’s a very competitive section, and there are a lot of very good teams, a lot of overall eye-to-eye. We want to be competitive this year, and then we’ll take it from there.”
The Bears were 7-9-3 last year, and staying focused and “executing our plan” will be the key for 2025, senior midfielder Dan Kwiatkowski (top photo) says.
He’s one of the team leaders for this year, along with fellow seniors Mason Shaffner (bottom center), a defender, and midfielder Landon Henry (bottom right).
Sostack retired after 30 years at the helm, and Shuck takes over after playing for E-town in high school, serving as team captain his senior year and leading the team to its first state tournament appearance.
Shuck has been an assistant coach for the last four seasons.
As the season begins, assistant coach Wells says big games abound, maybe none bigger than against traditional rival Manheim Central: “The game just feels a little bit extra, a little more exciting, so regardless of how each team is doing that year, it’s going to be a competitive match.”
He also expects Ephrata (“it seems like every time we play them, it’s a roll of the dice”) and others in the section to be tough.
As part of a new staff, Wells wants to “just help out in whatever way I can,” and along with Shuck and others plans to do whatever's needed to help the team.
“You always ask what went wrong, what went right” after a game, Wells adds. “I think one of the best feelings as a coach is when you have a plan and it works out for your team.”
LNP | LancasterOnline hosted Media Day at its downtown Lancaster office to connect local media with Lancaster-Lebanon League players and coaches.
