All-state soccer player Joseph Sargent will be taking his talents to the collegiate level, attending Division III North Central College in the fall. His creativity and goal-scoring ability made Sargent an attacking star for the Kits and someone who will be notably missed. However, he hasn’t always been a distinguished player on the field.
“It has been a tough journey. People looked at me differently when I first got to ETHS because I was on Freshman B. But I didn’t let it get to me. I just worked my way up the ladder, and here we are today,” Sargent said.
Despite not always being in the spotlight, Sargent has always had a passion for the sport. Since the day he began to play, it was clear to him that soccer was how he wanted to spend his time.
“My whole life, it’s always been a goal to go pro, and I just want to make my family proud,” Sargent said. “I mean, I’ve been playing soccer since I was a little kid. I didn’t put in all this hard work for nothing. I really wanted something to come out of it.”
Sargent is excited to finally live out his dreams next year and start a new chapter of his soccer career. Playing center forward throughout his high school career, Sargent expects to stay in this position at North Central and hopes to earn a starting spot as a freshman. However, before he could aim for a starting role, Sargent went through a rigorous recruitment process.
“It was very stressful. I remember a lot of nights where I couldn’t fall asleep because I was stressing about whether a school liked me or not. It was really stressful. I was sending out emails, waiting on coaches, and getting ghosted by coaches. But it all worked out, and here we are now.”
While he has a bright future ahead, Sargent doesn’t fail to recognize and appreciate everything high school soccer brought him. The atmosphere created around the team and the support from all of his coaches—both high school and club—will forever be a reason for Sargent’s love of the game.
Sargent plans to use this summer as a time to train and stay healthy so he can be successful as he enters the next level of his soccer career.
