By PAUL GOTHAM
NEWARK, N.J. — When Mike Butler talks about CJ Takatch and the senior midfielder’s contributions to his Greece Athena squad, the fifth-year coach refers to the time Takatch chose to not take advantage of a scoring opportunity.
It occurred during last year’s Section V Class A quarterfinal match with Pittsford-Mendon. Teammate Dylan Rice was taken down inside the 18-yard box. The Trojans were awarded a penalty kick – a responsibility usually shouldered by Takatch. On this day, though, Rice had already netted three goals. Takatch knew that a four-goal day for a freshman in sectional play would be special. The then junior gave way. Rice found back of the net again.
“I don’t think many kids have that level of maturity,” Butler said. “He was able to look outside of himself. Most kids at that age don’t think that way.”
Make no mistake, Takatch is more than capable of converting in such situations. A two-year performer for Team USA and Global Premier Soccer (GPS), Takatch beat out players from 48 other clubs around the county to earn a spot on the squad. He played in Munich last summer as part of the FC Bayern Youth Cup and again in this summer’s event held in Ireland.
“It was exciting,” Takatch said of the experience. “It kinda rewarded me for all my hard work over the past few years with GPS. It was exciting to be picked out of such a large group of players. All the players are as good or better than you, so definitely humbling playing with and against players like that.”
His efforts also earned him a scholarship to St. Bonaventure University where Takatch announced earlier this week he will continue his career after high school. There’s no coincidence he made that decision prior to Athena’s season opener on Wednesday, August 29th against St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.).
“It feels good,” Takatch said of the decision. “It was a longtime coming. I wanted to get it made (decision) before the season started, so I could just focus on school soccer and focus on my performance in the games. That’s important to me.”
That selfless attitude isn’t overlooked by Butler who noted that Takatch made the announcement in a nonchalant manner to avoid distracting his team.
“They’re getting a really good guy and a special person. That’s their fortune. You feel good for any of those kids when those type of things. I know he’ll go there and make an impact.”
The start of this season finds Takatch healthier. A year ago he was slowed with knee discomfort.
“Some of those experiences have been a lot on his body,” Butler said of Takatch’s play during the spring and summer months. “But I see him physically getting stronger. As a senior he’s bigger and stronger than he was.”
“I’ve had my rest,” Takatch noted. “I took a few weeks off once the season ended finally when I got back from Ireland. My body feels refreshed, definitely. I’m definitely ready. A lot healthier this year.”
He is also trying on the role as senior leader. After three years on varsity looking up to older players, it’s now Takatch’s role to provide an example for younger teammates.
“It’s totally different from when I first started playing on varsity. I’ve seen a lot of players graduate. I’ve seen a lot of different types of games. It’s weird being the oldest on the team. I’m definitely taking over more of a leadership role.”
Takatch’s senior season comes into focus when the Trojans take on St. Benedict’s – the No. 1 team in the nation.
“One word, exciting,” Takatch said of beginning his senior season with a chance to knock off Number 1. “We want to get there. We want to put in a good performance. We’ll see what they have. It will be fun.”
“His skill and his talent are obvious, but he wants to win and he loves Athena soccer,” Butler said. “In today’s day and age, with the premier stuff sometimes that’s hard. As a leader, he’s really like that.”
Athena and St. Benedict’s will kick off at 1 PM from Newark New Jersey.
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