Senior Caiden Dick moved to Wagoner from Tahlequah and started playing soccer in the seventh grade as a spring alternative to his football endeavors where he was a lineman on the Bulldogs state championship team this year.
“I’ve always liked football more because you get to hit people and with all that we went through this past season that solidified my love for it even more. Having an up and down regular season and then coming back to beat a team that shellacked us during the season was a great way to end it for me.”
His soccer coach Alan Muehlenweg talked about Caiden’s soccer evolution.
“In middle school he played center midfielder, and he was a lot bigger than most of the kids. They had a good eighth grade season but between Covid and other factors he didn’t play as much as he would have liked his first two years of high school. I took over the high school boys team last year and talked with him about taking on the goal keeper’s spot. I had seen his footwork in football, and I knew he could move quickly, and he had played some goalie when he was younger in rec soccer. He did a phenomenal job really stepping into that role and now he owns it. He gets to shots on goal that you didn’t think was possible and if you beat him you have to earn it because he doesn’t give it away.”
Caiden has also stepped up his role as a team leader this year according to his coach.
“He’s the best communicator on our team, bar none. He’s our emotional leader in the locker room and on the field he’s strong and demanding. There have been times when I’ve been asked to leave the locker room so he can have a word with his team, and they always respond well and he has their respect. When he gets into them, they knew they had it coming and it’s for their benefit,” chuckled Muehlenweg.
Caiden has his own thoughts on being a good leader.
“I think a good leader is someone who comes to practice with a good attitude and is ready to get business done but not talking down to your teammates.”
After high school Caiden says he plans to return to Indian Capital Tech Center to study and eventually earn his electrician’s license.
