AOTW: Halt right there: Holly netminder Ryan St. John emerging as one of state’s best

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

HOLLY — Standing between goalposts, Ryan St. John receives a great view of the soccer pitch. He can see the plays unfolding all over the field.

When the ball is played down in his direction, the Holly senior is quick to get into the right position to make the play. As a goalkeeper, that’s what he does best.

At an agile 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, St. John has not only broke most of the school’s season and career goalkeeping records, but he has turned heads around the region as being one of the better players at his position not just in talent-laden Oakland County, but in the state as well.

“Since I’ve been here, he’s by far the best we’ve had,” said Holly coach Mike Steibel of St. John. “I’ve been told he’s one of the best we’ve ever had here. There’s no doubt that he’ll set some records.”

St. John has logged over 90 percent of the minutes between the pipes this season for a team that is 6-3-7. He has posted a goals-against-average in the neighborhood of 0.55 with a save percentage up over .850, abnormal marks for a soccer goalkeeper at any level.

He also posted a sub-1.00 G.A.A. last season en route to All-Flint Metro League honors.

St. John, who has been scouted by several colleges of different sizes, is undecided on where he will attend next season. Just the thought of playing goalkeeper in college is something that was far from St. John’s mind when he entered high school in the fall of 2008.

“My game has come an unbelievable distance,” he smiled. “All four years I started freshman year on the field and sophomore year I started in goal on the junior varsity. The last couple of years I’ve been on varsity. I’ve just worked really hard to get to where I’m at today.

“My club soccer goalkeeping coach, Keith Giroux, has worked with me a ton trying to make me a better goalie,” added St. John.

So far this season, St. John and Holly has tied state-ranked teams Troy and Lapeer East, with ties or wins against several other top-20 programs. St. John has been a consistent player in goal, making routine saves plus saves on shots that many goalkeepers would fail to halt.

“I thought he is very talented,” offered Rochester Stoney Creek coach Adam Bican. “When they beat us 1-0, I thought he was the difference. We outshot them by a wide margin and he made some nice saves.”

Holly’s boys soccer program was first launched back in 1988, and winning seasons have not been commonplace for many of those years until recent times. Before 2000, the only winning campaigns were 1991, 1997 and 1998. The Bronchos have become much more competitive in the past decade with various youth and club teams feeding in some talented players.

Last season Holly finished a school-record 17-2-1 before a first-round exit to Rochester Adams in the Division 1 state tournament. The Bronchos did capture their first-ever championship hardware in 2010, winning the Flint Metro League crown.

This season, Holly finished third in a close five-team FML race this season, only losing one conference game (5-1-2).

Holly, which drops down to Division 2 state tournament this season, will open Tuesday night with a road game at Bloomfield Hills Lahser, a team that reached the state finals last season but has ventured through a rebuilding program. The Bronchos are 6-3-7 this season but have yielded only eight goals all season.

LETTING HER FLY: Holly's Ryan St. John lets this punt go during a recent game against Lapeer West. St.John has emerged as one of the state's better goalkeepers this season. Photo By Larry McKee, www.lmckeephotography.com

St. John is a big part of that success, both this season and last season.

“He’s good at talking to his defense in the back, getting them to the right spot,” noted Steibel. “He’s a leader back there, no question about it. Our defenders are very good back there, too, but Ryan has made some great saves in a lot of games the past couple of years.”

According to school officials, Holly has not had much success in the postseason over the years. St. John would like to have a say in that.

“We know that it won’t be easy, but I think we have a team that can make a run,” said St. John, who plays club soccer for the Novi Jaguars. “I expect us to maybe go all the way. We’ve been playing together going all the way back to (elementary school). We have a talented senior class.

“I think being down in Division 2 will help us, because we’re playing schools closer to us in size,” added St. John. “It won’t be easy. There’s a lot of good teams in our district. But if we can play the way I know we can play, then we can go a long ways.”

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Tags: Athlete of the Week, featured, Holly Boys Soccer, Prep Boys Soccer, Ryan St. John, soccer

Category: BWW Athlete of the Week, Featured Articles, High School, High School (M-Z), Holly, Prep Wraps