Wagener quietly tops 100 career goal mark in Maumee win
- Jeremy Schneider
- Sep 12, 2024
- 2 min read
By JEREMY SCHNEIDER
IMA SPORTS
When Blake Wagener’s 100th career goal was announced in the first half of Maumee’s game against Oak Harbor, it was surprising and shocking.
Yes, because it’s a tremendous number and a huge amount of goals, but also because very few people knew he was approaching the mark.
His coach, Chad Kain certainly didn’t.
“I had no idea that he was in that situation,” Kain said. “I had no idea that he was that close, but then again, does that surprise me? No.
“He’s not talking about it, that just tells you the character he is. He didn’t come out here, taking crazy shots, trying to do whatever. He came out here to play the game. It speaks to the character of that kid.”
Wagener scored the first two goals of the night in a 4-0 win over the Rockets. The Panthers are now 8-0 overall and 4-0 in the Northern Buckeye Conference.
If you ask Wagener, those are the numbers that really matter.
“I never thought about the goals,” Wagener said. “The only thing that I wanted to do since I came here was win district titles, win regional titles. I never really cared too much about the goals.
“It’s a great feeling to score all of these goals, obviously, but I’ve always been more worried about the championships.”
Wagener has obviously put in a lot of work since starting his soccer journey 15 years ago as a 3-year-old playing Maumee Youth Soccer. These last two years, he’s stepped up his effort and time in the weight room, which has helped him put on 20 pounds since his freshman season.
When watching Wagener play, one of the most striking differences between him and everyone else on the field is his body control. Instead of letting momentum take him left and right, Wagener seems to exist in a cylinder, with his weight always perfectly balanced to make the next move.
When Kain talks to college coaches about Wagener, the coach always mentions the product of that body control, Wagener’s ability to play in tight spaces.
Tell college coaches, most amazing thing is he’s so good in a tight space
“He’s so good on the ball and everything is so tight at his feet,” Kain said. “He needs one step to get a shot off, not three. You don’t find that. It’s a credit to how much work he puts in.”
Wagener now has 18 goals and seven assists this season, averaging 5.4 points per game. At his current pace, he’ll end the regular season with 39 goals, or 121 for his career, and 92 points.
If the Panthers play five playoff games, like last season, his numbers balloon to 50 goals (132 career) and 119 points.
All that being said, by the time it’s all said and done, Wagener could graduate Maumee as the leading goal scorer in Northwest District history and the 19th leading goal scorer in state history.
Pretty amazing stuff for a player who kept his approach to 100 a secret until after it happened.
Reach IMA at insidemaumeeathletics@gmail.com
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