Mt. Pleasant boys soccer prepares to move forward after injury to top player Johnson
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Monday, September 9, 2024 | 5:03 PM
Mt. Pleasant’s Aidan Johnson battles for possession against Belle Vernon on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, at Viking Stadium.
Mt. Pleasant’s Aidan Johnson works between Belle Vernon defenders during their game on Sept. 3, 2024, at Viking Stadium.
Mt. Pleasant’s Jarett Garn battles for possession against Belle Vernon on Sept. 3, 2024, at Viking Stadium.
Mt. Pleasant’s Aidan Johnson collides with Belle Vernon goalkeeper Morgan Bunch during their game on Sept. 3, 2024, at Viking Stadium.
Mt. Pleasant’s Grant Zahrobsky works against Belle Vernon on Sept. 3, 2024, at Viking Stadium.
Mt. Pleasant is dealing with the loss of one of its top boys soccer players, but the Vikings are moving forward with an all-hands-on-deck approach.
Senior midfielder Aidan Johnson went down with a lower-body injury in a nonsection game against visiting Belle Vernon last week. He was placed on a stretcher and taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
“We’re not sure how much longer he’ll be out, as he hasn’t seen the orthopedist yet to get a timetable,” Mt. Pleasant coach Floyd Snyder said last week.
Johnson was on the other end of a tackle in a physical game against a former section rival. He was bumped and fell to the turf.
Johnson was leading the Vikings (4-1, 3-0), who are in first place in Section 4-2A, with seven goals and three assists through four games.
“We’re losing a big, fast, dynamic player that teams have to account for when he’s on the field,” Snyder said, “which opens up opportunities for his teammates to make plays. We have no choice but to move forward without him.”
Snyder said one player cannot replace the multi-talented Johnson.
“It will take a complete team effort, like we saw (Thursday) against Yough,” Snyder said. “Our young group had their best game of the season, even though the score sheet only showed two goals.”
Mt. Pleasant blanked Yough, 2-0, as Aydan Gross and Tyler Kurtz scored goals.
Earlier in the day, Gross shot 35 to help the Mt. Pleasant golf team to a 187-228 victory over Southmoreland.
“We’re hopeful (Johnson) will be back sooner rather than later, but this could be a positive,” Snyder said. “If we keep improving with each match, when he returns, it’ll feel like a midseason trade in hockey, bringing one of the best players in the league back into the starting lineup.”
Snyder said opportunity will knock for freshmen Bryson Bankosh, Tyke Snyder and Gavin Rummel, while seniors Gross, Jarett Garn and Bryce Heighnbaugh can intensify their leadership.
“This is a tight-knit group that has rallied around each other in the face of adversity,” Snyder said. “They embrace the challenge and are determined to keep rowing forward while their senior captain is out.”
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Mt. Pleasant
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