F ew coaches smile more than Gilbert girls soccer co-head coaches Danny Jones and Heather Currans. They live and coach with posi- tivity, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. The smiles turn into wide grins when they think back to that magical time in the late spring of 2023 when their team defied the odds and reached the Class 1A state champion- ship match. Those smiles be- came strained moments later though as they are asked to think back to a match in which they were on the other side of an upset in a 1-0 loss to Dike- New Hartford during the 2024 regional final round. But, hey, that’s sports. It’s a rollercoaster. One moment, teams are at the top of the hill with their arms spread and en- joying the view. And in the next moment, teams are white- knuckling it and screaming as the ride takes them downhill. It can be frustrating. But it’s also what make sports so magi- cal. You just never know what’s going to happen. “Upsets happen and that was definitely an upset last year,” Jones, who is in his 16th year with the program, said as he thought back to that overtime setback against Dike-New Hart- ford last spring. “The girls were determined to get back to
Front: Anna Saltzman, Keaton Hanson, Raya Mueller, Greta Platts, Madisen Powers, and Noreen Diaconu-Voi- nea.
Middle: Kennady Hansen, Allie Grandgenett, Annika Yoder- Stoulil, Sammy Johnson, and Izzy Terrones. Back: Taylor Pyle, Claire Koenig, and Abby Pate.l
where they were the year be- fore (the state tournament) and that’s what was most dis- appointing to them. But I didn’t consider anything about last season a disappointment.” The 2024 Tigers spent the en- tire season ranked inside the 1A top 5 and put together a 14-4 overall record, including 7-1 in- side the Raccoon River Confer- ence. Not only were they a predominant favorite to reach state, but they had all of the ing- redients to make another run at state gold. Still, losing isn’t what was so heartbreaking, not for the coaches anyway.
“We always say, us playing in the postseason just means we get more time together,” Cur- rans, who is in her eighth year overall with the program and her seventh as a co-head coach, said. “When that ends, it means we don’t get to be to- gether anymore as a team and that’s the sad part.” Jones, Currans and the entire roster will look to ward off that end for as long as possible this spring, as Gilbert has its sights set on another state tournament trip. The Tigers have competed in six of the past eight state tournaments and 10 overall. In addition to the 2023 state finals appearance, they’ve also reached the semifinal round in
2019 and 2022. “I never have a doubt we’re going to be able to put a solid team on the field because I feel the excitement the girls have every year, and this year is no different,” Jones said. “Yeah, we have some years where there is a little more apprehension, but it’s always, hey, who’s going to step up? And it always happens.” Gilbert doesn’t necessarily have to replace quantity from a season ago, but there was defi- nitely quality lost to graduation. Identical twin sisters Elle and Katie O’Brien were program pil- lars for several years, and
32 GAME ON | SPRING 2025
SPRING 2025 | GAME ON 33
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