Boys soccer 2023: Zander Yoho and Chase Cuson looking to lead Keystone to new heights

Keystone seniors Zander Yoho and Chase Cuson have been playing soccer together since fifth grade. They've made memories and scored a lot of goals along the way. Now they have a chance to make history. Yoho and Cuson are the leaders of a Wildcats team that is looking to win the first conference championship in school history. "There's a lot at stake this season," Cuson said. "This is our year to bring it home. We have the skill and we've built up the culture to be able to get the job done." Keystone finished 10-8 last year, the first team in school history to have double-digit wins. As the duo worked their way up from youth leagues to Upper 90 FC and finally as four-year varsity players for the Wildcats, Cuson never expected to have this much success. "Looking back on that time, I had no idea it was going to turn out to be like this," Cuson said. "I'm so happy that we made and we saw it through. We have this special bond. It's given us both a great advantage." Yoho scored 29 goals and Cuson 27 a year ago but Yoho knows the Wildcats are more than a two-man team. "It all starts with my teammates," he said. "I'm just the guy who sometimes puts the ball in the back of the net. The defense wins the ball and they get it up to us. They do all the hard work, we do the easy stuff." Although Yoho and Cuson are listed as forward/midfielders and have nearly identical stat lines, Keystone coach Tom Baracskai said each player brings something unique to the team. "The difference between the two of them is Zander has the ballhandling ability to make you miss," he said. "He can dance around you and move in and out. Chase is the whole package. He's big, strong and fast. You're not going to push him off the ball. "The thing about Zander and Chase is they have the ability to score from almost anywhere on the field. That's a unique thing on the high school level. They can have three people on them and still miraculously put the ball in the back of the net. It's kind of amazing the things they can do." Yoho is also hoping he can cap off his high school career by hanging a banner from the rafters. "Winning conference is one of our big goals," he said. "As long as we play as a team I think it can happen. It's everything we've been working for four years. It would be so special to bring that home. As a team from freshman year to now we've all grown. Coach Baracskai has helped with that, building us together as a team." Cuson and Yoho have plenty of help as they pursue the league title. There are seven seniors on the roster. "It's almost unbelievable coming from a small school like Keystone that has never won a conference championship before that we're all in this position," Cuson said. After an early-season draw with four-time defending LCL champion Firelands, the Wildcats are in control of their own destiny when it comes to bringing that championship home. "You learn from your mistakes in the losses and you celebrate the wins and if we can do that as a team the sky is the limit," Yoho said. Yoho and Cuson agree the journey has been even more special since they've experienced it together. "The time we spend together on and off the field is the best part," Yoho said. "We've been playing together since we were in third or fourth grade. The extra work we put in just shooting around after practice, it's fun to be able to do that with my best friend." "The chemistry Zander and I have on and off the field is incredible," Cison said. "We're so competitive. No matter what we do on or off the field we're pushing each other." While Yoho and Cuson will hang up their Keystone uniforms for the final time at the end of this season, they hope what they've helped build will endure. "If we can win a conference championship," Baracskai said, "and put those first numbers on the banner, it will spur on the middle school kids and the kids playing rec league to want to be part of something here at Keystone." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.