KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This is a story about shattering goals.
The first goal was set for the Shawnee Mission East Boys Varsity Soccer weeks before the Kansas state playoffs.
The young men like to kick it. There are 20 seniors on the squad.
“To win our league is very challenging,” head coach Jamie Kelly told KSHB 41 News.
Many of the seniors have been playing together since they were barely young enough to lace up their cleats.
For the Lancers, it’s state title or bust.
The farther the team goes, the more they give. It’s a tradition that began three years ago.
LINK | Learn how you can help KSHB 41 with the Gift of Sole
Shawnee Mission East parent Kelly Brende explained to KSHB 41 how the team raises money before the team's Senior Night game.
“We pass the hat again," Brende said. "This year for Gift of Sole. For every goal scored, everyone contributes a dollar, and the person’s family who scores a goal contributes five. A nice way to connect our community and to help out others. And the boys chose this charity, so we’re very excited about that."
A Shawnee Mission East senior and team captain George Hartman said the smile a new pair of shoes brings to your face and the compliments you receive can carry with you through life, through the school day and in your community.
“Shoes are all so practical, but at the end of the day, giving somebody something special is just something you can’t do every day," Lukas Lowry, Shawnee Mission East Soccer captain, said. "So putting money into this organization or just giving somebody something can go a long way.”
The Lancers went a long way in 2024, capturing their first state title and making their largest donation to Gift of Sole to date: $3,837.
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