Southeast lands local soccer players Schlick, Luehmann

Jackson senior Bobbi Jo Schlick and Notre Dame senior Courtney Luehmann signed letters of intent Wednesday to play for the Southeast Missouri State soccer team.

Schlick and Luehmann, who play on rival high school teams, know each other well because they have been teammates on the same club soccer squad for a few seasons.

"We're really good friends so it will be nice to go in knowing somebody," Luehmann said.

Schlick, a forward, scored 16 goals and recorded seven assists in 21 games for Jackson as a junior. She was the 2008 girls Class 2 all-Southeast team player of the year and offensive player of the year.

"I really like [coach] Heather and Paul [Nelson[']s] coaching style and I've always really wanted to play Division I," Schlick said.

A couple of other schools had interest in Schlick, but she felt most comfortable at Southeast.

"I've known Paul a long time," she said. "I've played on a Southeast Missouri soccer club and he's the head guy of that, so I've known him for a while and I like his style of coaching. It's a fast-paced game. ... And I really kind of wanted to stay close to home and since it's a Division I school, it was kind of an easy decision for me."

Schlick hopes to receive playing time right off the bat.

"I've attended a couple of their games and their style of play is a lot quicker than high school, but hopefully I won't have any trouble adjusting," Schlick said. "I play forward for my high school team. I really haven't talked to them about my position, but I think they want me working on crossing more often, so maybe an outside-mid position."

Schlick's coach at Jackson, Julie Wunderlich, played for the Redhawks. She thinks Schlick has the ability to play well during her first year.

"I am so excited for her to go there because I went there," Wunderlich said. "It's awesome as a coach to watch some of my players play at the same school that I played at. I think she has real potential to make an impact next year at SEMO."

Luehmann scored three goals and recorded six assists while playing defensive center-mid for the Bulldogs as a junior.

"I'm excited to play Division I soccer and I can't wait [to play] with a new group of girls and just experience the whole college life with soccer," Luehmann said. "I kind of already knew coach Paul and coach Heather, and I really like their style of coaching and they're always really nice. It's kind of close to home and it's always been a dream of mine to play Division I soccer, so that was a major plus. And I just liked the school atmosphere and the size of the school."

Luehmann, who is from Charleston, had some offers from other schools, including Rockhurst and Central Methodist.

She said she thinks she likely will play forward or back.

"I will definitely have to work hard," she said. "I'm not going in expecting to start or play at all. I am going to work my butt off to try to get playing time."

Notre Dame coach Jeff Worley said he thinks Luehmann will fit in well at Southeast.

"Her strength is her strength," Worley said. "She is one of the strongest players I've ever coached. She's very fit. She's worked very hard. She's able to hold players off the ball. She's certainly not going to get pushed around. I think she'll do well there."

Other signings

• Garrett Leible of Perryville High School signed with Missouri University of Science and Technology to play football.
• Brent Roth of Perryville High School signed with Lindenwood University to play football.
• Logan Franklin of Perryville High School signed to with Lindenwood University to play football.
• Dante Sales of Cape Girardeau Central High School plans to sign today to play football at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kan.