Ever see JP Assenmacher dribble a soccer ball? It’s almost like the ball is part of his cleats – and he’s so smooth heading down the field with the ball at his feet that his head is up and his eyes are scanning the pitch.
The Dexter junior is something to see on the soccer field. And he’s only getting better with every goal he scores, every strike he takes and every pass he makes. So let’s kick things over to Assenmacher and see how his soccer game began and has evolved.
“I first got interested in soccer when my brothers started playing soccer,” he says. “I liked the constant movement in the sport instead of on and off plays. I also liked how it was a full team sport.”
Assenmacher has been working on his game ever since. He plays club soccer for the highly respected Michigan Jaguars and has been playing club soccer since he was 5 years old. He’s always getting fit and getting his kicks in when it comes to soccer.
To help prepare for this season with the Dreadnaughts, Assenmacher did a fitness program every other day for almost the whole summer. He also worked on his technical skills with his brother and at home.
Assenmacher has been looking forward to his junior year.
“This year’s team, although shorter in numbers, is very close and I believe that we can go very far this year,” he said. “Our chemistry and passing is definitely the strong point of the team. My personal goal is to beat our rivals, Chelsea, this year and to win a game in Districts.”
Dexter plays in the very tough SEC Red and have already had some highly competitive games with some of the best teams in the state. “A team at this level of high school soccer needs to be confident, have a high understanding of the game, and to be fully together as a team,” Assenmacher says of the challenges of playing against elite competition.
Assenmacher, who plays primarily left wing, was All-Conference, All-District, All-Region and All-State honorable mention last year as a sophomore after finishing with 10 goals and 18 assists.
“Our last season did not turn out the way we all wanted it to,” he says. “Our team was very good but we could not put away chances in Districts. Our main highlight of the year was definitely beating Chelsea on senior night.”
JP, 17, is the son of Gail and Kurt Assenmacher and scores an impressive 3.95 GPA in the classroom. He plans on studying engineering and playing soccer in college. But he has a few more goals to score and accomplish before he dribbles off to the next level.
Profile: Nick Doletzky is getting his kicks on the pitch and on the gridiron
