Generational scorer
Nicewander breaks records, grows to be one of the best in arizona
As the star player of a team, many things are asked of you, and loads of pressure weigh upon your shoulders. When your dad is the coach though, it’s a completely different ballgame.
No one understands this more than Kofa senior striker Tiernan Nicewander, the latest Nicewander boy to play under his father and longtime Kings coach, Jamie Nicewander.
As a sophomore and junior, Tiernan led the Kings in scoring, but for his final season, the senior had to make sure things were different. The six-foot-six goal-scoring machine in red and black wanted to shift into another gear and would not be denied.
“Coming into this year I had to hit a different switch for myself,” Tiernan said. “I was thinking about all the things I could do differently to improve on my goal-scoring – whether that was things in the offseason or lessons I learned in the past – things like technique, passing, agility, footwork.”
Tiernan’s work paid off for historical dividends, leading the state of Arizona in 5A with 37 goals and 85 points, with 11 assists to boot. His goal total, something he worked so hard to improve, broke the record for goals in a single-season at Kofa since the inception of the mercy-rule era in the 2010s.
It’s Tiernan’s incredible season, along with contributions to his team’s effort which pushed the Kings all the way to the 5A semis from the Play-in round, that results in his recognition as the 2022-23 Yuma Sun/yuma Rotary Club Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
From an extremely young age, Tiernan found a ball at his feet, and quickly established his ability to find the back of the net. With his dad the head coach at Kofa and three older brothers, Tiernan grew up around the game. It was only a matter of time until he was starstruck and dead set on playing under the bright lights of Irv Pallack Field.
“My dad got me into the sport, but what really made me love it was watching my older brothers play,” Tiernan said. “When I watched them play, the stadium was packed out and the fans were crazy and being in that environment made me realize that this is what I wanted to do. This was meant to be my future.”
If you were to look up the Kofa boys soccer roster on Azpreps365 or Maxpreps, you would see each
player’s name, number, position and grade level. Not Tiernan though. Under his name, lists his height at six-foot-six, for all scouts, opponents and whoever else to see. At that height, most athletes his age would be playing basketball, not Tiernan though, no, he’s invested too much time otherwise. Plus, his height has its own advantages on the pitch.
“I never knew I was going to be this tall,” Tiernan laughed. “So all that hard work I put in from a young age, I just stuck with it. When people tell me I should be playing basketball, I just tell them there’s no point. It happens every day, but I put so much time and effort into playing soccer, there ‘s no way I would quit for another sport.”
“He was already so talented from a young age that when his body grew, he found a way to adjust to it,” Jamie said of his son. “We did not expect him to be that tall, but there is an advantage to it either way. He can score with every part of his body and he has incredible agility for his size, and that’s credit to the hard work he’s put in.”
Tiernan’s skills were put on display across the stretch of his senior season as he exploded for 12 goals through the first four games in the first tournament of the year. The senior already knew this year was going to be different, but didn’t let the numbers get to his head.
Halfway through the season though, that changed. Around the 24-goal mark, history began to beckon. The modern single-season goal record at Kofa belongs to Donal Landrum, who set the mark at 34 goals in 2011 in a non-mercy rule season, meaning there was no 8-0 cap on games.
With half of the season left to go and only 11 more goals to break the record, the record books became a serious possibility. Fast forward to the final home game of the year against Youngker, Nicewander stood at 28 and needed to make something happen. With playoffs in the cards and tougher opponents on the horizon, this was his chance.
And he took it.
The senior scored six goals in a single game, tying the record on his Senior Night.
“That was really special,” Tiernan said. “I knew I had to step it up to a higher level and had to score a lot of goals to get the record. I pushed really hard and after I scored the first one, they just started falling in.”
With three more goals across the Kings’ magical playoff run to the semifinals, Nicewander finished with 37, the most in recent memory and the record of top scorer in modern Kofa history.
For his father, it was an extremely special year, as two other Nicewander boys were a part of the program with Tiernan’s older brother, Gavin, on the coaching staff and younger brother, Jiago, a member of the team.
“It was an absolute pleasure to coach him and so fun to watch him this year,” Jamie said. “It was really special for me having three of my boys around the program too, there was nothing more I could’ve asked for there. It does not get any more enjoyable than that.”
Furthermore, Tiernan did all of this while carrying the pressure and responsibility of being a coach’s son, a role which adds complexity and difficulty, especially with his talent and status.
“With me as the coach, he’s the one that loads up the truck in the morning with the gear, and he’s the one who unloads it back into the garage again after,” Jamie said. “He had to embrace the lifestyle of being the first one there and last to leave.”
“He took to it like a duck to water and is now reaping the benefits of it.”
“Playing under my dad has had its ups and downs, but I am so much better off because of it,” Tiernan said. “Being the coach’s son you are going to receive extra criticism and attention, so we had to give everyone a reason not to feel that way. That’s why he pushed me so hard and because of that, I am who I am today and I am grateful for that.”
Many opportunities wait in the wings regarding Tiernan’s future. Division I, II, III, NAIA and junior colleges have all reached out. Semi-pro soccer is also in the cards. Wherever the senior goes though, maximum effort, responsibility and undeniable contributions will be brought.
“I want to be known as the guy that worked his way up to the top and worked hard, overcoming every challenge along the way,” Tiernan said. “The guy that put in so much work that it paid off in the end, as well as a great teammate. I don’t want to be the one which it was given to, I want to be the one that earns it, and hopefully people see that in the future.”