Jackson Schroder was a toddler when he started playing soccer. He hasn’t stopped, from the youth rec league level all the way up to high school.
He recently graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School but is still playing on the travel circuit. In fact, he’s a member of the Legacy FC U19 team that will be playing in the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah, next month.
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Schroder is also giving back as a rec league coach, showing appreciation for and not forgetting his upbringing in the sport.
That’s just the type of thing Gatorade looks for in its state award candidates across the high school landscape, and, in Schroder’s case, it seems to have stood out.
Schroder, a defender for four years with the Flying Eagles, was announced as the winner of the prestigious Gatorade West Virginia Boys Soccer Player of the Year award Friday morning.
“I’m beyond blessed and grateful to receive the award,” Schroder said. “I couldn’t thank my coaches, my amazing teammates and my family more. They’ve been here with me throughout it all, so I really appreciate all of their support. I’m just so grateful beyond measure to even be nominated, but to win it.”
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He found out at roughly the same time as everyone else, through a phone call from Steve Laraba, his coach at Woodrow Wilson. Laraba is in Los Angeles for the U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup match against Paraguay, but got to make the phone call at a little after 6 a.m. on the West Coast.
Not that Schroder wasn’t busy himself.
“I was actually walking out of the gym.” Schroder said, getting Laraba’s call after a back and biceps workout. “I answered the phone and he just said, ‘Congratulations.’ I asked him, ‘What for?’ I was confused. I didn’t have a clue what it was about. And then he broke the news to me. So I got in the car, rushed home, told my parents.”
It wasn’t long before Schroder started getting more congratulatory calls, and then the official word via email and text from Gatorade.
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“I am so happy that Jackson has won this award,” Laraba texted from L.A. “He is an outstanding person, teammate and player. Jackson has worked very hard as a player and a student. The WWHS Boys Soccer program is extremely proud of him!”
Gatorade included a testimonial about Schroder from Parkersburg South coach Rick George in its release.
“Jackson Schroder was a standout,” George said. “He’s a fantastic defender with ridiculous speed. He single-handedly kept us from scoring on several occasions.”
That was the word not only on Schroder, but also on the defense of which he was a valuable part. The Flying Eagles were known for making it hard for opponents to score. They defeated Hurricane for the Class AAA state championship in 2024 and finished runner-up to the Redskins in the Class AAAA title game after a shootout last fall.
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Schroder was part of a defense that posted 23 clean sheets and allowed just 26 goals in 44 games over the last two seasons.
“It was by far the best four years of my life. I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Schroder said. “All my coaches, each day in practice they worked us, they pushed us hard, they pushed us to get better. All my teammates, from the goalie to the front — Bryson Doss, Tyler Radford, Jackson Gray, Vince Umberger — that whole defensive unit, I wouldn’t be where I am right now without them because they pushed and fought alongside me every single game and we helped lock it down in the back.”
Schroder, who graduated with a 4.48 grade-point average, will attend Virginia Tech and major in chemical engineering. He would love the chance to coach in the future, which he is actually doing right now. He is an assistant for a U4 team on Mondays, then turns his attention to U14 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
“These kids are just starting to get into soccer, and I just like seeing how excited they get when they score and do something good,” Schroder said of the U4 team. “They look over at their parents and they’re just really giddy. It makes me happy to see that. … Just seeing (the U14) kids have fun, most of the team knows each other, and just seeing them bond, and they kind of have that chemistry. I don’t really have to do much. I have a a great team and they play hard each and every game.”
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It’s all part of giving back to the community and the sport he loves.
“I definitely like to keep helping out in different communities, just making sure I’m out promoting youth soccer, because that’s where I started,” Schroder said. “If I wouldn’t have had coaches like Jerry Umberger, Steve Laraba, Jason Logan, Jay Rist, all of them, if I wouldn’t have had coaches like them to help kick me into gear, get me going, and promote it, support, coach, everything, I definitely wouldn’t be here without all of them. So I want to also be able to make that positive impact on kids throughout any age range in the community.”
