By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
John Muckstadt graduated from Dover-Sherborn Regional High School in 2019 as one of the more accomplished athletes in the school's history. On the soccer pitch, Muckstadt served as a senior captain, recorded 20 career goals and 10 assists as a defender, was named a TVL All-Star three times, and was awarded 2018 TVL MVP honors. In basketball, Muckstadt also served as a captain and helped lead the Raiders to the 2018-2019 Division III state championship to go along with earning TVL All-Star honors.
Muckstadt's performances on the pitch and in the classroom helped him earn a scholarship to play Division I soccer at Colgate, the alma mater of both of his parents. Fittingly, Colgate's mascot is also the Raiders.
As a freshman in 2019, Muckstadt burst onto the scene, appearing in all 14 games with nine starts and helping lead the Raiders to six shutout victories. Muckstadt compiled 995 total minutes played. Colgate won each of its final three games to earn a spot in the Patriot League Tournament. The Raiders fell, 2-1, to Lafayette in the Patriot League quarterfinals, finishing their season with a 6-9-4 record.
With a full season of college soccer under his belt, Muckstadt figured to be a mainstay for Colgate's defensive unit this fall as a sophomore. Unfortunately, the Patriot League cancelled all fall athletics due to COVID-19.
Despite not having soccer, Muckstadt is still on campus, taking both in-person and online classes. Muckstadt says he and his teammates are trying to make the best of the current situation while adapting to the new environment they are in.
"I arrived at Colgate last Monday and our school has a two-week mandated quarantine for everyone," said Muckstadt. "Basically, we are stuck in our rooms with our roommates and the school delivers us three meals a day and we have a few hours of outside time everyday. During my outdoor time, I have been able to go to our soccer field and train with my roommates. It’s been hard to breathe because we have to wear a mask the whole time."
If all goes well following the quarantine period, Muckstadt and his teammates will be allowed to resume practicing. Even without games this fall, simply practicing and being together again will hopefully allow for some sort of return to normalcy.
"After the two-week quarantine and depending on the number of positive cases on campus, we are going to be able to ease back into practicing this fall," said Muckstadt. "We are going to start by having training sessions with 10 people at a time. As long the number of positive cases stay low, we are going to be able to practice with the entire team. Everything is up in the air right now, so we are taking it day by day."
For funny and incisive sports analysis as well as video highlights of games, follow Mike Flanagan on his own personal Twitter and Instagram handles @flano0.
