Kettel focused on regaining MVL title
Tipp Featured Athlete of the Week
When the Tippecanoe boys soccer team takes the field this fall, the mission of capturing a Miami Valley League title is at the top of the list of goals for the Red Devils. After seeing their 100 game conference winning streak come to an end last season, the players are dedicated to climbing back to the top of the league standings.
For Tipp senior Eli Kettel, it was mixed emotions last year and going forward into 2026.
“Last year was certainly shocking and honestly heartbreaking,” Kettle said. “Finishing third in our division was something Tipp boys soccer had not experienced in its entire MVL career, and only a few weeks removed from achieving the 100-game unbeaten conference streak made it all the more unbelievable. It felt especially cruel to last year's team also, as it was a younger group with less varsity experience looking to recoup from such a large exodus of seniors.”
“The team had accomplished so much in spite of lowered expectations, and the legacy of being the team to break the conference champion streak is a tough burden to carry. As such, the feelings of disappointment from last year's season will certainly fuel this year's team to rewrite the wrongs of last season.”
Tipp will head into the upcoming season losing four all-conference seniors from last season, with Kettel among the two returning players with MVL honors returning and looking to take a bigger role as a senior leader this season.
“I think something that this team can improve on from last season is our ability to finish out a game,” Kettle said. “I thought that in some of our bigger games, we would lose our legs toward the back half after taking an early lead, and we would allow our opponent to hang around and sometimes even equalize or take the lead late.”
“Sometimes it would be due to more conservative play, but maybe another culprit for our late game struggles could be a level of fitness. This year, we must strive for a higher level of fitness and stamina so that we can maintain our focus and ability throughout a whole 80-minute match.”
“The 2026 senior class was small in numbers, but large in strength. Those players are by no means easily replaceable, so we have to look toward what we still have in the program and play through the strengths of our returning players.”
Losing MVL Conference Player of the Year Cameron Smith will certainly be a blow. But with our strong returning cast, I am confident in my teammates and myself and our ability to figure out how to fill such large shoes. As a defensive player like myself, my focus is first and foremost on our defense's ability to earn shutouts. As far as my offensive output, that may come more sparingly but in situations with our long throws and other set pieces.”
Kettle said he is expecting a lot of himself this year in leadership and feels his leadership skills are among his best traits. One aspect of being a good leader is offseason work to improve his game, and he's been doing that during the summer.
“This summer before my senior year has been full of great experiences for me,” Kettle said. “From something as simple as going to our weekly open fields to something as grand as experiencing a College World Series game in Omaha, I have been enjoying every moment of my final summer as a high schooler.”
“On the sports front, I have made every effort to be an active member with the incoming underclassmen for the soccer program, helping participate at extra player-led events like conditioning. The soccer team even held a youth camp in mid-June that I was able to volunteer at, and I had a great time.”
Another sport Kettel has shined in during his days at Tipp is during the spring as a member of the Red Devils baseball team. He reflected back on a district title and his success on the diamond.
“The Tipp baseball season was a massive success on a team level,” he said. “The first district title in ten years was a huge achievement for us. It was something that we had been knocking on the door of for years with multiple consecutive district final losses.”
“For me personally, it was also getting over a hump where I, personally, had lost four straight district finals between both baseball and soccer. This year's baseball team, for me, felt especially close-knit, where it felt like everyone was friendly with everyone, and it was a lot of fun to be around this group.”
Kettel also praised his team for accomplishing something he said hasn’t happened since before 2020… a big conference win over Butler, but it wasn’t just once.
“Sweeping the series against the MVL juggernaut that Butler has become felt like one of the sweetest victories I have experienced on a diamond,” he said. “With all that being said, it feels easy to say that the thing I was most proud of was achieving things that we had not seen as a program in several years.”
“I am very much looking forward to taking a bigger role in my senior season in baseball as well, as we look to build on our growth from this past season. And maybe, this district final victory for me this spring will carry into another one this fall.”
While Kettel believes he can play at the collegiate level, his career is likely ending upon graduation.
“My focus has always been on my academics, so I am looking to pursue an education in college,” he said. “Truly, my biggest strengths have always been in the classroom. However, as someone as active as me, I will have to find time to get back out on the soccer field and the baseball diamond to continue playing the sports I grew up with, perhaps by helping with my younger siblings as their high school careers begin in the coming years.”
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