Soccer coaches: the secret weapon to Bluejays success

The Three Lakes-Phelps boys varsity soccer team will play their first WIAA D4 regional playoff game this week at Amery High School.

This is the same team that came to Three Lakes last October for the first game of the sectional championship series. In that game the Bluejays dominated field position and time of possession with excellent passing and ball control. In the end, the Bluejays won 4-0 and came within a single game of qualifying for the state championship series.

One year later, and after losing several starting players to graduation, the team is back in the postseason with confidence to make another competitive run. The confidence is based on a regular season record with one fewer loss than last year, a fast offense with precision passing skills, a stingy defense that has five shutouts, and the trust and belief in a coaching staff with decades of soccer experience.

The team is led by head coach Brad Volkmann, who has been a long-time teacher and coach at Three Lakes High School. He has led varsity soccer and basketball teams to sectional finals, and has an extraordinary winning record through the years coaching in both sports. He is also the father of Toby Volkmann, who was an all-state soccer player for the Bluejays in 2024 and current collegiate player at UW-Eau Claire. The coach’s younger son, Malakai, is a team manager with considerable skills, and will likely follow in the family soccer tradition next year as a varsity player.

Volkmann is joined on the sidelines by two assistant coaches: Phil Doherty, who joined the club in 2022, and John Welsh, who was added in 2023. They both live in the district, and each has an impressive soccer background. For example, Doherty has 38 years of coaching experience at a variety of levels, including a four-year period at the Collegiate Club Soccer Program at Northern Michigan University before the institution established its current NCAA Division II soccer program.

Doherty also played soccer for decades going back to his early childhood and has a knack for connecting with the current team roster.

“These kids have a lot of soccer talent,” he said, “and it means a lot to me to see them thrive in our program.” He says the team has fun, shows good camaraderie, and is easy to coach. “They know the game, have respect for the coaches, and they have confidence in each other, which are all very important at this time of the season.”

Part of the fun for Doherty, and the team, is the nicknames that he has given some of the players. For example, he often refers to senior, Lucas Riker, as the “pick-pocket” because of his ability to break up plays and steal the ball from opponents. Another team favorite is the “mosquito” used with sophomore, Matthew Potrykus, for his ability to quickly smother and bother opponents. It may sound like simple fun to some, but on the pitch, it is a special connection Doherty has with the players.

Assistant coach Welsh also has an impressive resume. As with Doherty, his background goes back to his youth when he played soccer at the age of four. He said his father encouraged him to participate in sports and he knew early on that soccer was in his future.

“I always knew that soccer would be part of my story,” he said, “and I am glad to be part of this coaching team.”

Soccer success for Welsh started in his Pennsylvania high school where he earned all-conference and all-state honors before eventually meeting his wife, Lauren, in the Northwoods.

He became a U.S. Certified Referee in 2012 and has officiated high school soccer games in northern Wisconsin through the WIAA. His wife is also a fan of the sport and acts as an official in select WIAA games.

Two of their children are starting players on the Bluejays. Cohen is a senior and team leader in scoring, while Charlie is one of a group of sophomores on the club who have been major contributors.

“As a dad, I’m super proud to watch my boys play and get better with each passing year,” Welsh said, “and getting to watch them do something they love, and do it well, is a joy.” Both of his kids have played since they were very young, and coach Welsh has been a long-time coordinator for the Three Lakes Youth Soccer Club, and is president of the Headwaters Youth Soccer Association recreation board.

The three coaches will put all of their collective experience to work in getting the team ready for the first regional playoff game this Thursday, Oct. 22, against the Warriors of Amery High School. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.