O-R Athlete of the Week: Dylan Klinger, Charleroi
Name: Dylan Klinger
School: Charleroi
Class: Sophomore
Sport: Soccer
Klinger’s week: The sophomore scored three goals in three matches against Beth-Center, Bentworth and McGuffey.
The Cougars defeated all three opponents, with the victories against the Bulldogs and Bearcats being in section play. Klinger was glad to defeat the Highlanders because they are a larger school and only had one loss coming into the match.
“It was nice to win against McGuffey but I think the toughest match of the week was against Bentworth,” Klinger said. “They wanted to get some revenge against us and played really hard.”
Klinger scored one of two goals for Charleroi in its victory over Bentworth.
Despite the individual sucess, Klinger was just happy to win all three matches.
“We have really high expectations for this season after finishing as the runner-up for the WPIAL championship last year,” Klinger said. “We take it one game at a time, but we definitely want to get back to Highmark Stadium and win it this time. We also feel that we have what it takes to win a state title.”
Switch kicker: Just like a batter that can hit from both sides of the plate, Klinger’s strikes come from his left and right legs. He believes he is best with his right, but believes that half of his goals have come from his left leg.
“You really want to be able to use both legs, especially with me being a striker,” Klinger said. “I have pretty much always played as a forward, but last year I was a little bit in the midfield and left or right wing. This year, I’m primarily play the left-wing position and at striker.”
Klinger plays club soccer for Century and his cup team is ranked 30th in the country. He also watches some of the best players in the game play in the Premier League.
The next level: Although he is only a sophomore, Klinger wants to play soccer at the collegiate level. He has been playing the game since he was in elementary school.
On the track: Klinger competes for the Cougars on the track & field team in the spring, as he runs the 400-meter dash.
Compiled by Jonathan Guth