Cooper Spagna has always prioritized Morgan Township’s success over personal accolades during his career.
But that picture has become even more clear for Spagna during his senior year.
“This year, his game has developed twofold,” Morgan Township coach Steve Cuson said. “He’s really added a bonus to his game, not just the speed and the determination he’s always had, but the technical skills, the team leader as a senior. He’s really grown into that role and taken that role from day one.
“In June, when it started, he told me, ‘This is my team. I want to be this leader.’ He’s been great.”
Spagna was tabbed as one of four captains, all of whom are seniors. He has embraced the responsibility, especially on a team that starts three freshmen.
“Coming into the season, I had an idea I would be a captain, and I wanted to show these guys,” Spagna said. “I know I’m a good player, so I want to show these guys a good leader. For my senior year, I love having the stats and the players of the games. But the thing I really want to do this year is just win. I want to win.”
There has been a lot of winning for Morgan Township so far this season, and Spagna is one of the primary reasons. He has 20 goals and four assists for the Cherokees (9-3, 1-1), who are hoping to stay in the Porter County Conference race despite a loss to perennial power Boone Grove and then win a second straight sectional title.
“We came into this season, we had a lot of freshmen,” Spagna said. “We lost a lot of key players, and I was skeptical. But this team is 110% every single day. Every single one of these kids wants to get better. That’s what I love. We have so many kids working their tails off, trying to get better.”
Earlier this month, Spagna became the program’s career leader in goals. His first of two goals in a game against Andrean on Sept. 10 gave him 41 career goals, one more than 2022 graduate Ryan Weltzin. Since then, Spagna has pushed that record to 48 goals.
“It means a bunch to me,” he said. “This school gave me a little picture and plaque to honor me. It’s just awesome to know this team cares about me and this team sees my work.
“Moving forward, I hope to hold the record for a little bit, but I want someone else to beat it. I want one of these freshmen their senior year to beat it and have me look at them and be proud of them for accomplishing that because it’s something astonishing to be able to do that for your entire school and hold that record.”
Spagna scored 21 goals as a junior to tie the program’s single-season record, which he shares with two players. His three goals in the Cherokees’ 11-0 win against Oregon-Davis on Thursday lifted him into a tie with 2024 grad Brayden Cuson for the program’s career points record of 112, and the single-season record is within his reach.
Spagna has accomplished all this despite missing his sophomore season. He suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee in the spring of his freshman year. Playing second base for the baseball team, he was going back for a ball when he and the right fielder collided. Spagna rehabbed his knee for seven months.
“Sophomore year, I still supported my team,” he said. “Going into my junior year, it was a little bit scary for me. It was a big injury, and I was a little bit skeptical about how I would perform, and I came out and tied the single-season goal record. So even though it was a tough injury, I bounced back from it, and I’ve been better ever since.”
Spagna debuted with seven goals and five assists as a freshman, when he played alongside his brother Brett, who was a senior defender and one of the Cherokees’ captains.
“Playing with him was great,” Spagna said. “Those guys were my role models, his buddies too. It was very scary going into high school soccer and starting as a freshman. But I learned a lot from the seniors that year, the captains, the key players. I thought I did very good my freshman year, and it was a big milestone for me going into my future.”
Spagna has been influencing Morgan Township’s future through players such as freshman midfielder Maddox Cuson.
“He’s definitely a leader, always has been,” Maddox Cuson said. “Even before his senior year, he was always talking, very informative. A lot of people look to him for guidance, and obviously he’s the main goal-scorer. We look for him in that role. He’s definitely unselfish this season.”
To that point, Steve Cuson pointed to the Cherokees’ 5-0 win against DeMotte Christian on Monday.
“Teams are starting to scout us, and 23 minutes into the game, we were still scoreless,” Steve Cuson said. “(Spagna) comes over and was like, ‘I should play center mid.’ He changed his position from striker to center mid. We scored moments later, and he played the whole rest of the game at attacking mid, and the rest of the team scored all five goals. There’s no stat line for him, and he’s perfectly fine with that. That’s a true leader right there.”
Cuson later added, “We played well (Monday) night without him scoring, but the truth is, we need him to score in big games, and he will. He’s well on track.”
Spagna’s passion for the game is unquestioned. But his last game likely will be whenever the Cherokees’ season ends.
“Most likely it’s going to be the 597 pipefitters union for me,” he said. “Soccer has been on my mind for college, but my family is a union family. I have an older brother in the Local 150 and an older brother in the pipefitters union.
“If some school gives me a small scholarship or something, I always keep soccer in the back of my mind. But my main focus right now is to get into the pipefitters union.”
In the meantime, Spagna wants to delay the conclusion of his career for as long as possible.
“I’ve been playing soccer pretty much all my life,” he said. “I know the last game eventually will come, and it’s going to be very emotional. But the thing I want to have is to look back on my entire high school career and know that I gave it my all, that I played my absolute best.
“It’ll definitely be hard to give up soccer, but I’ll still come out here after senior year and support the team. And who knows? Maybe in the near future, I can help him out and be an assistant coach.”
