The feeling of putting the ball in the back of the net to score or dishing it up for a teammate and seeing how excited they get – that is what carries my passion for the game.”

Senior Anthony Arnusch

GOSHEN COUNTY – Books about soccer techniques and strategy typically rank low on lists of popular reading material for elementary school boys. For Lingle-Fort Laramie (LFL) senior Anthony Arnusch, however, any text about the ins and outs of soccer was gold.

“When I was in fourth grade, my dad was coaching the high school (soccer) team,” Arnusch recalled. “He would have these books that he would have his players read. Once the players got done with them, they would all get passed down to me.”

Arnusch’s study of soccer continued long after fourth grade and the midfielder for the Torrington Blazers varsity team is devoted to learning as much as possible about the sport. Soccer is constantly evolving and no one possesses a 100-percent knowledge of the sport, Arnusch believes.

“You always have to be studying – there is always something new that you can learn,” Arnusch added.

In addition to reading soccer books, Arnusch follows YouTube channels dedicated to the sport.

“There are always new videos popping up on new techniques,” Arnusch remarked.

During the Blazers’ spring soccer season, Arnusch was frequently awake at 6 a.m. to practice dribbling or executing drills for close touches in his basement. At least two hours of formal soccer practice followed school each day.

Arnusch hit the books to complete his assigned homework after practice before downloading game film to watch or tuning in to a professional soccer match for inspiration.

To succeed in soccer involved “countless hours of work” over the years, Arnusch noted – “it’s doing the same move 10,000 times just to get it to perfection.”

Arnusch’s dedication to soccer, coupled with a dogged work ethic and considerable talent, culminated in numerous postseason awards for the 2025 season. The Wyoming Coaches Association (WCA) honored Arnusch with 3A all-conference and all-state accolades for a third consecutive year. 

Arnusch also received the 3A underclassman player of the year award from the WCA for a second year.

“To get rewarded these past two years for all the hard work I put into soccer feels really nice,” Arnusch said. “I’ve worked my whole life at soccer.”

Developing a passion

Arnusch’s earliest memories center around the soccer ball.

“I was really young,” Arnusch recalled. “It all started when my dad and I would go out into my grandma’s yard and we would just kick the ball around for fun. As I got older, it was something I wanted to keep pursuing – something I wanted to get better at. We just kept putting in the work.”

Arnusch played for the Wyoming 307 Select team and the Olympic Development Program, both sponsored by U.S. Youth Soccer. He was also selected to play for the South Dakota state youth soccer team and joined a local club team in Goshen County.

Arnusch was an avid fan of Portuguese soccer great Cristiano Ronaldo when he was younger, tracking Ronaldo’s career as a forward and leading scorer for Real Madrid. Later, Arnusch followed Croatian footballer Luka Modric, a midfielder for Real Madrid.

“I learned from watching (Modric) how to have patience and look for the right time to attack,” Arnusch said.

Arnusch credited his father, Jeshua Arnusch, as his biggest inspiration for the sport. 

“My dad was always there training with me and getting me to that next level,” Arnusch said.

Jeshua Arnusch took the reins as the head coach for the Torrington Blazers soccer team this spring.

“With (my dad) being the coach this year, it really helped me,” Arnusch added. “He could pull me aside and tell me to look for a certain thing to do – look for a certain pass to make. It was a big help because I needed an extra set of eyes on the field.”

A team effort

The Blazers soccer team raised the bar in 2025, posting a nearly undefeated 9-1 conference record and going 10-4 overall for the regular season.

On May 3, Torrington battled rival Worland to a 1-1 draw at home before the Blazers outscored the Warriors in an overtime shootout to post the win.

“We went down a goal to Worland really early and we were able to fight our way back,” Arnusch said. “Worland is always a fun game, especially when we play them at home.”

The May 3 game against Worland was not the only match to go into overtime this spring. Torrington and Worland deadlocked, 1-1, at an away game on April 4. The Blazers took Rawlins to a 2-2 draw on two occasions on April 11 and May 2. In each of the three games, Torrington rallied to defeat its opponents in overtime shootouts.

Developing the skills to accurately line up a perfect penalty kick in a high-stakes overtime situation involves untold hours of practice.

“It’s hard because you can’t replicate those reps – that feeling of walking up to that spot where it’s just between you and that goalie,” Arnusch said. “It’s hard to replicate that pressure. But we practice a lot. At the end of every practice, that’s what we’re doing for 15, 20 minutes – working on putting the ball in the back of the net against a goalie.”

Arnusch also highlighted the Blazers’ skilled goalie, Ayden Shimic, for his role in securing overtime victories.

“It took a lot of pressure off of us to know that we had the best goalkeeper in the state in Ayden Shimic when it came to (overtime shootouts),” Arnusch noted. “Even if you might miss a PK, he was going to make up for it.”

The Blazers went into the 2025 state tournament as the No. 2 seed and clinched the third-place trophy after beating Lander, 2-1, in Gillette on May 24.

“This year (at state), we were able to calm ourselves down and go out and play the game and not think about it too much and not have too many nerves,” Arnusch said.

It always comes back to soccer

Arnusch is a multisport athlete, excelling in football and basketball for the LFL Doggers as well as soccer with the Blazers.

Arnusch captured 1A 9-man all-state and all-conference awards for football during the Doggers’ epic undefeated regular season culminating in a state runner-up trophy. During the October 5 game against Saratoga, Arnusch broke the school record for longest field goal with a 47-yard kick. 

Arnusch received 1A all-conference basketball honors as a key member of the LFL Doggers’ starting lineup in the team’s historic state championship run.

The skills gained from soccer can carry over to these other sports.

“It’s about the footwork from soccer,” Arnusch said. “You always gotta be quick feet, side-to-side, which can help in football. You also have to be able to explode for a 50-yard sprint in soccer, which can help in basketball. Soccer’s movements correlate to other sports well.”

While playing football at War Memorial Stadium and competing in the state title game at the Ford Wyoming Center were incredible and life-long memories, soccer remains No. 1.

“Soccer will always be my favorite between those three sports,” Arnusch added. “I’ve put in countless hours towards the sport. The feeling of putting the ball in the back of the net to score or dishing it up for a teammate and seeing how excited they get – that is what carries my passion for the game.”

Arnusch expressed gratitude to his coaches, parents, grandmothers and little brother and sister for their support over the years.

Arnusch advised young players beginning their soccer journey to “keep working” at the sport.

“Not everything you do the first time is going to be perfect,” Arnusch said. “You’re not going to be the best player when you start. If you keep working, you’re going to start to see small progress. It might be a little bit every day, but if you keep doing that, it will turn into big results.”