For the first couple of years on the Dowagiac soccer team, the name Jeremiah Guernsey may not have been as familiar to fans as some others.

But following Saturday’s three-goal and one assist performance, the senior is grabbing some attention from both fans and opponents.

“He did a nice job moving up top on Saturday and I expect him to continue to grow in the position of forward,” Dowagiac coach Mike Williams said.

Williams added that he is hoping Guernsey will be able to provide some offensive punch. That played into his decision to move Guernsey forward as the Chieftains were struggling to score goals in the opening weeks of the season.

“Each year he has shown progress and worked his way into a starting position last year,” Williams said. “He has one of the best shots on our team. I need him to be more confident going to the goal and being physical.”

According to Williams, Guernsey has “grown in several ways — speed, strength, shot and work ethic,” he said.

Guernsey feels like he is growing into his leadership role.

Being an upplerclassman and an experienced varsity player allows him to help out his younger teammates.

“Helping the younger players get better is important,” he said. “Once you graduate, the players below you will come up and take your spot and hopefully be better than you were.”

As a two-year starter at outside middle and forward, Guernsey likes being asked to do more scoring.

“It makes me feel like I have something to work toward. I consider myself a goal scorer, so I need to work harder to score some goals,” Guernsey said. “I have been working a lot on my shot and my ball handling skills in general and it has paid off a lot.”