Keeping the tradition alive: Jay Ziegler the latest in her family to wear No. 42 at Coeur d'Alene High

Senior goalkeeper Jay Ziegler says she is proud to carry on the family tradition of wearing the No. 42 for the Coeur d’Alene Vikings.

But that tradition — which started with her grandfather, Craig, and followed by her father, Ben, and uncle, Paul — almost didn’t continue.

A few years ago, Jay was playing forward and some midfielder and thinking about giving up soccer, and trying “something different altogether.”

But then …

“One of my old club teams, the keeper left during our spring season,” Jay recalled. “And I just happened to be doing a couple keeper trainings, because my best friend on that team wanted to do them, but she didn’t want to be alone, so she dragged me with her. And the coach had a lot of trust in me in both positions (forward and goalkeeper), so she put me in (at keeper) and then I kept going with it.”

These days, she’s the starting goalkeeper for the Coeur d’Alene High girls soccer team, which takes on Lewiston on Saturday at noon at CHS in the first round of the 5A Region 1 tournament.

“Jay has been kind of a rock for us this season,” Coeur d’Alene High girls soccer coach Andy Vredenburg said. “She has really stepped up her game, and she has made a lot of big saves for us.

“I thought it was great, for her to carry on her dad’s tradition,” Vredenburg added.

JAY MAKES it three generations of Zieglers to wear the No. 42 at CHS.

Craig Ziegler wore the number at CHS when he played football in the late 1960s. Ben played football and baseball, graduating in 1997. Paul Ziegler also played football and ran track, graduating in 2001. Katie played soccer and volleyball and ran track, graduating in 2002, and though she didn’t wear the 42, she was a standout student-athlete and also an influence on Jay.

“Wearing my family number was important to me — my family name is pretty known around CHS, so having the number to go along with it was pretty important to me,” Jay said. “I’ve always been inspired by my dad and my uncle and my aunt … they wore that number too, of course, and it just inspired me to keep it.”

Jay also played volleyball growing up, and ran track for a couple years at CHS. She wore No. 42 for a bit before switching to goalkeeper. Once she became a keeper, she had to get creative.

Normally, soccer numbers end around 25. But until recently keepers didn’t have to have a number on their jerseys. And since keepers wear a different color jersey from the rest of the team, she uses her keeper jerseys from club soccer, makes sure the patches from those club teams are not on the jersey, and puts a “42” on there.

JAY SAID she is especially grateful for the help of her father, Ben, and his influence on her growing up.

“He was the one that drove me to practice, and talked to me about things,” Jay said. “And when I was struggling with my decision whether to keep going with soccer, he was a major influence on that.”

You wouldn’t think that switching from a field position in soccer to goalkeeper, just prior to her high school years, would be that easy — especially in an era where many keepers have been in goal since they started playing soccer.

But …

“It came easy to me,” Jay said of goalkeeping, “and I’ve made so much progress, even though I’ve only been playing it for five years. And I’ve heard from multiple keeper coaches that I have made progress they haven’t even seen in keepers they’ve been working with their whole lives. It was very nice to hear.”

Jay said she’s hoping to play in college. She has an offer from NAIA Hastings College in Hastings, Neb., that she is seriously considering, though a few other schools are interested in her as well.

Jay said Coeur d’Alene High football coach Shawn Amos, who came to CHS the year after Ben graduated but coached Paul, and was on staff when Katie came through CHS, told her she had a similar work ethic as her aunt Katie.

WEARING THE No. 42 has remained a source of pride in the Ziegler family for three generations, spanning more than half a century.

“It's something we have tried to keep in the family and hopefully one day, there will be a fourth generation,” Ben said. “I guess we'll see.”

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @CdAPressSports.