Erica Herzog happy she took 'leap of faith' in both soccer and drumline at Sheboygan North

SHEBOYGAN — Erica Herzog is as versatile as it comes for the Sheboygan North Raiders girls soccer team.

The senior has been first-team all-Fox River Classic Conference at either midfield or center back for the Raiders her first three seasons, playing midfield as a freshman and junior and then defense her sophomore and now senior season.

“Erica brings leaderships skills, she brings this dynamic of a role model of what a good soccer player should be,” Sheboygan North coach Tim Eirich said. “She also shows kids a willingness to win, whatever position she needs to be in on the team she’ll do to make the team better.”

Herzog credits part of that leadership to time spent not on a soccer field but in a band room.

While in middle school, Herzog described herself as a quiet kid looking for an outlet, so following the COVID-19 pandemic she joined drumline at Sheboygan North.

“After COVID, I was ready to break out of my shell and I took a leap of faith in drumline and soccer,” Herzog said.

The group is a non-profit not affiliated with the school’s band. Sheboygan North's website describes the drumline as follows: “The NHS Drumline is a student-led organization that exists to provide an extracurricular opportunity for youth to experience, and express themselves, through the art of music. The goal of drumline is to provide a unique, exciting entertainment experience to the North High community and local audiences.”

In everything Herzog does, she tries to put others first, and her two loves are no different.

When she’s performing in drumline, where she’s been a captain the past two years, she gets to collaborate to make music, and while on the soccer pitch, there’s a different type of collaboration going on.

“I really enjoy performing and making music with the people I love,” Herzog said of drumline. “Exciting the crowd and keeping everyone’s energy high.”

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She takes some of those same traits with her when she swaps drumsticks for shin guards.

“I think my strength is passing and communication,” Herzog said. “I try to be really positive on the field. I think if we keep the team’s energy high and happy, we’ll be motivated to play better.”

Her time in drumline has directly impacted her as a soccer player, too, she says.

“I learned a lot of leadership skills,” Herzog said of her experience as a drumline captain. “Things are going to go wrong no matter what you do, and it's how you respond. Things go wrong in drumline and things go wrong on the soccer field, it’s bound to happen. You only have control over your reactions.”

Eirich marvels at how Herzog has grown, not just as a player but as a person these past four years.

“She’s matured unbelievably,” Eirich said. “She was a good player when she came in as a freshman, a starter, but you can see her growth how she distributes around the team. Her work ethic at practice is an example for all the kids.”

As the only senior starter, and one of three seniors total for North, Eirich relies heavily on his multi-talented standout.

“The sky is the limit for her ability,” Eirich said. “I hope some of that rubs off on the other players because we have a really young team yet. That is going to rub off and make everyone else that much better.”

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And Herzog doesn’t see that as being any pressure on herself.

“I think it’s not pressure, it’s a responsibility,” Herzog said. “I really like defense. There’s a lot of responsibility on defense, but I think I can see the field better. It’s more fun speaking with my team when I can see the whole field and watching the ball facilitate back and forth.”

When she graduates later this spring, Herzog will continue on her journey of serving others by attending and playing soccer at Concordia University Wisconsin.

She’ll get an opportunity to get an education, play the sport she loves and thrive all the while growing her faith.

“I love public school, but I think it's time for a switch, and I think it's going to be a good switch,” Herzog said of going to the Christian University. “I can center around my morals and really build off of those in college. Bringing positive energy to there will be easy.”

Contact Tom Dombeck at 920-686-2965 or tdombeck@htrnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Tom_Dombeck.

This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Erica Herzog shines for Sheboygan North girls soccer and drumline