Ivan Draine was joined by his teammates as he signed his letter of intent to continue his soccer career at William Penn earlier this spring. (Post Photos by Chris Siers)
Draine settles a 50-50 ball during a cross-county match against Community. (Post File Photo by Chris Siers)
By CHRIS SIERS
csiers@bedfordcountypost.com
When former Cascade senior Ivan Draine was looking for a college to continue his soccer career, finding his landing spot was a matter of just putting his film in front of the right coaching staff.
Eventually, his highlight reel fell in front of the coaching staff of William Penn University and the rest is history.
Earlier this spring, Draine signed his letter of intent to continue playing with the Statesment.
After signing the letter and making it official, Draine said it sent a message loud and clear to himself about all the long hours spent playing soccer.
“It tells me that all the work I put in was worth it and I can say I made everyone proud. I’ve been playing since I was four,” he said.
Draine was a key cog of the Champion lineup during his years playing at Cascade, and when it came to his favorite memories playing, it was split between the run during his sophomore year the Champions made to the Class A state sectional.
He also had a fond memory during a run with his club team during his junior season as well.
“My favorite memories have to be my sophomore year because we made it the farthest boys soccer has ever made it or my junior year in club soccer when we went to the state finals for Division I,” he said.
Draine’s recruitment method wasn’t the traditional route players have taken for decades, but rather embracing technology to get his film out there as much as possible.
“I used an app called NCSA, I put my highlights on there. All the colleges are on there and they’re all linked together and they look through different athletes. I had this school, a different school in Pennsylvania and a school in Alabama,” he said.
“I chose William Penn because of their play style and their national rank.”
William Penn competes in the NAIA and is part of the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
During the 2023 season, William Penn posted a 12-5-4 overall record and included an opening-round win in the NAIA national tournament.
But at the end of the day, signing a letter of intent in front of his teammates and friends was one of the best feelings Draine has experienced with soccer.
“There’s definitely been a heavy weight lifted off. Before, I was scared and nervous about where I was going to go and if I was going to go anywhere. As soon as I signed, it lifted,” he said.
Draine will report to campus, which is located in Oskaloosa, Iowa on August 1.
He will pursue a degree in computer science.
