ALTON – Quincy University has built a tradition for itself in men's soccer as being one of the top schools in NCAA Division II soccer.
Alton's Noah Henry will be becoming a part of that tradition beginning next season when he signed a letter of intent to attend Quincy in a Tuesday ceremony at Alton High School.
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“It's a great school,” Henry said of Quincy. “It was close by, not too far and not too close – it's a great school, great facilities, I loved the coach (Mike Carpenter); it looks like an all-around great school.”
Henry will be majoring in graphic design at Quincy. “It was something that I fell in love with when I was a young kid,” Henry said.
Henry began playing soccer at four years of age and has pursued the game ever since. “I started as a young kid with my brother,” Henry said, “and it just went from there. He started playing first and I wanted to pursue what he was doing; it was a lot of fun.”
“It’s awesome to see kids move on,” said Redbird coach Nick Funk, “and grow into the next level. Quincy’s a good school; it’s a high division and he’ll stay semi-close to the nest, but he’s moving on to bigger and better things. Quincy’s a storied program, so hopefully he can help build that even farther.
“Noah’s one of those kids who’s always plugged in, always ready to go, always pushing other players to go farther – not in a bad way, just by actions,” Funk said of what Henry brought to the Redbirds. “I can’t remember ever having to get on to him; he was always ready and prepared both mentally and physically. He was a great leader, both behind and in front of the scenes.”
Henry played left-back for the Redbirds in 2016. “I know that wasn’t his favorite position,” Funk said, “but he was the only one I felt was capable of doing the job; he stepped up and did a great job doing it.”
When asked what he would remember about being a Redbird, Henry said “the team, the friends, all the memories we made, the coach – I’ve had Nick for four years; all of that is going to make a big mark on me.”
While Henry hopes to play soccer beyond the collegiate level, he realizes it won’t be an easy proposition. “I would hope to (play beyond the college ranks), but we’ll have to see how it goes.”
