Webb City junior Jacob Annis has grown up in the game, spending nearly his entire life chasing improvement on the soccer field. Inspired by years of hard work and a deep love for the sport, the Cardinals standout now finds himself in a pivotal role for Webb City, bringing experience, composure and a team-first mindset every time he steps on the pitch.

“My father, he has really shown me to put others first and to be able to work without needing an immediate reward,” Annis said. “This helped me to be able to practice constantly even when progression was minimal.” That mindset has shaped the way he approaches every training session, every match and every role his team needs him to fill.

Annis, who lists math as his favorite subject and still remembers his fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Tori Waltz, as a classroom favorite, carries that same focus into school. On the field, he models his game after global superstar Lionel Messi, his favorite player since he was first able to watch soccer.

What Annis values most, though, is the connection inside the Webb City locker room. “Being able to build bonds that help me push through the struggles through the season and life in general,” he said of being part of the team. Those relationships, he believes, are what turn long seasons into something memorable.

Outside of soccer workouts, Annis has started picking up golf, a new challenge that lets him compete and learn in a different way. But his respect for the game he has played for so long runs deep, especially when it comes to the last line of defense. “Goalkeeper by far, the technical and athletic ability needed is unmatched across the rest of the team,” he said.

From soccer, Annis says he will carry one lesson above all: leadership. “Being able to get a group together to overcome and adapt to the challenges at hand,” he said. He credits former teammate Kaulden Hood for showing him how to “train hard even when no one is watching,” a standard he now aims to pass on to the next wave of Cardinals.