Antietam’s soccer pitch has become a field of dreams for high-scoring Christian Bowles

It was a 10-minute walk for Christian Bowles to the field with the high grass, the divots and the invading baseball diamond.

Antietam’s senior made the trip often. He knew that if he was going to become one of Berks County’s best soccer players, it had to happen here. This was the only place available to train.

So Bowles, future high school teammate Carson Lubas and Exeter’s Mike Moser worked out together. They spent hours at the A-Field — the Mounts’ home field — improving their touch and bouncing the ball off the wall. It started in fifth grade and kept going.

“That got me liking the sport more,” Bowles said. “Since then I’ve come here all the time. If you were looking for me, you could find me here.”

The dream, for the most part, has been realized. Bowles developed into one of the county’s top finishers. Even if sometimes he seemed to go unnoticed.

The striker is a four-year starter at Antietam who has delivered 61 goals and 39 assists. The Mounts went from perennial also-ran to two-time District 3 qualifier. Bowles was instrumental in the turnaround.

“He’s definitely one of the most talented players I’ve coached,” Antietam coach Christian Murray said. “But, additionally, he’s a great kid. He’s a captain. He’s always asking people to get better. He can easily dominate the field but he’ll play the pass and demand that from his teammates. He’s the whole package.”

While others have chosen to skip high school in favor of academies, Bowles focused on making Antietam successful. That was always on his mind.

When he was in seventh grade, he’d leave junior high practice early and walk up the hill to watch the varsity. He admired Sam Worrall and Cameron Yousaitis and the other top players to pass through Mount Penn.

“I saw the people who were older and I looked up to them,” Bowles said. “I thought they were really good. When they told me I’d be able to start my freshman year, I was all for it.”

The breakthroughs followed. Antietam ended an 11-year district playoff absence when Bowles was a sophomore. He tied for the league lead with 22 goals and put the Mounts within penalty kicks of reaching the Class 1A semifinals.

Last season Bowles scored 11 goals in 14 games and helped Antietam advance to the county playoffs. Those achievements were monumental for a program that didn’t post a winning record from 2008-18.

“He’s played four years here and has loved every second of it,” said Murray, who replaced Rob Cairns as coach this season. “I’ve only seen the last year of it. But the dedication he shows and the commitment he’s putting into the community is amazing to see.”

Bowles’ skill is impossible to miss. It rises to the surface even during routine drills. He put one shot after another into the net during practice Wednesday. Right foot. Left foot. Right corner. Left corner. Whatever spot was open, he hit it.

Corey Hertzog, who went to Penn State and has played professionally for a decade, is Antietam’s greatest player. Bowles started his career hoping to join Hertzog in the 100-goal club. While that hasn’t materialized, partly because of a shortened junior season due to the pandemic, Bowles has undoubtedly left his mark. Maybe the best since Hertzog.

“I always want more,” he said. “I look back at my freshman year and last year. What could I have done to have more than 60 goals? But 60 is a lot if you think about it.”

Antietam’s season hasn’t unfolded the way the Mounts hoped. They’re 5-9 and recently ended an eight-game losing streak. There’s a chance Bowles, who has never been named All-Berks, could get overlooked again. He shouldn’t.

Bowles’ 15 goals rank second to Reading High’s Kevin Guzman. Antietam’s forward finds a way to score despite constantly being double- and triple-teamed.

There was another moment of magic this week. A reminder of all the hard work put in through the years. Lubas connected with Bowles for an overtime goal against Kutztown.

“As soon as he got the ball it was like, ‘There it is,’ ” Murray said. “True to his word, it was a quick move and then, bang, he slips it in there. That’s what he does for us. He makes the whole team better. He can do it individually when he needs to. He also does it as a leader. He inspires people.”

Bowles still uses this field to train when he’s not playing for FC Revolution in the offseason. Even when the nets are taken away after Antietam’s final game, he finds little ways to improve. 

“I knew how good I could become if I worked,” he said. “I just stuck with it.”

A lot has changed over the years. The 10-minute walk has been replaced by a short drive. A district playoff drought has ended. More than 60 goals went into the net.

Instead of dreaming about what could happen on this field, Bowles is one of the best to ever run across it.