The Madison 56ers U16 Boys team is on a roll.

Head coach Stuart Barker says its an example of what can happen if the clubs in the Madison area don’t split up the talent in their area.

“Traditionally the talent is split between 56ers, Middleton-Yahara and the old Princeton club (now Madison FC),” Barker said. “Normally, the teams from Milwaukee are the strongest in the state, but every 4-5 years a team from here comes along that keeps the talent together and is very competitive.”

This 56ers side is showing itself to be more than competitive. After winning the State Cup last spring, the group followed up with a championship in the fall Midwest Regional League First Division, qualifying itself for the Premier Division this spring. The group also has trips to Dallas Cup and Metro Tournament this spring along with the State Cup.

Barker has coached the team for a year and is quick to credit club director of coaching John Reddan with playing a big part in the group’s development, as he coached the team previously. He says the group is pretty straightforward in its playing style.

“We play a traditional 4-4-2 and try to get the ball down and play it,” he said. “We’re strong through the middle and really are 18 players deep.”

There’s no denying that forward Jesus Miranda is a big part of the team’s success up front. He scored hat tricks last spring in both the semifinal and final of the State Cup.

“He’s a good athlete, not stupidly fast but fast enough,” Barker said. “The thing with him though is he is so tricky. He’s small and quick and plays in an adult league so he really gets the game and has a feel for it. He has a knack for being in the right place at the right time.”

Central midfielder Johnny Fox is a key playmaker.

“Everything goes through him,” Barker said. “When teams come to watch us, he’s so unassuming, but he pings the ball around very nicely.”

Completing the strong spine of the team are tough center backs Karl Bock and Carl Schneider, plus goalkeeper Keenan Smith.

The Madison 56ers U16 Boys roster is as follows:

Tyler Albright, Karl Bock, Marcus Braga, Nick Dykstra, Daniel Fisher, Johnny Fox, Jarad Frey, Christian Gerhart, Justin Horein, Kenji Kunugi, Logan Matheny, Jesus Miranda, Marcus Rickey, Carl Schneider, Keenan Smith, Doug Thoresen, Tensin, Tsenor, Calvin Witt.