When an opponent launches a long ball toward the goal, sending the pass over the heads of the midfielders and at the backline, most soccer players groan at the idea of having to try to stop the long-distance attack.

But Hawken School senior Mackenzie Ecker is not like most.

“I like when people play a really long ball and then I have to use my speed to recover and get the ball out,” Ecker told the Cleveland Jewish News. “My mom calls it my superpower. I’m really fast but it’s not expected, so when someone plays a long ball, I just take off. It’s a fun aspect for me and a challenge to beat the person next to me.”

It’s that kind of play that helped Ecker be a steady force as a center back for the Hawks’ stingy defense, which allowed just 1.3 goals per game. Hawken shut out its opponents in

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