Submitted photos – From left to right at Tuesday’s letter signing ceremony, CR head coach Kyle Van Dyke, Julian Carrillo, Jesus Dominguez, Jiagdae Her, Kayin Kloberdanz, Sawyer Brodkorb, Seamus Clancy and assistant coach Dallas Moses.

By Ray Hamill — The College of the Redwoods men’s soccer team got a boost this week with seven local players committing to play for the local community college at a couple of signing ceremonies.

Arcata’s Miles Kraemer, Sawyer Brodkorb, Kayin Kloberdanz and Seamus Clancy, Fortuna’s Julian Carrillo and Jesus Dominguez, and Eureka’s Jigdae Her all will join the Corsairs for the 2023 season.

And it gets better for the Corsairs, with another member of the Arcata Tigers Big 5 championship team, Kaden O’Brien, scheduled to sign his letter of commitment next week.

The new recruits will join a large group of returning sophomores to give head coach Kyle Van Dyke a healthy roster of around 23, and with so many local players he’ll have almost his entire roster on hand for the summer sessions.

Kraemer was the first to sign his letter on Monday and will feature in midfield for the Corsairs.

“He’s vey smart out there, he’s got a good soccer IQ,” Van Dyke said. “He’s very, very good on free kicks, putting the ball in the box or getting a shot on.”

The other six players all signed together on Tuesday, including the Fortuna duo, who will play defense.

“Julian has great size,” the head coach said. “We’ll continue to work with him on the technical things, but it will be helpful to have a big body back there.

“Jesus has been a good player for Fortuna for the last few years and also playing travel ball (for Sequoia FC). He’s seen some good competition.”

Kloberdanz will play up front and will be expected to test opposing defenses with his footwork and nose for goal.

“He’s fun to watch when he gets going,” Van Dyke said.

Miles Kraemer

Her, meanwhile, played a key role in the heart of the Eureka defense last season as the Loggers pushed the Tigers all the way in league play, but he also is likely to see time between the posts after serving as Sequoia FC’s goalkeeper this spring.

“He’s played goalkeeper for them and he’s doing well,” Van Dyke said. “He’ll be very helpful back there for us and potentially playing defense as well.”

The other three Arcata recruits all will bring some versatility to the lineup.

Clancy follows in the footsteps of his older brother Marek, who played for Van Dyke in 2022.

“They’e pretty similar players,” the coach said. “They’re the kind of guys that can play all over the field. (Seams is) another valuable player that can play a lot of different positions.”

Likewise with Bordkorb, who got a head start with the team.

“He’s another guy that can play all over,” Van Dyke said. “He trained with us in the spring — Kayin and Sawyer did — and that was helpful for both them.”

O’Brien also brings versatility to the roster and will be used on the wing and in midfield.

“He’s another real smart player,” Van Dyke. “And he’s really good distributing the ball.”