JDHS boys soccer team blitzes visiting Lathrop
- Klas Stolpe
- 2 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Crimson Bears harness Malemutes with five goals in the second half
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears boys soccer team has a standard of play that has been established over decades of rosters, and it was never as fitting as the player called out for his work during Tuesday night's 5-0 win against the visiting Lathrop Malemutes on the Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park pitch.
JDHS coach Gary Lehnhart called Crimson Bears senior defender Jesper Bennetsen, “the standard for which the Lunch Box stands for…” as he presented that award after Tuesday’s game.
“I honestly didn’t think I was going to win it,” Bennetsen said. “I just play the same way every game.”
That way is what JDHS strives for and Bennetsen has been in this mode since donning a Crimson Bears kit.
“Consistency is what I am reaching for,” he said. “I think Gary likes me as a player. Players follow what older players do. He thinks I set a good example. I had to develop that standard. Gary really likes a certain play style and I finally learned it, and I think he thinks I am a good instructor for other players. It is all about one-on-one man marking. Instead of marking open spaces or zones you mark every player and you trust your teammates to mark every player. And you don’t give up.”
The JDHS back lines did not hesitate to converge on any ball or player coming across the half-pitch line. That resulted in at least nine JDHS shots on goal in the first half before Lathrop earned a corner kick with 10 minutes left in the stanza. That kick was easily handled by JDHS sophomore keeper Callan Walker.
“Defensively I thought we played a pretty strong game all the way around,” JDHS coach Lehnhart said. “They had a couple chances, but for the most part we kept our goalkeeper clean… And today when we subbed we didn’t drop off. Which I thought last week we dropped off a bit. So that was fun to see.”
Lathrop junior keeper Christian Bazemore also had a strong showing as he deflected or caught every JDHS shot put on frame through the first stanza and 10 minutes into the second half as well.
The Crimson Bears were just too fast, from one end to the other.
“We are trying to play that kind of game,” coach Lehnhart said. “Where we outrun them. And we have a lot of speed on the outside and guys that can run, so it they only have to run for half a game, instead of a full game, theoretically we will be in better shape in the second half when other teams are starting to wear down if they are not subbing at the rate we are subbing. It is good to see that the subs paid dividends. It is fun to see those young kids do well.”
JDHS junior Sam Mazon finally broke the stalemate, scoring with 28 minutes left in the second half, assisted by junior Maddox Carroll.
“In the first half I wasn’t playing the best, but I kept it on frame,” Mazon said. “Then in the second half I just had to let it rip because I had just been focusing on putting it on frame, without any power. I tried to switch it up.
Mazon found a spot roughly 25 yards out, near the left sideline of the Lathrop goal and put a low bouncing shot to the right side of lunging Malemutes’ keeper Bazemore.
“I really like my one-on-ones,” Mazon said. “When there is only one person in front because I can get a shot off or take him down the line.”
Within 15 minutes the Crimson Bears would add four more goals to earn the 5-0 win.
Mazon struck again from the same spot, this time bending his shot between two marking defenders with 15:49 left to play. Sophomore Troy Edgar assisted.
“We have really been working as a team,” Mazon said. “Last year we had really strong players, but this year we are working more together.”
Sophomore Bryce Haygood put a corner kick in perfect position for senior Kevin Flores-Lopez to head in the 3-0 advantage with 10:21 left to play.
Senior Noah Ault gathered a through ball from freshman Elijah Edgar and put a shot past the keeper from 10 yards out for the 4-0 lead with 7:14 left.
Then in stoppage time freshman Karter Barzee scored in the box, with an assist credited to junior Tullitsiaq Reimer.
Barzee was awarded the team’s “Hungry Dog Belt” for following the shot in for a rebound score.
“It feels pretty good,” Barzee said. “Tullitsiaq really helped me. I would not have got that goal unless he took that shot. Just thankful. It was my first career varsity goal.”
“Their defense is really good,” JDHS coach Lehnhart said. “I was worried because we created so many opportunities and just missed them or they stopped them…Once we got one I think the dam broke. You have to give Sam (Mazon) credit because he really kept going. He had a lot of balls in the first half that should have gone in the net, but didn’t, and he could have easily lost his focus. What I liked best was that he was still passing, so he wasn’t trying to do it by himself. He got rewarded for it.”
Lathrop (1-2 overall) lost to Colony 2-1 and defeated Wasilla 2-1 for their 1-2 RBC standing. JDHS (2-0-1 overall) has tied with Chugiak and defeated Chugiak 3-1. They are now 1-0 in the RBC.
The two sides play at 5 p.m. Thursday, following the girls 3:15 p.m. game.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.
