.png)
Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé soccer boys fall in semifinals
- Klas Stolpe
- 44 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Crimson Bears lose 2-0 to top seed West Valley, will play for third on Saturday
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears met one of the state’s strongest soccer teams Friday in the semifinals of the Alaska School Activities Association Boys Soccer State Championships at Wasilla High School, falling to the West Valley Wolfpack 2-0.
“In the end, we are always going to be putting in the effort,” JDHS junior Ethan Van Kirk said. “The first half we were playing with heart, but it wasn’t the same level as we were playing in the second half. They are a good team, number one. We played them earlier in the year, similar results, but if we had played the second half the whole game it would have been a different outcome. Now we need to look at how we played in the second half and replicate that and do that again, because that was some good soccer.”
Van Kirk, senior Jesper Bennetsen and senior Elliot Welch, among other Crimson Bears, were key for helping sophomore keeper Callan Walker in the box.
Welch had two key headers out of the Crimson Bears' box and numerous defensive kicks.
“In the box you look around, see who is there, but really just go to the ball,” Welch said. “Try to be the first one to get up there. Stay strong in the air is very key when you are trying to clear the ball. Good positioning also helps a lot. It wasn’t just me, a lot of other players had really good clears, too. We have one more game. I think if we can go into tomorrow like we did this last half, for the entire game, then we have a good chance of pulling away. We haven’t played either Dimond or West so it is kind of an unknown. It will be pretty much the same build-up for us, the same mindset, just work hard, play hard and have fun. The last game of the season.”
Dimond defeated West 3-1 later.
The JDHS front line receives numerous highlights as they feature standout seniors Kevin Flores-Lopez, juniors Maddox Carroll and Sam Mazon, and sophomores Troy Edgar and Bryce Haygood, among other talented players who come to the pitch in red and black.
Defense is always the key in any sport and among the back line and midfield defenders are Welch, Van Kirk, Bennetsen, seniors Emmett Mesdag, Elias Schane and Noah Ault, juniors Ibrahima Diouf and Tullitsiaq Reimer, and freshmen Karter Barzee, Elijah Edgar, Imanol Vera, Andrew Koverdan and Tanner Schultz.
“Especially being on the outside, it puts a lot of presence on us,” JDHS junior Erik “Big Red” Thompson said. He is one of the key backline players who brings in energy. “We have to always watch the back runs. When the ball is on the opposite side of the field we have to be the eyes and ears for our center backs as well, and give them as much support as we possibly can. So there is a lot of weight there. We are also expected to go score goals, sometimes off the headers and set pieces. This is definitely my favorite position. I think all of the outside backs would agree that it was a very fun, but very strenuous position to play.”
Thompson said the team wanted to send the seniors off with a win.
“Honestly, I have learned from them that it is great to have good communication and team chemistry,” he said. “I think you will find that our team is a pretty close-knit group of guys. I don’t think anyone has bad blood towards another. We are all one big happy family.”
JDHS’ Bennetsen and West Valley senior Koen Aitken were awarded the ASAA Player of the Game honors.
“West Valley is good,” JDHS coach Gary Lehnhart said. “We knew that. I wish we had played in the first half like we did in the second half. We kind of turned the game in the second half. If a couple of our chances had gone in, it could have got crazy there at the end, but we just half a step back. You also have to attribute that to players that know how to play defense. We had a couple really good opportunities. Proud of the fact that the guys came out and didn’t quite and fought to the bitter end.”
The Crimson Bears will face third seed West Anchorage in the third/fifth-place game Saturday. West lost 3-1 to second seed Dimond in the semifinals. Dimond plays West Valley for the Division I state title.
JDHS opened tournament play Thursday with a 3-0 win over Colony.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at sports@juneauindependent.com.
.jpg)
.jpg)