By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

To keep their athletes focused on the next opponent on the schedule, coaches most always preach, “Let’s take one game at a time.”

For Ryan Harlow, the message was different this fall for his varsity boys’ soccer team. It was, “Play this game like it is your last.”

With 10 seniors on the roster, Coach Harlow hoped his players would get the opportunity to show just how far they had come as a group, while also being rewarded for taking their lumps as sophomores, putting in the work and be in position to truly compete.

“We really didn’t know we were playing up until the last week of August. It kept getting pushed back, pushed back,” Coach Harlow said. “Once we got the word to go, it was pretty easy. They were ready. The only issue was keeping them 6-feet apart. It was the hardest.”

While 2020 was unlike any season Harlow and his players experienced before due to Covid-19, at least there wasa season. And, the Lakers took advantage of their opportunity.

They posted a 7-1 record.

In their final game, a 9-0 shutout of Poland, the Lakers reached the 100th win plateau as a program.

And, Coach Harlow took the first steps in reaching his goal in trying to build a winning, consistent program at Lake Region — beat the schools the Lakers need to beat.

If there was one drawback, Coach Harlow and his club would have liked to have competed against traditional powers, like Greely and Cape Elizabeth, to see just where they stood.

“I think our guys enjoyed the season overall. As soon as they took the field, they were off and running. They just wanted to have fun. I kept stressing this could be their last game. We just didn’t know,” Coach Harlow said.

Early in preseason, the team worked solely on fundamentals. Each player had their own ball — part of Covid-19 safety guidelines — and players sported face coverings. Harlow said there was some talk about requiring players to wear masks during games, so he prepared his squad for that possibility. Ultimately, guidelines called for players and staff to wear face coverings on the sidelines, not while playing.

“We couldn’t scrimmage, so I tried to keep it fresh by doing something different each day,” Harlow said.

This Laker squad showed outstanding ball movement and ball control “right out of the gate.” In fact, their 7-1 domination of St. Dom’s in the opener set the bar high for the rest of the season.

“First game, once they started scoring, I knew what they were capable of being. Working together, ball movement. By far, it was our best game all season,” Coach Harlow said. “Last year, team bonding was a little off and it affected some games. This year, it was right on. Everybody was on the same page. I read a book this summer, ‘The Power of a Positive Team,’ and one thing was if everyone is on the bus and one person in the parking lot and not on the bus, you’re not going anywhere. Once everyone is on the bus, you’re going places. It worked this year. They were all on the bus and wanted to go places.”

In middle school, Coach Harlow’s son, Jason, enjoyed great success. The Lakers took down traditional powers, but when they reached the high school level, the rookies were tossed into the fire — playing “a ton of varsity minutes” against more experienced and more physical juniors and seniors. As expected, the end result were a lot of bumps and bruises and lopsided final scores.

“I knew they were a talented group and once they came into their own and filled out, they would be perfectly fine,” said Coach Harlow, who took over the LR varsity program during his son’s sophomore year.

Losing, however, became the norm. Until, one moment when Jason and his teammates realized they had a short window to turn the program in the right direction.

“Freshman year, we were sitting on the bus after a 10-0 loss at Wells. We had played terrible. I missed a PK (penalty kick). We had one sub because a number of our players were injured,” Jason recalled. “We had two seniors on the team. Everybody was chatty because we were used to losing. One of the seniors was in the back of the bus crying. It was his last year, his last chance. Sophomore year, I realized I was halfway done. Then, junior year ended. We didn’t want to feel the way he (that senior) felt. I wanted to win as a team. I had gone through three years of losing. I was tired of it.”

Seeing spring sports canceled due to Covid-19, Jason and the Lakers were ready and eager for a chance to play a senior season. They started quickly, but then the dark cloud of Covid-19 appeared.

Trouble seemed on the horizon when the Lakers learned that a Thursday game against rival Fryeburg Academy and a Saturday contest against Sacopee Valley were canceled due to rising Covid cases in Oxford County, with the state responding with a “yellow” status — meaning no athletic practices or games.

“We lost five games out of an eight-game schedule just like that,” Coach Harlow said. “I was stressing at that point. We just didn’t know who we could play or when we could play.”

LR Athletic Director Paul True saved the season by filling out the schedule with schools that were still in the “green” — able to play. Out of a maximum 10 game slate, the Lakers played eight. They certainly took advantage of their opportunity, putting together one of the better records in years (the only loss, a tough 1-0 defeat to Oxford Hills) while also reaching a milestone.

“I am proud of these boys on how hard they worked, especially what was handed to them,” Coach Harlow said. “They were awesome.”

Some Coach Harlow short takes on his players:

Jason Harlow, captain — He had an incredible season (13 goals, 9 assists); I knew he was that type of player, but how could I motivate him and get into his head that he could lead this team? He finally did it. I tried to really push him…When I’m here, I’m not dad, I’m the coach…We talked a lot about what we could do better. I always ask my players what their thoughts are because it is important that they have input. The big thing is trust — I want them to be able to trust me. If I get on the same level as them, they will listen when I try to push them.

Logan Davis, captain — Great goalie. He worked all summer. My old college goalie came in and worked with him every other week, non-stop. It showed this year, he had three shutouts. He easily could have had a couple more. Some of the saves he made were remarkable. In the Oxford Hills game, in the second half, a deflection went off his hand, as it trickled toward the goal, Logan got up, went after it, and pulled it before it reached the line. I don’t know how…His determination to be better was incredible. (Allowed just 8 goals, and posted a 92% save percentage; back-up Aiden Bourgoin stopped all six shots he faced.)

Logan Parsons, captain — Switched to a new position (defense), really nervous but he played it perfectly. I wish I would have pushed him there last year. Transition — you have to communicate with everyone on the field. He grew into it. He’s not very vocal when he is on the field, but he definitely played the role this year. (1 goal, 6 assists.)

Christian Attwood — He played phenomenal. He missed one game because he hurt his ankle. He could have been one of the top players in the state. His strengths? Ball control, being able to stop the ball and getting the ball up the field in the right spot.

Giovani Lopez, captain — He had a pretty good season holding down the midfield. Had a career high in goals scored (8 goals, 2 assists.) 

Jacob Smith — solid role midfielder, always in the mix, will be a captain next year.

Liam Grass — came back after a year off. Hat trick in one game. Played just sophomore and senior years, wish I had him for all four. He nailed it as a defender (4 goals, 1 assist.)

Jacob Chadbourne — did great up front. He and Jason had a special bond, I wish they had one more year together. He’ll be a special player for us next year, taking over for Jason (5 goals, 3 assists.)

Colby Chaine, defender — He played really well. He worked really hard.

The days of Covid-19 taught Jason a valuable life lesson. “Everything isn’t always great. You have to work through things. Obviously, life threw something at us and we had to work through it. As a team, we came together and pushed through the challenges we faced. I think it will help me down the road,” he said.

For Jason, he hopes the road ahead leads to a college soccer program. For his dad, Coach Harlow, he is very proud to have seen a group of athletes remain committed, put in the hard work and ultimately achieved success.