The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears boys soccer team will honor their senior players at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park pitch prior to their 7:30 p.m. game against visiting Wasilla. The JDHS girls soccer team will honor their seniors at 5 p.m. Saturday before their 5:30 p.m. game at ADMP against Wasilla. Both teams also play Wasilla on Friday, with the boys at 5:15 p.m. and girls at 7 p.m.
“For me, one of the great things about being able to coach is you get kids in when they’re young and when they are freshmen and then four years later you’ve had a tremendous amount of time that you spent with them,” JDHS head coach Gary Lehnhart said. “I mean, I can’t even estimate the amount of hours that I spent with some who train close to year-round with me and then of course you go through these moments with them in tournaments that are high stress.”
“And for this senior class, they’ve had a really successful run. Three straight state championship appearances, and two they won. And this year, as they moved back to Division I, they’ve surprised me with their performance. So it’s really been a very successful class. Which is a credit to them.”
“And I really enjoyed this year watching the leadership pieces start to come into play. It took a while, but it really started to happen midway through the season, especially when we went through an injury period and lost some really quality players — even though they weren’t seniors they were underclassmen they were talented players — and it was at that point that I saw this group of seniors really kind of step up. They just started acting differently and I think they really took to heart what it meant to have to bring a team together and lead. When you have players doing that and not just coaches it’s just so much better.”
Following are senior interviews with the Crimson Bears boys:
KELLEN CHESTER – #10 red, #24 white, defensive midfielder.
What makes soccer so special?: It is something that I have been playing for a long time and have enjoyed playing my whole life. I have been playing as long as I can remember.
Favorites: food – steak; song/music: Frank Ocean; movie – “Star Wars”; player/team – Manchester United; hobbies/pastimes – exploring nature.
About Juneau: The beautiful nature.
After high school: Attend Oregon State University to study business.
Advice to young players/students: Always work hard.
Thank yous: My parents and coaches.
KAI CIAMBOR – #14, center/attacking midfielder.
What makes soccer so special?: The ability to have so many players working towards the same goal in unison while also being able to display personal skills. My earliest memory playing soccer was at the downtown turf field when my parents forced me to join Smart Start soccer with about 30 other kids.
Favorites: food – steak; song/music – Mt. Joy; book – The Magic Tree House series; movie – “The Minecraft Movie”; player/team – Eden Hazard, Chelsea FC; school class – AP literature; hobbies/pastimes – I love to go hiking with friends and family.
About Juneau: I love being immersed in the tight-knit community Juneau offers. Everyone is so caring and supports any goals you aspire to accomplish.
After high school: I am going to play soccer and study environmental science at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs because of the stunning location and inviting nature of my future teammates.
Advice to young players/students: Embrace struggle and hardship and learn the lessons that come with it. It always ends up being OK.
Thank yous: The biggest thank you goes to my parents and brother, they’ve been my biggest supporters. Also, Gary and my teammates for always pushing me to be my best.
CADEN HAYGOOD – #38, outside back/outside midfielder.
What makes soccer so special?: It is fun. I first played in the second grade. My first memory was getting goals scored on me when they put me in as keeper.
Favorites: food – macaroni and cheese; song/music – Future; book – Calvin and Hobbes; movie – “Happy Gilmore”; player/team – Messi; school class – ninth grade science; hobbies/pastimes – skiing, fishing.
About Juneau: The skiing and fishing are close.
After high school: Attending Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington.
Advice to young players/students: Don’t quit, stay with the program.
Thank yous: Gary and Tim.
REED MAIER – #19, right back.
What makes soccer so special?: The community is involved and the people. I first played indoor soccer in the Harborview gym with my dad coaching.
Favorites: food – lasagna; song/music – Future/country; book – The Hatchet Series; movie – “Star Wars”; player/team – Mbappe, Real Madrid; school class – gym sophomore year; hobbies/pastimes – fishing, hunting, skiing and baseball.
About Juneau: Being outside and the snow and the community.
After high school: Attending Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington.
Advice to young players/students: Work hard but still have fun. If you are on the fence just do it, try the new thing.
Thank yous: Gary, mom and dad.
AHMIR PARKER – #9, striker/attacking midfielder.
What makes soccer so special?: The way it flows. Its fluidity is unlike any other sport. I started playing around eight years old, playing at lunch during recess at my school in Vegas.
Favorites: food – cheeseburgers; song/music – “Staying Alive” by Drake; book – “The Hate U Give;” movie – “Avatar;” player/team – Lamine Yamal, Barcelona; school class – history, government; hobbies/pastimes – basketball.
About Juneau: I love the views and the outdoor activities.
After high school: Attending Waldorf University in Idaho, majoring in education and history.
Advice to young players/students: The work pays off. Do what you can and play with confidence.
Thank yous: Friends and family, especially my mom.
ABNER MATTHEW PLANG
What makes soccer so special?: All the friends. I first played my sophomore year and remember scoring my first goal.
Favorites: food – ramen; song/music – “Careless Whisper”; book – “And Then There Were None”; movie – “Kingsman”; player/team – Cole Palmer, Chelsea; school class – math; hobbies/pastimes – poker.
About Juneau: I like the short drives.
After high school: Go to University of Alaska Anchorage for radiology technician.
Advice to young players/students: Have fun.
Thank yous: My parents.
RYAN THIBODEAU – #12, left midfielder/center midfielder.
What makes soccer so special?: It is a sport that has been a big part of my family for my whole life. My earliest memory is playing parks and rec at five years old.
Favorites: food – lasagna; Song/music – Tame Impala; movie – “Lord of the Rings”; player/team – Manchester United; school class – AP U.S. history; hobbies/pastimes – hiking, playing other sports for fun.
About Juneau: I like the amount of good outdoor activities.
After high school: Attending Boise State University to study business administration.
Advice to young players/students: Have goldfish brain and forget about mistakes.
Thank yous: My parents, sisters and brother.
OWEN RUMSEY – #13, right back/left back.
What makes soccer so special?: I like the teamwork aspects of the sports as well as the skill and physicality that comes with playing. My earliest memory is playing at the YMCA when I was six and eating orange slices on the sidelines.
Favorites: food – steak; song/music – “Ay Caramba,” by Tyga; book – “Cat’s Cradle”; movie – “The Blair Witch Project”; player/team – Lamine Yamal, Barcelona; school class – physics; hobbies/pastimes – swimming, hiking, National Ocean Sciences Bowl and other clubs.
About Juneau: I like how many things you can do outdoors.
After high school: Attending Georgia Tech to pursue a degree in civil engineering so that I can help people.
Advice to young players/students: You will regret not trying harder.
Thank yous: My coaches, my family and my friends.
COLE REEL – #1, goalkeeper.
What makes soccer so special?: The team and just the gameplay.
Favorites: food – fried chicken; book – “Fault In Our Stars”; movie – “Spider Man: No Way Home”; player/team – Nate B. or Lamine Yamal; school class – math; hobbies/pastimes – working out and swimming.
About Juneau: I like the landscape and the environment.
After high school: Attending the University of Arizona to pursue nursing.
Advice to young players/students: Always try your hardest.
Thank yous: Owen Rumsey and my parents.
NATHANIEL BRENNELL – #20, striker.
What makes soccer so special?: It is fun to play with all my friends. I remember when I was younger getting the ball kicked into my stomach and then quitting.
Favorites: food – sushi; movie – “Inception;” player/team – Kai Ciambor; school class – English; hobbies/pastimes – going to the gym, eating food.
About Juneau: I like the people who I have grown up with.
After high school: Attending University of Alaska Southeast and major in social sciences to study psychology and become a police officer.
Advice to young players/students: Believe in yourself and do the thing you want to do.
Thank yous: Can Ciambor, my glorious blond hair king.
MALCOLM BAHN: #N/A, midfielder.
What makes soccer so special?: It is really fun to play and works as a great exercise since there is a lot of running.
Favorites: food – Indian; song/music – Dream Girl; book – “House of Leaves”; movie – “Everything Everywhere All At Once”; school class – English; hobbies/pastimes – drumming.
About Juneau: I didn’t grow up here or lived here long but like the nature.
After high school: Leave the U.S. and move to Canada or Germany.
Advice to young players/students: Get into the game early and listen to your coach.
Thank yous: My family, mostly my dad, for getting me into the sport.
DAVID KRESINA – #18, right wing, exchange student from the Czech Republic.
What makes soccer so special?: I love this sport. It helps me think about something else in my life, it helps me relax. I used to play in our garden with my friends when I was little, since like I was five years old.
Favorites: food – pasta; song/music – I like all types of music, especially rap and rock; movie – “The Shawshank Redemption”; team/player – FC Barcelona; school class – German, algebra II, trigonometry, world history, Alaska history; hobbies/pastimes – skiing, basketball, console games, hanging out with friends. I have been here since August, so it has been a while. I am leaving in July after Independence Day. I am glad I will be here for that, kind of a big day for U.S.
About Juneau: I like the sunny days. I like the mountains for sure. I like to see the houses out in the wild, but there is still stuff to do, a good mix. You can sit in the wildness, in nature.
After high school: Go to college, probably plan a future in finance or accounting. It runs in my family but it is also something I am interested in.
Advice to young players/students: Just keep it up, keep trying.
Thank yous: I would like to thank my parents, family and grandparents.
“It’s fun to see players that have been here for four years, their growth is tremendous,” coach Lehnhart said. “A player like Ryan Thibodeau, so into it and wanted to be a starter, and by senior year he had done that, he’s playing a lot of minutes…And of course it’s fun to coach players like Kai and Amir that have tremendous talent and to see them develop that and have it show on the bigger stages of the big moments is always fun.”
“Kellen Chester has been part of the program day in and day out for four years and he is just such a tough player. He’s really in a lot of ways the heart of our team in terms of effort. He just never quits…Then you get a player like Owen Rumsey. Started as a goalkeeper and switched to the field partway through. Changed positions, went from attacker to defender. He was trying to find his place, and boy has he. He has had a tremendous season. And like Ryan, it’s fun to see his dreams come to fruition and have him have so much success at the end.”
“Reed Maier came in late into the program. But the last two years, he’s become one of our better players and his task was stopping the other team’s best attacker, and he’s really doing a fantastic job. Super fun kid to be around…Caden Haygood has talked about playing for a lot of years, but just showed up at the end, and played this senior year. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him and having him there, the dynamic with his brother who’s a freshman, and watching them interact has been really fun. Fun to see brothers that get along and like each other, treat each other so well.”
“And then we had the three kind of JV seniors that have been around the program, Cole Reel, Matthew Plang and Nathaniel Brennell. They’ve really helped us in practice especially and watching the way they have grown, really polite fun kids. I’m going to be excited to take them with us to state. They’re a big part of what we’ve done in terms of maybe not minutes on the field as much as background and what they mean to this team chemistry.”
“Malcolm Bahn is a new player to the program who got sick and really didn’t spend much time with us this year but it was fun to have him around and I wish him the best…We did get a foreign exchange student, David Kresina, he’s not a senior, but we’ll be recognizing him on senior night. It’s always fun to have these kids from other countries come in and talk and share a little bit about their experience in life and broaden the horizons of local Juneau players and he’s been a fun one to coach. Unfortunately, he also battled some pretty serious injuries and was kind of on and off the field, but he just kept coming even when he was hurt, he’s definitely a positive influence in the program.”
“So really hoping the best for these guys and that they have a good showing in the state tournament, but regardless of what happens it has been a pleasure to work with them all.”
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.
