JDHS seniors honored in sweep over Wasilla

The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior night soccer match Saturday at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park against visiting Wasilla was just nine minutes in before a script made for Hollywood came to fruition.

Crimson Bears senior Kai Ciambor struck a penalty kick past the Warriors keeper and set a new JDHS soccer scoring mark of 61. He added to that total in the 30th minute, topping former player and coach’s son Jackson Lehnhart’s 60.

“Honestly, it is very surreal,” Ciambor said. “There was a lot of buildup to this. Obviously, going into the season I knew I needed 14, which was kind of a joke around some of my best friends because 14 is my jersey number and they were like, ‘Oh, it’s a perfect storm’ type of thing. But in all honesty, this means a lot to me, but a lot of the credit has to go to my teammates. I think the number is attached to my name, but it is really more about all the opportunities that my teammates made, and my coaches and everybody has given me to get me to this spot. It just means a lot. It means a lot for the program.”

JDHS honored seniors Ciambor, Kellen Chester, Caden Haygood, Reed Maier, Ahmir Parker, Matthew Plang, Ryan Thibodeau, Owen Rumsey, Cole Reel, Nathaniel Brennell, Malcolm Bahn and exchange student David Kresina before Saturday’s game and the emotions poured over into another quality performance on the pitch in a 5-1 win.

Ciambor’s second goal was assisted by junior Fixx Siner. Thibodeau scored in the 39th minute on a penalty kick, freshman Troy Edgar scored in the 43rd minute assisted by Parker and Maier scored in the 45th minute off a corner by Ciambor.

“It felt so good,” Maier said. “I have been struggling with corners since I joined the program. Being aggressive on corners is a hard skill and it felt so good to finish one on senior night. It was my first goal off a corner.”

Maier also earned the team’s Lunch Pail Award.

“I guess I was one of the hardest workers in the game,” Maier said. “Gary said I did the little things, rather than the big flashy moments.”

Wasilla tried to be overly physical in both contests, especially in Saturday’s rematch, but JDHS did not bite into retaliation, instead continuing to play with poise, using the games as a preview of how they will be met on the state pitch next weekend.

“I think it is a lot easier for us to keep our composure when we are winning,” Chester said. “And happy and in good spirits compared to being down. Sometimes we just have to bite our tongue, let it go and know we have bigger and better things coming up and that is what matters.”

Added Maier, “It was hard at moments. I mean, Kellen is a chippy guy, we have a few chippy players, but they just know how to relax and I tell them to chill out. It’s a lot easier when you are winning the game

In Friday’s 5-2 win, Parker scored unassisted, Ciambor scored assisted by Chester, Parker scored assisted by Ciambor, Haygood scored assisted by Ciambor and Siner scored on a penalty kick.

“It is just kind of nice to go out the right way,” Chester said. “Play some good games, get a good result, get some wins and just enjoy the last few games with our seniors last games here at home so it was nice.”

For Ciambor, his scoring journey began as a varsity freshman and included a hat trick in the state tournament his freshman year as the Crimson Bears took the state title, repeated the following season, nearly garnished a third and now it can end in the same venue again on the state pitch. Along the way he has had multiple teammates that have shared each shot.

“It was awesome tonight because a lot of my former teammates were on the sideline,” Ciambor said. “After I scored the record-breaking one I went up to some of my former teammates…Kean (Buss) and Tayten (Bennetsen)…and all them just because they are a part of the journey too and they get as much credit as I do with this achievement and it’s great.”

A senior night celebration can easily result in overly emotional or lackluster play on the pitch, but the Crimson Bears stuck to the matter at hand, playing the game with the respect it deserves.

“I am actually pretty proud,” JDHS coach Gary Lehnhart said. “I thought the first 10 minutes of the second half were brilliant. And it was just what we needed to do to kind of take the air out of the game, unfortunately things got a bit chippy. I was proud of my guys. I thought they kept their heads. It was a physical game, Wasilla is a physical team and they play hard…You’ve got to give them credit, they don’t quit. Lots of other teams would have quit when you are down 5-0. They didn’t quit. But all my guys played with composure and played fast and smart. Yeah, I was proud of their effort. A good group of seniors.”

JDHS will play in the ASAA/First National Bank Alaska Soccer State Championships, opening as the No. 2 seed against No. 7 seed Service at 7 p.m. Thursday at Wasilla High School. No. 3 seed West Anchorage plays No. 6 Wasilla at 9 a.m. on the same side of the bracket.

No. 1 seed Colony plays No. 8 seed South at 7 p.m. Thursday at Colony High School on the opposite side of the bracket and No. 4 seed Dimond plays No. 5 West Valley at 1 p.m.

• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.