Butch Harmon
Sports Scene
It’s been said that the United States is a melting pot, with people from all countries finding their way to America.
The Lansing Eastern soccer team is a prime example of how kids from different countries around the world can come together, blend their talents, and achieve success.
With players from a total of 11 different countries on their roster, the Eastern soccer team turned in its fourth consecutive winning season under the direction of coach Jeff Davis. The Quakers turned in a record of 14-4-2 this year capped off the season by winning the Silver Cup championship, after finishing in fourth place in the CAAC Blue.
“We played everyone tough this year,” Davis said. “The neat thing is, we have kids from all over the world on our team. We have kids from 11 different countries on our team.”
Many of the kids on the team are enrolled in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at Eastern. By playing on the soccer team, the players not only get involved in an extracurricular activity at the school but also share a common love of a sport as a way to adapt to their new home in America.
“It’s really cool how the kids use soccer to assimilate to America but yet keep their cultural identity,” Davis said. “It’s amazing to hear the hardships many of these kids have went through to get here, and they still continue to love and play soccer. Over the course of the year, I received a lot of compliments from other coaches and officials about these kids. Many of our kids are asked to play for club teams after the season. These kids are amazing, and I feel blessed to be around them.”
Davis has been coaching the soccer team at Eastern for the past five years and has guided the team to winning seasons the last four years, including a 14-7-1 record last fall when the Quakers advanced to the district championship game.
“Our program has been growing and getting better and better,” Davis said. “It has become a real bright spot at Eastern.”
The kids on the soccer team are open to trying other sports as well.
“A real cool thing is that the kids are willing to try other sports,” Davis said. “We have a lot of kids who are starting wrestling and starting to swim, play basketball, and run track. They are doing things all year long. It’s kind of counter cultural with all the specialization nowadays. I think its great that the kids get to experience more of the high school experience.”
The Quakers have had a number of players lead the way this season. Junior Konray Blamo led the team with 21 goals and 17 assists this season. Blamo, who scored 24 goals last year, is already the career leader in goals. Senior Brown Dennis anchored the defense. A four-year varsity player, Dennis has earned all-league honors a couple times. Spencer Fisher, one of four American-born players on the team, added 14 goals this season. In net, the Quakers were led by Gibson St. Jean from Haiti, who recorded a number of shutouts for the team.
With seven starters due back next season, the Quakers will be looking to extend their string of winning seasons.