Early last week, I ended one of my stories by telling readers that an accomplishment by one very special high school student-athlete was a treat to her fans.
I need to make a correction. Her feat was, in fact, a treat for the entire community to savor.
Over the span of eight days, the St. Mary’s High School sports program, soccer to be exact, produced two monumental moments. So if you blinked, you not only missed these historic achievements, but also these two teams having a ball celebrating their fellow teammates’ highlight reel games.
On Sept. 9, St. Mary’s boys soccer senior forward Jack Lamirande recorded the 100th point of his high school career. Lamirande took a through ball from Everett Stec in the eighth minute, splitting the Mohawk defense – – like Moses (and God) parting the Red Sea – – with a shot that found the back of the net at Westfield Intermediate School.
Lamirande was swept up in the arms of teammates, and the Saints were allowed to briefly celebrate with their fans, made up of family, friends, and school administrators, including lovable principal and athletic director Matt Collins.
After the game – – a loss which was merely a sidenote – – Lamirande did not bask in all the individual glory that some athletes tend to do, but immediately dedicated the effort to his older brother Billy, who was hampered by injuries during his high school career. While noting the team’s goals of making the playoffs, Jack also made a point by stating that he wants to get his other teammates involved this season, and help his striker reach 30 points or more by season’s end.
One week later, on Sept. 16, St. Mary’s girls soccer sophomore forward Allie Goodreau logged the 100th point of her young career.
Goodreau did so in dramatic fashion, netting a hat trick as the Saints soared to a 3-0 shutout of the Sci-Tech Cybercats at Central High School’s Berte Field in Springfield.
Goodreau had a chance to hammer home history twice on penalty kicks, but came up empty. It seemed as if fate had intervened because the milestone was made even more special when Allie took a cross pass from her sister, Emma, in the 60th minute and squeezed a low shot just inside the near post.
The ball slipped past the goalie’s fingertips and trickled into the net, nearly slowing to a crawl before crossing the goal line in what felt like a slow-motion replay.
What did Allie have to say after the game? “I definitely could not have done it without my teammates, my sister.”
Yet another gracious response and a fine display of gratitude from a Saint. The only other assist she forgot to mention was the one from the entire St. Mary’s community, who rallied to save the school from closing a year ago.
Because of that support, Goodreau, Lamirande and other future student-athletes from St. Mary’s High School will continue to have the opportunity to build team unity and set their records straight, all while displaying humility along the way. The local community will be better for it.
