LYNNFIELD — Most high school athletes never experience the joy of winning a state championship and the lifetime memories that come with it.
For those who do – and, as of Saturday night, you can count the members of the Pioneers’ boys soccer team in that group – they know a lot goes into finding the winning formula – hard work, sticking together through the highs and lows of a long season and having a selfless attitude and willingness to put the team above all else.
One Pioneer who has epitomized those values all year long is senior captain Brendan Sokop, a midfielder in his second year on varsity who stepped into an unexpected and unfamiliar role in the final two games of the tournament run. Why? Because he knew he had to.
The Pioneers played with a short bench for much of the season. They faced a huge dilemma when senior starter Nate Clancy, a reliable contributor on the back line, suffered a season-ending ACL injury against Monument Mountain in the Elite Eight, leaving coach Brent Munroe scrambling to re-jigger the lineup. He turned to Sokop for the solution, asking him to move to the back line to fill the void.
“A lot of kids might not be willing to play a different position than the one they’re used to and I understand that, but I knew Brendan is one of those unselfish kids who would accept it because it was for the good of his team and in the end, it was,” Munroe said. “He’s a great team player and I’m pretty high on him. He’s an all-star and a captain for a reason. His versatility has been really important for us. He’s scored some goals for us and has just been a really good player who has had to move around and accept a bunch of roles and has been great that way.”
The move paid off handsomely as the Pioneers’ defense didn’t skip a beat, defeating Hampshire Regional 2-1 in the semis and Monomoy 1-0 in the championship game. Truth be told, while Dillon Reilly scored all three goals (and seven of eight Pioneer goals in the tournament) in those two games, it was the defense – and Sokop – that silently held the line, neutralizing Monomy’s explosive offense that had scored 69 goals coming into the final.
For Sokop, who said he played defense his first years on the JV squad and as a youth, heeding the coach’s call to play a new position with a state title on the line was a no-brainer.
“I was definitely nervous about being in a new position at this level playing on the back line because there is always so much pressure on defensive players. It can be nerve-wracking when the other team is attacking,” Sokop said. “I knew we had a great chance to win it all in my senior year and I knew that staying in the midfield wasn’t best for the team. Coach Munroe knew and I knew it was best for me to go to the backline and with so much on the line, I only wanted to do what was best for the team. And I guess it worked out pretty well.”
Indeed it did.
Since Saturday’s victory (the first in the program’s 67-year history), the celebration hasn’t stopped. Lynnfield fans couldn’t hold back after the final whistle, storming the field to celebrate with the team. Sokop said the bus ride home and police escort back to the high school was “unlike anything any of us had ever experienced.
“Everyone was dancing and singing the John Legend song ‘All of Me and it was just crazy,” Sokop said. The team kept the party going with a pizza party at the Sokop home. The Pioneers’ 15 minutes of fame didn’t end Saturday. It continued Monday at Lynnfield High when each and every player was king of the hill.
“School today was an unforgettable experience. Every teacher, friend, and faculty member would say ‘Congrats’ or ‘Awesome job, champ.’ I even had teachers shake my hand,” Sokop said. “I’d be doing my homework in studies and students were asking about the game. It was super cool to see the school and town have our backs behind this championship.
“Today was definitely not an average Monday, so it was an awesome experience for all of us.”
The victory lap continues Thanksgiving morning with a rolling parade from the middle school to the high school where the team will be honored at the football game.
Sokop said holding the championship trophy aloft to display to the Pioneer faithful “will mean the world to him.
“I’ve played soccer since I was five and it’s just amazing to see how far my team and I have come. Everyone on this team was team-minded and all of us worked our butts off to get here and never gave up,” Sokop said. “My whole soccer career has led to that win and to celebrate it in front of my whole town will fill my heart with joy. It will surely cap off my 12 years of playing soccer on a perfect note.”
