Lebanon
The most prevalent sound, however? Coughing.
The Raiders began the 11-week campaign in solid health. By season’s end, however, more than half of the 26-player roster had missed practices and/or games because of illness and injury. And there weren’t that many injuries.
“It’s been hard with the sicknesses,” coach Sara Ecker said. The players are “in close confines with each other. They’re probably sharing water bottles when they shouldn’t.
“These sicknesses have been long … and my heart goes out to the girls, especially when they’re seniors. You try to focus on the positive and the things they can do as a teammate, not the things they can’t do.”
Starting goaltender Elizabeth Jones missed practice because she was ill, meaning that — by team rule — she sat out the next game, a double-overtime loss. Not long after, her backup, sophomore Emma Thibodeau, exited a workout while displaying an unhealthy pallor and was whisked to the doctor’s office herself.
Co-captain Lily Hier was out two weeks because of strep throat and a cold. The senior wasn’t her team’s most skilled defender, but her poise, upbeat nature and hustle on the back end were sorely missed. On three consecutive days, Hier started the morning at school but was sent home with a rising fever.
Emma Hansen, a sophomore forward, struggled most of the season with a frightening combination of asthma and bronchitis. She exited a half-dozen games while wheezing so loudly that it unnerved anyone within earshot. When the latter condition was finally diagnosed, it answered questions, but kept her out roughly 10 days.
You knew the onslaught had reached full strength when irrepressible Izzy Peress, a sophomore midfielder who can talk a blue streak, spent bus rides to and from InterLakes High in Meredith, N.H., passed out in exhaustion. She wasn’t alone.
“Is everyone awake back there?” Ecker asked as the bus pulled up to the field.
“They’re all dead,” came the tongue-in-cheek reply from an apparent survivor.
Several timeless trends exacerbated the situation. School-age kids pass sickness among themselves at dizzying speed, and teenagers don’t put a priority on proper sleep, nutrition and hydration. In addition, Ecker doesn’t substitute much during games, meaning her players needed to be fully recovered to keep up.
Rest, however, was elusive. Teenagers’ circadian rhythms, the body clock that influences when people are active or asleep, change during adolescence. Melatonin, a hormone that aids sleep, begins to be released later at night during that stage of growth, when kids generally need nine hours of shut-eye daily.
It seemed unlikely that most Raiders were sleeping that long. Lacrosse practices ended at 5:30 p.m. and home games about an hour later. Returns from road games could be as late as 9 p.m. A majority of the players are dedicated students and toiled over homework until the wee hours.
“I get texts from them at 1 a.m.,” fretted Sarah Cram, a local physical therapist who served as the junior varsity coach and varsity assistant.
A lack of sleep can compromise the immune system and make it more likely for one to suffer colds, flu and other infections. The incidence of depression, anxiety, headaches and nausea also rises with too little rest.
Hier fought through her illness until her body gave out. During a Saturday practice, she asked to leave a drill, startling her teammates. Coughing and spitting, the diminutive senior wore a defeated expression, a dramatic change from her usual, ebullient self.
“This is gross. I’m having mucus issues,” Hier said in an attempt at humor. “It’s running down my throat and into my stomach.”
The physical discomfort Hier could endure. Having to stand and watch her teammates play kickball and later missing their first victory of the season was more difficult.
“I wasn’t part of it,” Hier said sadly. “When you’re gone, you don’t feel like part of the team. That was even more heartbreaking than the losses.”
Hansen had seemingly recovered, but came back too soon. Playing in a JV game against visiting Gilford, she struggled for breath so loudly on the Lebanon sideline that the Golden Eagles coach and players stared in concern. Hansen’s frantic inhalations came roughly twice a second for nearly a minute, leaving her frustrated, embarrassed and worried that she had let her team and coach down.
“Don’t be angry; that’s not going to help you,” Ecker told Hansen gently, an arm around her player’s shoulders as they sat on a small set of bleachers near the substitution box. “You deserve to be out there and your willingness to be out there is appreciated, but you need to think of it as if you had a broken leg.”
The Raiders’ overall health had improved by their season finale, a blowout loss at eventual NHIAA Division III champion Kearsarge. But there was that sound again, this time coming from Zoe Soule, her wiry frame wracked by coughs. Ecker said hopefully that perhaps the sophomore had inhaled an insect, but that wasn’t the case.
One more Raider was struggling with sickness.
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.