Lebanon
I recognized her instantly: sophomore Izzy Peress, a standout student and three-sport competitor who’d just concluded her lacrosse season with a Raiders team I’d followed day-by-day for the Valley News.
Typically for Izzy, she looked a bit askew. Her fabulous, frizzy hair was gathered in a bun atop her head, and she was extracting a bag and a large piece of poster board from the car. Given the early hour, she wasn’t yet yapping like a caffeinated chihuahua, but the silence would surely be temporary.
I braked to a halt and, when Peress glanced up, clenched my fists and shook my raised arms in mock anger. With classic Izzyness, she grinned, shrugged and scuffled her way across the street and onto the sidewalk. I drove away laughing out loud.
I often left Lebanon High in a good mood this spring. Almost everyone associated with the lacrosse program was so sincere, upbeat and funny that a 5-9 season wasn’t nearly the drag it could have been. I’d long wanted to tag along with a team throughout a season. A girls squad interested me because some readers remain unaware how seriously young women commit to sports and how strong an emotional bond it creates among them.
There were certainly moments of selfishness, pique and frustration. I saw more crying than I had since the days when my kids were toddlers. However, I came to realize it was a healthy release and was touched by how readily the girls shared their emotions and comforted each other. You won’t find many boys players resting their heads on a teammate’s shoulder while they share a school bus seat.
I had worried that the players might be standoffish with a middle-aged, scruffy guy in their midst, but they accepted my annoying, oddball questions with openness, friendship and grace. I inserted myself into conversations and stayed put in situations where I would normally walk away. For a memorable hour coming home from Laconia, I rode in the last row of the bus, scribbling song lyrics, conversational snippets and observations as the Raiders happily sang, shouted and danced.
None of this would have been possible without the acquiescence of Sara Ecker, the Raiders’ 23rd-year coach. We graduated from Hanover High in 1989, and I’ve covered her program since I returned to the Upper Valley 20 years later. Since then, I’d watched in fascination at how she consistently built strong teams with inexperienced players. I’d noticed how she cared about their emotions and how often she solicited their input.
I pitched the idea during the winter, but wasn’t sure Ecker, notably leery of the spotlight, would go along. I had a list of backup teams to approach if that was the case, but she agreed and Lebanon athletic director Mike Stone and principal Ian Smith also approved. None imposed restrictions on my reporting; it was understood and trusted that I’d use common sense and good judgment, and for that I’m deeply grateful.
There were times when I tried to use discretion while reporting and writing the series, including the countless instances when Ecker shared opinions, blunt assessments and frustrations. One of the Raiders served a 1½-game suspension after her parents turned her in for drinking alcohol, a violation of the school’s conduct policy. She was willing to discuss the particulars, but added that some team members remained angry with her. I thought it best to punt.
So what do I think of the Raiders program after seeing it up close? I’m still convinced Ecker is the best high school sports coach in the Upper Valley. Too often, her lack of a varsity assistant left her emotionally and physically overextended, but the work she did in keeping the players upbeat and focused was amazing. How such a competitive person could continually suppress that emotion and deliver calm reassurance baffled me to no end.
Lebanon lost its first five games and was outscored, 64-16, during that stretch’s last four contests. It’s true that those four foes became playoff participants and that the Raiders relied primarily on sophomores, but such an experience will rock any teenager’s confidence. Following a cathartic victory over Coe-Brown to improve to 1-5, Lebanon lost back-to-back games in double overtime. Talk about crushing.
The next clash, against visiting Gilford, saw the Raiders fall into a 6-1 hole during the first half. Ecker would say later that she thought her players were emotionally finished with five games to go and, for the first time, she gave them a tongue-lashing. It’s a measure of how desperately the players didn’t want to disappoint her that they rallied, beating a postseason participant by a goal with incredible exertion.
That was the first of four victories during Lebanon’s last six games, the losses coming to another pair of playoff-bound opponents. Lebanon finished two games out of the eight-team NHIAA Division III tournament and 10th among its 16 schools.
Weeks later, I miss powerful Libby Stone’s raw joy at competing, steely-eyed Anna Wolke’s resolve and Elizabeth Jones’ never-ending desire to find a quiet resting spot away from her practice net. Senior co-captain Lily Hier’s maturity and good humor will make her an excellent New Hampshire representative when she begins college in Montana in the fall. And Izzy, what will I do without Izzy?
Well, my world is quieter now, and sadly so.
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.