WEST CANAAN — The biggest peril that comes with being a two-sport star is that there are twice as many chances to get injured.
Senior Ben Seiler, far and away the top scorer for both the boys basketball and soccer teams at Mascoma High, found that out the hard way in the fall. Seiler, who has led both teams in scoring every season since his freshman year, fractured his fibula running over a soccer ball in early October, ending his soccer season and putting his status for basketball in jeopardy.
His initial prognosis had him scheduled to return around the end of December, which would have cost him four games. But the Royals, knowing his production was irreplaceable, pushed up that timeline, and Seiler made his season debut on Dec. 17 in Mascoma’s third game of the season.
“He ended up coming back probably a little earlier than he should have,” Royals head coach Silas Ayres said. “He was out of basketball shape when he came back. It was a little earlier than anybody was expecting, but he looked good in practice, so I figured we’d give it a go.”
Of course, “out of basketball shape” looks different for Seiler than it does for most players. He still scored 15 points in his first game back against White Mountains, then 19 in a critical win at Conant three days later.
But by his standards, those are subpar games — Seiler averaged 22.8 points per game as a sophomore and 21.5 as a junior. He’s rounded into top form over the last few weeks, setting a new career high with 37 points in Saturday’s blowout win over Mascenic.
The 6-foot-1 shooting guard made seven 3-pointers in producing the highest single-game point total by any Upper Valley boys basketball player this season, and tied with Mid Vermont Christian’s Hayley Goodwin for the most by a male or female player. Seiler scored all 15 of his team’s points in the first quarter, including a buzzer-beater from behind the arc.
“Shooting-wise, it was definitely the best I’ve felt this year,” Seiler said. “The first couple games, it was tough getting back. I didn’t fully trust my legs. But now, these last couple games, I’ve really felt good. No pain or soreness or anything, and my shot was falling.”
The Royals reached the NHIAA Division III quarterfinals each of the last two years, but for Seiler’s last ride, they’re thinking even bigger. At 11-4, Mascoma is currently tied for seventh in the very tight standings — the Royals are just three games back of first place — but the top two teams, Gilford and Kearsarge, have both fallen at Edward P. Kehoe Gymnasium.
Mascoma faced the then-undefeated Golden Eagles on Jan. 24, with Gilford playing without 6-foot-6 superstar Jalen Reese. The Royals took advantage, getting 23 points apiece from Seiler and his co-star, junior guard Zach Thompson, and held off a late Golden Eagles rally for a 53-51 victory.
A week later, Mascoma welcomed the Cougars, who had beaten the Seiler-less Royals by 15 in the season opener. The Royals got their revenge behind 26 points from Seiler, who helped turn a one-point halftime deficit into a 10-point lead after the third quarter. Mascoma held on from there to win, 54-46.
“I’ve got to believe we can compete with the top three teams,” Ayres said. “We’ve had a really tough schedule. We will be playoff tested, and I fully believe we can make a finals run if we’re playing our game that night.”
Seiler already has numerous program records in both sports. In soccer, his 33 goals as a sophomore were the most in a single season in school history, and he’s Mascoma’s all-time leading scorer as well.
He reached 1,000 career points in basketball toward the end of last year, an accomplishment made all the more impressive by the fact that the Royals didn’t start their season until January due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seiler led the division in scoring each of the last two years and has his team primed for a deep postseason run later this month.
“The potential is through the roof,” Seiler said. “This group of guys is definitely special. We all work hard and trust each other, and we know that if we settle we’re not going to get to where we want to be, and that’s a championship game.”
Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.