Next in line: Strawbridge the latest family member to stand tall for Lakeland Christian soccer
It’s kind of like the family business, but that doesn’t mean Henry Strawbridge felt forced into playing soccer. The Lakeland Christian senior began playing soccer when he was 6 and never looked back.
Through rec leagues, club and high school soccer, Strawbridge found his niche on defense and emerged as one of the top players in the county. His skill at center back anchored the Vikings’ defense, which was the strength of the team, and he also made an impact on offense in set pieces. And he provided leadership to a young squad won districts, advanced to the regional semifinals and has tremendous potential for next season.
It all led to Strawbridge being The Ledger’s 2023-24 Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
The Strawbridge name is synonymous with soccer in Lakeland. Currently, it includes Henry; his sister, Georgie, who plays at Jenkins; and a cousin who plays for the LCS girls. Earlier generations include his uncle Ben, who was a teammate of longtime LCS girls coach Jason Streets from the age of 5 through high school at LCS and college at Liberty.
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Henry said his father, Vince, played multiple sports, but he and his sisters just focused on soccer.
On the field, Strawbridge started as a midfielder but by high school, he was moved to center back where his height was an advantage. The transition came naturally.
“I got faster so I was able to keep up with people,” the 6-foot-5 Strawbridge said. “I've very much always been defensive in stopping people where they want to go. I played defensive midfield so I already was taught how to defend well, and I was able to use that.”
The position likely is tougher mentally than physically.
“It’s definitely the most difficult positions in terms of that if you get beat, that’s it,” he said. “Strikers can make ton of mistakes, midfielders less, center backs the least. You don’t want to make more than one mistake a game.”
And it helps to have a partner at center back to help each other cover for a mistake. Strawbridge has teamed with junior Charlie Hill the past two seasons to form a formidable defense in front of goalkeeper Gray Ottman that allowed just four goals with nine shutouts and a 0.33 against Polk County teams this season. Overall, LCS allowed just 21 goals in 22 games.
LCS coach Grandy Streets called Strawbridge one of the best players he’s ever coached. Strawbridge hits all the marks on the field in terms of technical ability, tactical ability and athletic ability. Streets noted Strawbridge's ability to weight passes both short and long, knowing when to look for an opening or when to get rid of the ball quickly, and being able to take over a game through the air.
“It's just like a perfect center back,” Streets said.
Strawbridge also was dangerous on corner kicks as he was hard to defend in the air. He was one of just three players with more than five goals; his seven goals ranked third on the team.
Strawbridge brings more to the table than soccer skills.
“His leadership is more of a lead by example,” Grandy Streets said. “His work ethic is tremendous. He always shows up on time and when he does train, he trains very hard. So he puts a lot of effort into it. He pushes his players to work hard in the games. He's extremely kind and loving and gentle as a leader. So he is was just a phenomenal leader for the, for the younger kids as a mentor The players that were around him and every one of them you could tell they listened to him and respected him. He's just a really strong leader but through actions and words.”
Strawbridge wants to play in college but he’s taking a gap year first. He looked back and is proud of playing for Lakeland Christian.
“It was fun to play at a school where my dad played and my uncles played, and they were really good and won titles,” he said. “It really meant a lot to be able play at the same school where they set those records.”
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland Christian's Strawbridge emerged as Polk's best in boys soccer
