It was quite a run. A run that lasted longer than some may have thought at the mid way point of this year’s Boy’s Varsity Soccer season. As for Head Coach Larry Klassen, I’m sure he would tell you that when his coaching career began, even in his wildest dreams, he never would have thought that 32 years after his first game as coach, he would be coaching his last. Amassing over 800 total wins in coaching both boys and girls soccer, Coach Klassen was a leader not only on the field for 32 years but also a mentor in the classroom having taught 21 years at Grand Rapids Christian in the History department. Having led 14 boy’s teams to District titles, and 7 girl’s teams to District titles, as well as 2 state championships in 1998 and 2001, Coach Klassen began to realize that his time coaching was nearing the end. After stepping down as Head Coach of the Girl’s Varsity team last year, the coach secretly (for the most part) planned on this season being his final as Head Coach of the boy’s.
“I always coached for fun, and some of the things in the last couple of years started to become work,” he said. “When stuff like that became work, then it was probably time to walk away. I decided it was time.”
The 64 year old coach, who has also received such accolades as Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association Division 2 Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2001, Michigan High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2002, and National High School Athletic Coaches Association Region No. 6 Coach of the Year also in 2002; never wavered and seemed to be sprinting to the finish line in his final season of coaching, having arguably one of his best coaching seasons as his team faced adversity starting off with a 3-3 start. Klassen as well as his players knew that their early season struggles would only make them stronger as the season went on. That it did, to say the least. Within the first month of the season the Eagles battled three state ranked teams and lost all three games. The Eagles suffered defeat to Lowell (5-3), Northview (2-1), and Unity Christian (5-0). For many teams, close losses like these may have been enough to deflate the confidence of the players as well as the coaches. Not the 2011 Eagles soccer team. Despite the close losses to the area’s top teams, the crafty, veteran coach was determined to not let what happened to his team defuse them and told his team to use what they learned in the losses to make themselves better for the postseason. As the season went on, the score board started to shift more in the Eagles direction. The schedule was daunting, as ranked team after ranked team appeared. After tying East Kentwood (the #2 ranked team in Division 1) and suffering a tough defeat to Reeths-Puffer, the Eagles riddled off a string of 9 straight victories. The win streak featured victories over state ranked teams the Eagles had previously lost to in Lowell and Northview, as well as a Regional Playoff victory against another state power in Forest Hills Northern. The resilient Eagles began to believe that the 2011 season, despite the early season adversity, had the feel of something special.
As the Eagles entered their 2nd round Regional match against Spring Lake Saturday afternoon, Coach Klassen prepared himself for what he knew could be his last game as a Head Coach. Riding a 9 game win streak and a victory over Forest Hills Northern, the Eagles were flying high and ready for the Lakers of Spring Lake who came in with a 21-1 record. The intensity of the game could be felt right from the opening kick. The game was dominated by the defenses until midway through the first half when Spring Lake took a 1-0 lead on a header by senior Alec Strahl beating Eagle goalie Connor Colburn. The Eagles fought back with a flurry of scoring opportunities but were shut out by Lakers goal keeper Harry Kriger. The Lakers managed another goal right before halftime to make it 2-0 which ended up being the final score of the game. The Eagles had a chance late when Senior Taylor Pruis was given a penalty kick, only to be stopped by Kriger, ending the Eagles memorable season. The Eagles finished the season with a record of 14-7-2 and another District Championship.
Congratulations to the Varsity Boy’s of 2011 as they put together an impressive season. The season, despite the final loss, was still special in its own right. A team that stood strong through adversity and a schedule that arguably was one of the toughest in the state. A team that proved that through hard work anything can be accomplished. The community hopes the best for the seniors as their high school soccer careers come to an end. May God bless you as you move forward in your lives.
“We’re disappointed right now, but I’m just really proud of these guys for what they accomplished and how much better they got during the course of the year,” Klaasen said. “We started out slowly, but we came up with nine wins in a row at the end of the season. Spring Lake is a good team, and they deserved to win today. We wish them well next week.”
Spring Lake Head Coach Jeremy Thelen had this to say about Coach Klassen,
“Hats off to Mr. Klaasen because he has been a rock in the West Michigan soccer community for a long time,” Thelen said. “He has done a lot of great things here at Grand Rapids Christian and in the soccer community.”
Current Athletic Events Coordinator and former Athletic Director at GR Christian, Dick VanderKamp added;
“He is the face of soccer in our system and he took soccer to the next level here,” VanderKamp said. “He’s what every athletic department desired, and part of that was a personality that the kids enjoyed as a teacher and coach. He challenged and cared about kids, and he will be missed.”
As Coach Klassen rides off into the sunset, he can rest assured that his contributions to not only Grand Rapids Christian soccer, but also soccer in West Michigan as a whole, will never be forgotten. So here’s to a coach that through the good times and the bad always stood up for his young athletes, believed in them, and mentored them. To those of you reading this that may have been coached, taught, or been colleagues with Mr. Larry Klassen you can attribute to this. A man of God who put others before himself to serve for 32 years as a coach has stepped down and deserves recognition. A man like this cannot be duplicated only replaced by the next guy in line, let’s hope he can be at least half the man that Larry Klassen has been for Grand Rapids Christian.
Thank you coach for your service, your time, your devotion, your care, and your love for the game. Grand Rapids Christian and the surrounding community appreciates you and everything you have done. We hope that you feel this appreciation with a full wave of support and memories that forever stand the test of time.
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