The Division 5 champion Lions are the first Boston city school to win an MIAA soccer championship. PHOTO: BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Lions of Boston International High School stepped into the record books as the first Boston public school to win a state soccer title.
Following the team’s second straight Boston City Championship, coach Edmar Varela guided his team to their ultimate goal, completing a 20-win-1-loss season with a 2-0 victory over Hopedale High School in this year’s MIAA Division 5 title game. Valera spoke about their goals:
“Coming off the setback of last season, my team arrived with a stern determination to ‘complete our mission’ this time around. From the first day of practice to the end of the state championship game, there was not a single lapse of concentration on our task. Last year’s team was disqualified from post-season competition following a quarterfinal victory that was taken away due to a ‘player-eligibility issue,’ which we straightened out this time around. The player in question was a contributor to this year’s title team with no issue to his eligibility.”
For Varela, the five-year building plan for the Boston International Young Men’s Soccer program is a labor of love and an everyday major problem-solving situation.
Coach Edmar Varela (right) led his team to a 20-1-2 record this year. PHOTO: BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
“Our players come to this school from different parts of the world. Our principal obligation is to educate them while allowing them to use their soccer skills [and] to possibly get a chance to play the game at the college level. At Boston International, we manage academics, which is way more important than soccer.”
With a truly “international team” of players from different countries (Haiti, Cape Verde, Honduras, Africa, Vietnam, etc.), the language barrier could be a significant problem. But not so much at Boston International.
“I speak Portuguese and have a grasp of Spanish,” Varela said. “Most of my players come from soccer backgrounds where the ‘language of soccer’ — and how to play the game — is pretty much the same. When teaching, my staff and I use short and direct phrases to deliver instructions. Simplicity is the key. And these young men are highly intelligent and pick up our teaching methods very quickly.”
But much bigger issues are those of housing, food and transportation for players, which come with the rigors of academics. “ It’s hard to concentrate on school, soccer, social life, etc., when you are worried about where your next meal is going to come from,” the coach said. “We handle such issues on a one-to-one basis with mostly positive outcomes in situations. This is not an easy job, and one that many coaches would not take on. But I relish taking on the challenge, especially when I look at my players and realize what they go through just to play for this team.” With back-to-back “City titles” and a now-record Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 5 State Championship on his coaching resume, Varela is well aware of the “prying eyes” focused on his team.
“I try not to focus on the negative aspects of my job. We focus on ‘us’ and our ability to develop top-flight soccer talent. That is the secret to our climb to the top of the MIAA Division 5 Soccer pyramid in one of the best boys high school soccer seasons to date.”
This record-setting team has a plethora of talented players, including midfielder Jerry Registe, the team leader in goals (26) and assists, and star goaltender Jeffrey Louis. But this is a very “balanced team,” as evidenced by the goals in the championship game by Sylberto Brevil and Henrich Saint-Paulin. “Every player on this team deserves his fair share of headlines for this miraculous season,” said Varela. “Your stars are your stars, but it takes an entire team to be a true champion. Throughout this season, many ‘unsung’ players made major contributions to our success. When the whistle sounded to end the championship game, I just stood back and watched my entire team celebrate. It was one of the most exciting moments of my soccer career. As I took it all in, I thought about the journey to reach this goal. It was an emotional moment for me — one that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
When asked, “Do you think your players realize the magnitude of what they accomplished this year in becoming the first ‘Boston-City’ Soccer champions in the history of Massachusetts?” Varela responded: “I think it’s starting to sink into their minds as to what they have done. As they get older and look back on this moment, I think they will appreciate their achievement even more. There is nothing like being ‘the first’ to do something this special.”
When posing the same question to Jerry Registe, the humble, soft-spoken young man whose play on the soccer field (pitch) speaks in loud and clear tones, he expressed it this way: “I’m proud of what my team and I have accomplished. My school and community share in our sense of pride.”
Well said, and well done by the young men of Boston International High School, record-setting champions of Massachusetts high school soccer.
