All-Region boys soccer: Bennett Lehner

Grant Alcorn, sr., Union

Colton Arends, sr., La Center

Jared Berg, sr., Mountain View

Abdul El-Hoot, sr., Mountain View

Cameron Eyman, sr., Camas

Alex Firl, sr., La Center

Ryan Hallquist, sr., Columbia River

Max Hauser, jr., Ridgefield

Mitchell Pinney, sr., Hockinson

Ashton Rimer, sr., Union

Lucas Ulmer, sr., Camas

The team-leading 17 goals he scored this spring for Camas was evidence of the soccer skill Bennett Lehner has developed.

Another type of team-leading offered a different challenge for the junior forward.

“It was cool being a captain as a junior,” Lehner said. “I was a little intimidated at the beginning of the year with the seniors and how they would take it. But they took it really well and it was a successful season.”

For Lehner, that season included scoring a game-winning goal to beat rival Union in overtime — and being named offensive player of the year in the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League. The Columbian All-Region Boys Soccer Player of the Year, Lehner added four assists and 30 tackles despite missing two-plus matches with a dislocated shoulder suffered playing club soccer.

Roland Minder said that in his 21 seasons as the Camas coach, he has had only five or six captains who were not seniors.

“Coupling Bennett with Josh Stoller, a senior, this year, gave us the right combination for leadership on this team,” Minder said.

Lehner gives much of the credit for building team chemistry to Stoller. Key contributions from talented sophomores on the field were also critical to a season that included league and district titles.

At the start of the season, Lehner said, he was not certain the Papermakers would roll to another league title. The defense was unproven. Seven senior starters from 2014 had to be replaced.

“And so I was a little worried,” he said.

Not for long. Lehner said that early in the preseason the team was coming together fine.

Last summer, Lehner was invited to play for a team of American teenagers that traveled to Leeds, England. There, he got a taste of life at the Richmond International Academic and Soccer Academy. Participants train in soccer while also pursuing American college degrees, giving Lehner a possible option other than college soccer.

He described the British players as more tactically and technically proficient than many American players. A member of the Bradford City side was a member of England’s under-20 national team.

“When I saw him play, it definitely opened my eyes. I just realized there’s a lot of talent out there,” he said.

Since he began playing organized soccer as a 4-year-old on the Camas-Washougal Fireballs, Lehner has enjoyed scoring goals.

That desire figures to be just as strong next season, stoked by a state playoff overtime loss to Tahoma — the only loss of the season. Lehner had a goal called back that would have given the Papermakers a lead in a game they lost 1-0.

“There’s fire in our bellies so we’ll come back stronger,” Lehner said.