Jed Zelie only got a brief, three-minute run out in Wednesday’s game against Mountain Valley Conference frontrunner Hall-Dale, but the senior’s significance to the Mt. Abram boys soccer team can’t be measured by any measure of statistical analysis.

That Zelie is even on the pitch at all is motivation enough.

“They’re really excited to have him on board, part of the team, his company,” Mt. Abram coach Darren Allen said. “He’s back with his friends, back where he should be, and it feels like it did before. It’s great to see.”

Zelie missed his entire sophomore and junior seasons after being diagnosed with lymphoma. Round of chemotherapy running through last spring had robbed the lanky striker of, at minimum, any chance to play sports.

He’s been back this season, says he feels good — and scored his first goal in an early-season win over Lisbon.

“That felt pretty good. I enjoyed it,” Zelie said. “I was hopeful I could play again — whenever, as soon as possible. I tried to play indoor soccer (last winter), but I just couldn’t do it. I always wanted to play, I just didn’t know when I’d be able to.”

He returned to baseball last season, and that’s when he decided he’d be back playing soccer this fall.

“That’s when I decided I’d go fully back into it,” Zelie said. “I would have played either way, but I just might have been ‘show up for moral support.’ But baseball was when I could at least try and make a difference on the team.”

While Zelie hasn’t necessarily served big minutes for the Roadrunners against some of the league’s heavyweights, his impact on the team is noticeable.

Allen said the squad never felt ‘right’ without Zelie involved, even though he’d try and be around his teammates whenever his health allowed while he battled cancer.

“There was a void with the team,” Allen said. “He came to some games, but to not have him around it was like something was missing. It’s not missing this year. He’s there. He’s vocal. He has that sly personality he has with all these funny one-liners, and contributing on the field, too, which is a really cool thing to see.”

And Zelie is glad to be back, obviously.

“I love this team. I wouldn’t play for any other team, even if I could,” he said. “I consider them like a family to me, and I love playing with them and being part of it.”

• • •

The Winslow boys soccer team close out this week sitting in the top spot in Class B North.

A big part of the Black Raiders’ resurgence after some growing pains last season has been the team’s defensive play. In six of the team’s last seven games, including its current four-game winning streak, Winslow (8-2-1) hasn’t allowed more than a single goal against.

But another reason the Black Raiders have been so good has been the play of a young striker tandem up top. Where the 2017 regional champion Winslow team could score from any of a half-dozen options while seemingly always playing on the front foot, this version of the side is much more suited to playing a counter-attacking game while committing to its defensive structure. Sophomore Landen Gillis and freshman Andrew Poulin have been very good at turning a few chances each afternoon into a key goals at crucial times.

“I’ve come back with a lot more experience. Last year really taught me a few things,” Gillis said. “I think my movement off the ball has gotten better, I’ve gotten faster and more physical.”

The same could be said for a lot of freshmen-turned-sophomores, but head coach Aaron Wolfe said Gillis’ improvement goes beyond simply physically maturing.

“I think he just understands how to play the position better,” Wolfe said. “He understands where to be, when to check to the ball, when to stay up, when to check back and help on defense, when to run or move off the ball, when to call for the ball. All the little things. The speed, the shooting, he has that stuff anyway, but it’s the little things that make better players.”

• • •

Speaking of programs back on the rise, the Waterville girls have won eight in a row and are 10-1-0 and second in Class B North.

The Purple Panthers have been one of the league’s stingiest defensive teams, having conceded just seven goals all season. Only Maranacook — in the third game of the year — nicked the Panthers for more than one in a game.

“It’s a great combination in the middle, and then we’ve got two seniors at wingback,” Waterville coach Mark Serdjenian said of his center back duo of Emme Ayers and Allie Anich. “I think we’re pretty solid back there as a unit. It’s what I hoped. I’ve been pleased.”

Ayers, a junior, said the team has focused on playing a more composed game this season.

“I think we have a lot of speed in the back, and Allie and I have a really good connection and are able to communicate really well,” Ayers said after a recent win over rival Winslow. “We try to be patient. We’ve worked a lot on possessing the ball and doing what we can with it, and not just giving the ball away.”

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