Lake Central’s ‘grit’ starts with Rainwater
Guided alma mater to Class 3A state final after a challenging regular season for young team
Jereme Rainwater recognized Lake Central had talent this season.
He also recognized its youth, including a “very gifted” sophomore class.
So he wasn’t certain how the pieces would fit together.
But through ebbs and flows, Rainwater, the 2019 Post-Tribune Boys Soccer Coach of the Year, led Lake Central to the Class 3A state championship game.
He processed what the Indians (12-6-3) accomplished by reaching the state final for the first time since winning the title in 2010.
“We knew we could be a team you didn’t want to play,” Rainwater said. “But we didn’t know if we could string together that many wins in a row. That’s the most impressive part of what these boys did.”
Senior defender Bryce Gross noted Rainwater’s role too.
“He’s meant a lot,” Gross said. “He finds weird ways to motivate us. He might make some players mad. He might make others not talk to him.
“Everyone knows it’s just getting into their head. But it makes them play better. We wouldn’t have made it to state without him.”
Last season, Lake Central had its streak of 15 straight sectional titles come to an end. Even one season without that title among a packed field made for a long year for Rainwater, a 1994 graduate who has coached at Lake Central for 22 seasons and possesses a keen sense of the program’s history and tradition.
But the Indians regained the sectional title this season.
They beat Northridge, which ended the regular season ranked No. 10 in the state coaches poll, in a regional final and No. 8 Noblesville in a semistate.
They didn’t lose until facing No. 1 Zionsville (21-0), holding a 1-0 lead until less than 19 minutes remained before falling 3-1.
Lake Central’s loss wasn’t from a lack of readiness. Rainwater was sophomore Quentin Enyeart’s club coach before the defender entered high school.
“He does so much for us,” Enyeart said of Rainwater. “The amount of film he watches, it’s unbelievable. He makes sure he prepares everything — our meals, our sleeping times, everything for state. I’ve been with him for three years, and it’s been nothing but a great experience.”
Lake Central, the only unranked team to play in any of the six boys and girls state title games, tied for third in the Duneland Athletic Conference. But Rainwater emphasized he tends not to even look at records and statistics during the regular season. He pointed to a nonconference schedule that included games against tough opponents from inside and outside the Region and participation in the Indiana-Kentucky Challenge.
Rainwater called himself “a very tough coach to play for because I tell players what they don’t want to hear.” So it was especially emotional to have many former players contact him during the postseason and even attend games.
“It was very rewarding,” Rainwater said.
He also praised his assistants and was moved by the outpouring of support from coaches at other Region schools.
“It felt really good to know people were behind me,” Rainwater said.
Lake Central started four seniors, three juniors and four sophomores against Zionsville, and two other sophomores gained significant starting experience. Rainwater also described the current eighth graders as “one of the best classes I’ve ever seen.”
“At the beginning of the year, I didn’t know if this group had enough grit,” Rainwater said. “Club soccer and high school are different, and you have to change gears — it’s not all pretty. And these boys showed they had the grit.
“We’re Lake Central, one of the biggest schools. But this group didn’t feel pressure. These guys kept working hard, and they just wanted to keep playing.”