Boha a leader for Center Grove boys soccer

Three years ago, Luke Boha’s list of soccer responsibilities read as follows — watch, listen, absorb and, eventually, apply.

Boha, the lone freshman on Center Grove’s Class 2A state championship team in 2015, quietly studied how the 13 seniors conducted themselves on and off the field.

The program is reaping the benefits now that Boha is a senior himself.

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“When I was a freshman, I don’t know that I was the worst player, but I was there to observe. To build a good leader who can lead us into the future,” said Boha, a midfielder who played in four matches that season.

“Those seniors played with an edge to them compared to everyone else I had ever been around. Now that I’m a senior, I feel it’s my job to lead the team to a successful season.”

Ranked 11th in 3A, Center Grove is off to a 5-2 start. The 5-foot-10, 150-pound Boha has scored two goals and been credited with four assists.

Fourth-year coach Jameson McLaughlin, a former Trojan soccer player himself, said Boha possesses few, if any, weaknesses as a player.

“It’s not that we’ve never had a kid who could do the things that Luke could do. He is just the total package in that he’s got that endurance, the foot skills and is one of the smartest kids you’ll ever meet,” McLaughlin said. “And he’s pretty strong, too.

“He doesn’t get pushed off the ball. That’s where he’s a little bit different. We’ve always had kids who were really skilled or smart players, but he’s got all of it.”

Boha’s 4.6 grade-point averages places him fifth academically among the nearly 600 students in Center Grove’s senior class. There have been some A-minuses sprinkled into Boha’s academic history, but he’s never once received anything lower.

“My parents (Steve and Davy) raised me to be a student before I’m an athlete,” Boha said. “I’m good at (soccer) on the side, but my main focus is to be a good student.”

Boha can’t believe how fast his high school soccer career has gone. Not surprisingly, he plans to make the most of the time he has left.

“I’ve just been very blessed to be able to come into this program and have coach McLaughlin bring me up to that team,” he said. “Now that I’m one of the captains out here on the field, I want to leave an impact just like those seniors did on me and other players in my class.

“While a state championship would be the best thing possible, more importantly it’s leaving a lasting impact on the morale and just on how everyone views Center Grove soccer.”

Boha admits to experiencing anxiety when the season started, seeing it’s his last at Center Grove. But at the same time, he wants to get on with his life.

He continues to explore different options academically and athletically.

McLaughlin isn’t about to wager against Boha someday playing soccer in college — perhaps even at the Division I level.

“I mean, he is a hard worker. The guys always talk about him having three lungs because he can just run for days,” McLaughlin said. “If you ask Luke to do something, he does it and doesn’t complain.

“His skills have always been there, but maturity-wise he’s grown in leadership and the ability to lead the other guys. He’s not scared to say, ‘Hey, we need to step up and do things better.’”