First-year Lawrence High girls soccer coach Jason Clark will attempt to do what two men a year ago could not.

The Lions ditched the “co-coach” approach after a 2-14 season in 2004, opting for a laid-back approach with a guy who calls himself, well, laid-back.

Meet Jason Clark.

He’s still getting acquainted with Lawrence, but knows people have a poor perception of the Lions’ soccer program, and he hopes to turn it around. That challenge begins at 7 tonight when LHS opens its season against Topeka Seaman at the Youth Sports Inc. fields.

“Most people in town know the history of Lawrence High soccer, and it’s not been the best,” Clark said. “We want to make them understand that their success is based upon their effort and their attitude. Things aren’t given to them. They have to earn it.”

He inherits a team with proven young players, such as junior Megan Johnson and sophomore Abby Vestal.

Clark’s last coaching post was at Benton Central, a 3A school in rural Indiana, while finishing graduate studies at Purdue University. Central finished second in the Hoosier League the past two seasons.

Free State

How do you replace arguably the best girls soccer player in school history? The answer could come this spring, as coach Jason Pendleton depends on young players to replace two-time all-state selection Rebekah Berkley.

Pendleton is expecting big things from freshmen Leah Williams, Logan Keasling and Alexa Moreno. The team’s veterans — seniors Claire Wilkinson and Nicki Riggins and junior Banaka Okwuone — will lead the youngest team of Pendleton’s tenure.

“We’re so young that we’re pretty confident we’ll get better as the season goes along,” he said. “We feel that if we can make some progress and minimize the mistakes we make as the season evolves, we’re gonna have a chance to have a special season.”

Free State’s will travel March 29 to Tecumseh Shawnee Heights.

Seabury Academy

The Seahawks also have a new head coach in Gunar Harmon.

Harmon had coached with the Kaw Valley Soccer Assn. since 1997, working with kids ages 12-18, and also worked with Kansas’ Olympic Development program.

Now, he hopes to build his resume by turning around the Seahawk program.

He finds Seabury’s small size to be beneficial. Since many of the Seahawk players play more than one sport, their athleticism should help.

The Seahawks have a solid senior class led by Laura Frizell and are anchored by junior goalie Lindsey Ahlen. For the team’s four seniors, it will be their third coach in three seasons.

“We just hope to play out the script from ‘Hoosiers,'” Harmon said optimistically. “My number-one rule is the 100-percent rule, that they give effort and try. We have an 11-game schedule. The schedule dictates a lot of things. We play four opponents twice, so we have a chance for correcting our mistakes.”

Seabury will play host April 5 to Flint Hills.