It's kind of a family business, but that doesn't mean Henry Strawbridge felt forced to play football. The Lakeland Christian senior started playing soccer at age 6 and never looked back.
Through rec league, club soccer and high school soccer, Strawbridge found his niche on defense and emerged as one of the top players in the county. His skills as a center back supported the Vikings' defense, which was a team strength, and he also had an impact on attack at set pieces. And he provided leadership to a young team that won a district championship, advanced to the district semifinals and has great potential heading into next season.
All of this led to Strawbridge being named The Ledger's 2023-24 Youth Soccer Player of the Year.
The Strawbridge name is synonymous with Lakeland football. Currently, this includes Henry. His sister Georgie plays for Jenkins. And my cousin plays in the LCS women's team. An earlier generation includes her uncle, Ben, who was a teammate of longtime LCS women's coach Jason Street from the age of 5 through LCS high school and college at Liberty.
Winter vest:Introducing The Ledger's 2023-24 All-County Boys Soccer Team
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Henry said his father, Vince, played multiple sports, but he and his sisters focused solely on soccer.
On the field, Strawbridge started as a midfielder, but by high school he was converted to center back due to his height advantage. The transition happened naturally.
“I was able to keep up with everyone because I was faster,” said the 6-foot-5 Strawbridge. “I've always been defensive, to stop people from going where they want to go. I played in defensive midfield, so I was already taught how to defend well, and I was able to use that to my advantage. I was able to.”
This position is probably more mentally demanding than physically.
“It's definitely the most difficult position because if you lose, it's over,” he said. “Strikers can make a ton of mistakes, midfielders can make mistakes and centre-backs make the least mistakes. You don't want to make more than one mistake in a game.”
And having a partner at center back helps cover each other's mistakes. Strawbridge has teamed with junior Charlie Hill to form a formidable defense in front of goaltender Gray Ottman the past two seasons, with nine shutouts and 0.33 goals against against Polk County teams this season. They allowed only 4 goals. Overall, LCS allowed only 21 goals in 22 games.
LCS coach Grundy Street called Strawbridge one of the best players he has ever coached. Strawbridge meets all the criteria on the field in terms of technical ability, tactical ability and athleticism. Streets noted that Strawbridge's ability to focus on both short and short passes, knowing when to look for openings and when to get rid of the ball quickly, allows him to take over games through the air.
“He's like the perfect centre-back,” Streets said.
Strawbridge was difficult to defend in the air and dangerous from corners. He was one of only three players to score five or more goals. His seven goals ranked third on the team.
Strawbridge brings more than just soccer skills.
“His leadership is more of a leader by example,” Grundy Street said. “His work ethic is great. He always shows up on time and when he trains, he trains very hard. So he puts a lot of effort into it. He inspires his players to work hard in the game. He's a very sweet, loving, gentle leader. I mean, he's just a phenomenal leader as a mentor to young kids, and all the players that were around him were very supportive of what he said. I could tell he listened and respected him. He's a really strong leader, but through his actions and his words.”
Strawbridge hopes to play in college, but plans to take a gap year before that. He looks back on his past and is proud to play for Lakeland Christian.
“It was fun playing at the school that my dad and uncles played at. They were really good and won titles,” he said. “It really meant a lot to be able to play at the same school where they set records.”
