Prep recap: Record-setting goal scorer returns to coach — against her former team
Raimee Sherle Ranstrom always said she’d never coach.
Yet, here she is.
The record-setting goal scorer for the Boise State women’s soccer program returned to the high school ranks this fall. But the 22-year-old didn’t head for her alma mater, Rocky Mountain, where she holds even more records.
She instead headed down the road to a new rival, founding Idaho’s newest 5A program at Owyhee.
“I knew I couldn’t pass this opportunity up,” Sherle Ranstrom said Tuesday after a 3-0 loss at Rocky Mountain. “I think I would have lived with regret if I hadn’t.
“… Who gets to be 22 years old, start their own program, at a brand new high school, in the conference that they played high school in? It’s a very rare opportunity, and it’s a blessing.”
Sherle Ranstrom never coached a team or picked up a whistle in her life until this fall. Not even for a group of 5-year-olds in a recreational league, she points out.
Her accomplishments as a player remain unimpeachable. She’s still Rocky Mountain’s all-time leading scorer (100 goals). And she shredded the Boise State and Mountain West record books, finishing her college career with 61 goals and 138 points and putting serious distance between herself and second place.
The next best totals in Mountain West history are just 41 goals and 103 points.
She originally didn’t want to coach because she said she didn’t know how to explain what she did to others. Coaching represented a new challenge, one with no guarantee of success. But some prodding from Owyhee Athletic Director Dane Roy, a family friend, convinced her to give it a try.
She steeled herself for a tough season this fall. As a first-year program, she’d have to build everything from scratch. Owyhee pulled students from Rocky Mountain, Eagle and Meridian high schools, meaning many of the students never played together before. And the West Ada School District allowed this year’s seniors to graduate at their previous schools, leaving Owyhee with just a single senior on the roster.
But the Storm (2-3-0) have surprised so far, scoring a pair of wins in their nonconference schedule before dropping their 5A Southern Idaho Conference opener Tuesday against Rocky Mountain, the three-time defending state champs.
“I’m really, really impressed and excited with the group of girls that I have because I see so much potential in them,” Sherle Ranstrom said. “And it excites me knowing that I can help them grow and develop not only as players, but people as well.”
She’s officially retired, but that itch as a player remains. She grew used to controlling the outcome of every situation as a star player. So she said the toughest part of coaching is not just taking over drills to show her young team how it’s done.
She’s also had to dial back what she teaches. At first, she wanted to tap the wealth of her experience and bring the drills she ran at Boise State and in an NWSL training camp to Owyhee.
But the confused faces staring back at her made her quickly realize the Storm didn’t need professional drills. They needed to learn the fundamentals that made those drills possible.
“I’m still learning a lot,” Sherle Ranstrom said. “I’m still trying to get to know my girls, because every group of girls is different, and every team learns differently and responds differently.”
She’s leaned on Rocky Mountain coach Donal Kaehler, who coached her in high school and remains an advocate for her, to show her the ropes. He said he can still sense her desire to throw on a jersey and do it all herself. But that will fade with time, he said.
“There’s a difference in what you get out of it,” Kaehler said. “As a player, it’s one thing. As a coach, it’s totally different. You have different expectations for your team and yourself.”
He’s also quick to point out he only won three games in Rocky Mountain’s inaugural season in 2008. She’s nearly passed him already just five games into her career.
Tuesday represented a homecoming of sorts for Sherle Ranstrom, who dominated for so many years on the field at Rocky Mountain. She showed up with a gray wig on to tease Kaehler. But instead of the Grizzlies’ purple and black, she wore the Storm’s red and entered the stadium as a visitor.
“This place is home for me, and it always has been,” Sherle Ranstrom said. “Today, I feel like a guest in my own home, which I’ve never felt before.
“Rocky will always have my heart. But Owyhee is my priority now, and Owyhee is my team. I’m really proud and honored to represent them.”
TUESDAY’S TOP PERFORMERS
- Lizbeth Soto, Vallivue (girls soccer): She scored twice, including the game-winner in the 70th minute, as the Falcons scored a monumental, 2-1 upset of perennial power Bishop Kelly. The Knights had not lost to a 4A SIC opponent since 2008, and this was just their second loss to a league opponent since 2005.
- Crissy Lochhead, Middleton (girls soccer): She scored two goals and assisted two more as the Vikings crushed Emmett 11-0.
- Clay Walton, Caldwell (boys soccer): He recorded a hat trick and added an assist in the Cougars’ 6-2 win at Ridgevue.
- Gabi Roberts, Eagle (volleyball): The setter racked up 29 assists and tallied three aces to lead the Mustangs’ to a three-set win over Capital.
- Keylee Wilson, Melba (volleyball): She finished with 17 kills and three aces to lead the Mustangs to a four-set victory over Weiser.
This story was originally published September 1, 2021 at 12:03 AM.
