Munster senior Lukis Raymond embraces challenges.
He has one in the middle of the Mustangs’ three-player defense, where he often draws the assignment of containing the opponent’s top forward.
“It’s fun,” Raymond said. “I love it. I love getting matched up against competition. I love the game. I love having a hard fight. I hate the easy stuff. I like working hard and giving it my all in everything.”
It’s that type of approach that has helped Raymond rise through the ranks during his career at Munster. He started as a central defender on the junior varsity team as a freshman and sophomore. He didn’t begin last season as a varsity starter, but he broke into the lineup on the outside of a four-player defense after a few games.
“I was like, ‘Sitting on this bench sucks. I need to work harder,’” Raymond said. “Our back line, we’re so strong back there. But I got a spot.
“It’s all mentality. If you have the right mentality, work hard, you’ll get what you want.”
Raymond has continued to progress for the Mustangs (10-3, 5-0), perennial Northwest Crossroads Conference and postseason contenders who are ranked No. 16 in the Class 3A coaches poll this week. He added 10 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-1 frame and credits strength and conditioning coach Riley Edgerton for assisting him.
Raymond has impressed senior defender Niko Panos.
“His size,” Panos said. “He can jump for the ball. He gets up there. I’ve never seen someone who can jump that high for the ball. On a corner kick, I know if I play it in there, he’ll get his head to it.
“He’s fast. He’s strong. As a defender who plays next to him, that’s all you can ask for in a defender.”
Indeed, Raymond in the middle, Panos on the right and sophomore Derek Bobb on the left operate cohesively as a defensive unit with senior goalkeeper Vuk Maric.
“He’s the center of our team,” Panos said of Raymond. “He’s our center center back, so if I make a mistake, he’s there to save me. If he makes a mistake, I’m there to save him. We’ve been playing together for a while, so our chemistry is higher than most people.
“I know what he’s going to do without him saying it, and he knows the same for me. We’re obviously a whole team together in front of us, but our defense works together because one mistake and it’s a goal.”
Those mistakes and goals have been minimal. Raymond, one of the team’s captains, has been instrumental in that effort as Munster puts together another excellent season in its 50th year as a program.
“He’s doing a great job,” Munster coach Jim Prasopoulos said. “He deserves to get some props. He’s our guy in the middle, taking on the toughest strikers up top, and he’s doing really well. He’s a hard worker. He’s all about the team. He’s loved by his teammates. It’s good when your teammates trust you back there, and he’s one of the guys they trust big time.”
Munster has been building that bond over the course of the season after 15 players graduated in the spring. Raymond, who hopes to play in college and plans to study business and finance, likes the Mustangs’ positioning as they pursue their second straight conference title and their first sectional title since 2021.
“What I love about this team, we’re so young,” he said. “We’re down to nine seniors this year, and we have sophomores, freshmen in the mix. It’s really cool. People didn’t think we’d be that good because we’re a much younger squad. But everybody’s playing their part, doing their job, working hard. I’m proud of our results.”
