Mounts mourn lost leader
- 31 March 2010
Mike Ream's infectious passion, love and respect for lacrosse helped shape the sport into what it is today in Lancaster County.So the sudden death of the Ephrata High School coach is leaving many in the lacrosse community thankful for his contributions to the sport.
Ream, the Mountaineers' head coach for eight seasons, passed away Monday night due to a massive heart attack.
It was a cruelly ironic way for a man known for his big heart to leave at the young age of 50.
With no lacrosse background, Ream got involved in the sport because his sons, Zach and Nick, were interested.
He was at the forefront of starting a lacrosse club in Ephrata almost a decade ago, and the club's steadying leader as lacrosse finally became a PIAA-sanctioned sport last season.
In addition to serving 23 years as a midget football coach in Ephrata, Ream used his caring personality to get the most from his players.
"I would classify him as a player's coach," explained Jerry Keefer, Ephrata Middle School head coach and longtime friend of Ream. "All the kids liked him in part because he cared about them off of the field. He took the extra step to see that they were heading down the right path off the field."
As Ephrata's program began to grow, Ream encouraged players from neighboring districts without lacrosse to play for Ephrata. This eventually became the foundation for lacrosse in those districts.
"We would get kids from Warwick and Cocalico until those schools had players to get started on their own," said Matt Smith, president of the Ephrata Youth Lacrosse Club. "That's where he was quite the ambassador for the game. He had the foresight to see that we should do that to get other schools started."
Through the years, Ream became a mentor of sorts to younger coaches in the Lancaster League.
"He was always the first to offer his services to anyone involved with the game," recalled Chris Snyder, who coached Lampeter-Strasburg for two seasons and Penn Manor for three. "He served as a role model for some of the younger coaches coming into the league."
"He always explained to me that you can't change the calls or what the player did, so there's no need to overreact," said Kevin Pletz, who played for Ream and will now serve as Ephrata's head coach.
During league meetings about the sport becoming PIAA-sanctioned, Ream's campaign to grow the sport, not his school, never wavered during some heated discussions.
"He was always the voice of reason," said Manheim Township coach Rich Lefever. "He never got caught up in the politics. Obviously he wanted the best for Ephrata, but in the big picture he wanted what was best for lacrosse as a whole."
Ream's sense of humor and positive attitude were greatly welcomed in local coaching circles.
"You never saw anything but a positive side to Mike," Lefever said. "Whether it was coaching or at a convention, he was positive. He never barked at his kids or yelled at the officials."
Now the lacrosse team that he formed, and that will honor him with 'MR' decals on its helmets, will have to move on without its leader. A tough, but not impossible task for a group considered one of the best in the league.
"Mike was the heart and soul of that team. He's always been the rock to that lacrosse community," Snyder said. "As a coach you hope the players can rally around his passing and be solid like he was."
We here at www.ephratamounts.com are proud sponsors of the Dodgeball for Diabetes tournament.