{"id":25442,"date":"2024-10-07T17:54:15","date_gmt":"2024-10-07T23:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/lein-on-me-senior-samson-lein-relishes-adopted-sport-at-montezuma-cortez\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T23:17:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T05:17:49","slug":"lein-on-me-senior-samson-lein-relishes-adopted-sport-at-montezuma-cortez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/lein-on-me-senior-samson-lein-relishes-adopted-sport-at-montezuma-cortez\/","title":{"rendered":"Lein on me: Senior Samson Lein relishes adopted sport at Montezuma-Cortez"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"M-CHS
M-CHS senior Samson Lein boots a goal kick in a match against Pagosa Springs at M-CHS. Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

CORTEZ \u2013 A few years ago, then-sophomore Samson Lein received a message from good friend and baseball teammate Evan LaMunyon, one of the attacking standouts on the Panthers soccer team.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just texted me one day and said that the soccer team was low on numbers and needed a goalie,\u201d said Lein, \u201cand I thought that sounded fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working under the guidance of another Montezuma-Cortez High School veteran goalkeeper and baseball teammate Trinidad \u201cLT\u201d McDonnell, Lein learned the ropes. \u201cI had played peewee soccer like a lot of other kids, but stepped away to focus on baseball,\u201d said Lein, \u201cbut LT took me under his wing to help me train, so I wasn\u2019t coming in completely blind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Montezuma-Cortez
Montezuma-Cortez High School senior Samson Lein collects the ball before an onrushing opponent can get to it in a match against Pagosa Springs at M-CHS. Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

In his senior season, Lein has established himself as one of the top goalkeepers on the Western Slope. Lein has more than 100 saves so far while having played every minute as the last line of the Panthers defense. It can be a lonely position, especially when facing an opponent\u2019s penalty kick, said Lein, but the position and its unique set of rules appealed to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy feeling different \u2013 I get my own jersey,\u201d he said, laughing.<\/p>\n

Adjusting to the quick reflexes needed for the position was just one step in his journey. \u201cI knew that I had a disadvantage, because almost every other team we play, their goalkeeper grew up as a soccer player,\u201d said Lein, \u201cand that\u2019s meant I had to pick up things as I went along, like what the other 10 players on the field are supposed to be doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Samson
Samson Lein surveys the scene from his penalty area in a match against Pagosa Springs at Montezuma-Cortez High School. Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Lein joined the program as third-year head coach Juan Soto took the reins, and since then, the M-CHS program has continued to build numbers, with their 2024 roster expanded to accommodate a full junior varsity roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re in good hands \u2013 Juan\u2019s done a really good job with the program \u2013 we\u2019ve got a lot of upcoming players that are going to make this team good for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lein also enjoys his role in the heart of the batting order for the Panthers baseball team, where the first baseman demonstrated his power at the plate and the steady glove for one of the best defensive infields in the region.<\/p>\n

\"Samson
Samson Lein (26) celebrates with his teammates at home plate after launching a two-run home run in March against Delta at McAndrew Field in Cortez. Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cUp until I started playing soccer at M-CHS, baseball had been \u2018the thing\u2019 for me \u2013 it\u2019s where I\u2019ve devoted my time for the past 15 years,\u201d he said. That included making state in both his 12-and-under days, as well as part of the Panthers roster that broke through for an unprecedented run to the 2023 CHSAA 3A state tournament. His final season for the program awaits this spring when he joins a large group in the Class of 2025 playing in their final year for Panthers.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, his soccer days are dwindling as well, as he and the half-dozen senior soccer players will be honored on Friday afternoon on Oct. 11 at M-CHS, where they will play their final home match of the season against Bayfield at 4 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was younger, looking up to the seniors, I thought it was going to be this high-pressure role \u2013 that you have to be perfect \u2013 but as I\u2019ve stepped into that role, I\u2019ve learned that I didn\u2019t have to change who I was,\u201d said Lein, \u201cand now goalkeeping is part of who I am, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three-year starter leading Panthers soccer and baseball programs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24685,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[38,39,28,37,36],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-25442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-dolores-high-school","tag-dove-creek-high-school","tag-headlines","tag-mancos-high-school","tag-montezuma-cortez-high-school"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25442"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78938,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25442\/revisions\/78938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25442"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=25442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}