LATHAM – Braddigan Lanfear was a sophomore called up from junior varsity when Shaker coach Dan Fountain told him to warm up in the 2024 Class AAA boys’ soccer state final.
“That was the craziest thing I’ve ever heard,” Lanfear recalled.
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He got to his feet, got ready, and played six minutes with a state title on the line. He admits much of the game was “kind of a blur,” but he remembers how it ended. Shaker led Fairport 1-0 before losing 2-1 in overtime.
Two years later, Lanfear and goalkeeper Alex Cross are senior starters on a Shaker team that’s one win away from another shot at a state title. The Blue Bison face Section 6’s Lancaster in Friday’s Class AAA state semifinal in Middletown, drawing on lessons from the loss to Fairport and last fall’s abrupt end to an unbeaten season.
Shaker went 13-0-4 last year but was eliminated by Guilderland in the sectional semifinals on penalty kicks. Lanfear remembers how nervous he was for that game. He also remembers the tears after Shaker’s season ended.
“Now I’m just excited for every game,” Lanfear said.
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Cross had been called up as a backup goalkeeper for sectionals as a freshman and again as a sophomore in 2024. From the bench in the state final, he watched Shaker shift into a defensive mindset after taking the lead against Fairport.
This fall, Cross said, Shaker has worked to play its game for the full 80 minutes, staying aggressive when it takes a lead instead of getting protective.
“Don’t get complacent when you go up,” he said. “Try to stay composed.”
This season, the Blue Bison have also learned how to respond when they fall behind. They opened with losses to John Jay, Scarsdale and Shenendehowa as players adjusted to bigger roles. Cross said those games gave Shaker experience in staying calm when it conceded early.
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The two postseason exits already pushed the returning players to work harder in the offseason, Fountain said. But the 0-3 start showed them where they still needed to improve and Shaker (14-6) responded by winning eight straight and earning the top seed in sectionals.
“You learn a lot through failure, and these boys embraced those first three games and the lessons from them very well, and really built upon that,” Fountain said.
In the regional final against Section 3’s Cicero-North Syracuse, Shaker again had a 1-0 lead to protect. With about a minute left, Cross spotted an opponent drifting toward the back post and called a winger back to cover. He also made a save in the final seconds to preserve the shutout and send the Blue Bison back to the state semifinals.
“It felt like all our hard work over the years was finally paying off,” Cross said.
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After missing the first half of the season due to an injury, Lanfear has returned just in time to help lead Shaker to its first state title. He remembers how quickly he got up when Fountain called on him two years ago, and he’d like one of his teammates, sophomore Garrett Levy, to get his own chance to play in the biggest game in high school soccer.
“I got six minutes,” Lanfear said. “And now I want to make another run for Garrett to get his chance to play on the field in the state finals.”
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This article originally published at Hard road back: Shaker boys’ soccer returns to state semis with championship redemption in sight.
