Munster’s Lukis Raymond takes on a “tough fight”.

Lukis Raymond from Münster accepts challenges.

He has one in the middle of the Mustangs' three-player defense, where he's often tasked with containing the opponent's top forward.

“It’s fun,” Raymond said. “I love it. I love measuring myself against the competition. I love the game. I love fighting a tough battle. I hate the simple things. I like to work hard and do my best in everything.”

It is this type of approach that has helped Raymond rise up the rankings during his Munster career. As a freshman and sophomore, he started as a center back on the junior varsity team. He didn't start as a varsity starter last season, but after a few games he managed to break into the team as an outside back in a four-man defense.

“I thought, ‘Sitting on this bench sucks. “I have to work harder,” Raymond said. “Our defense, we are so strong. But I got a place.

“It's all mentality. If you have the right mentality and work hard, you will get what you want.”

Raymond has continued to make strides with the Mustangs (10-3, 5-0), perennial Northwest Crossroads Conference and postseason contenders, ranked No. 16 in this week's Class 3A coaches poll. He added 10 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-3 frame and credits strength and conditioning coach Riley Edgerton for his support.

Raymond has impressed experienced defender Niko Panos.

“His size,” Panos said. “He can jump for the ball. He's standing up there. I've never seen anyone who can jump so high to get the ball. When I take a corner, I know that his head will get to the ball when I pass it in there.

“He's fast. He is strong. As a defender playing next to him, that’s everything you could want from a defender.”

In fact, Raymond in the middle, Panos on the right and sophomore Derek Bobb on the left form a cohesive defensive unit with experienced goalkeeper Vuk Maric.

“He’s the focal point of our team,” Panos said of Raymond. “He is our central defender. So if I make a mistake, he is there to save me. If he makes a mistake, I'll be there to save him. We've been playing together for a while, so we have better chemistry than most people.

“I know what he's going to do without him saying it, and he knows the same about me. Of course we are a whole team in front of us, but our defense works together because one mistake and one goal.”

These mistakes and goals were minimal. Raymond, one of the team's captains, was instrumental in this effort as Munster put together another outstanding 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 man in the middle, taking on the strongest strikers up front, and he's doing really well. He is a hard worker. For him it's all about the team. He is loved by his teammates. It’s good when your teammates trust you back there and he’s one of the guys they have a lot of trust in.”

Munster built that bond over the course of the season after graduating 15 players in the spring. Raymond, who hopes to play in college and study business and finance, likes the positioning of the Mustangs as they seek their second straight conference title and first sectional title since 2021.

“What I love about this team is that we are so young,” he said. “This year we are down to nine high school seniors, and we have sophomores and freshmen in the mix. It's really cool. People didn't think we would be that good because we are a much younger team. But everyone does their part, does their job and works hard. I am proud of our results.”