Abe Lewis bucks the common perception of a soccer coach.
Often blending in among his Dallas team’s navy-and-light-blue striped warmups, Lewis is rarely vocal on the sidelines. Instead, he can be found largely conversing with a player or studying the game in his patented crossed-armed pose.
Mountaineers girls soccer will take a blow after Lewis announced his resignation as head coach. He’s spent the past 14 seasons in the Dallas program. He was an assistant coach with the Mountaineers from 2004 to 2012 before claiming the head coach role in the fall 2012 season.
Lewis is leaving his position to spend more time with his family. He and his wife Ashlie gave birth to twins – Emmitt and Ellie – prior to the season on July 29.
“With the recent birth of our twins, it put a lot of stress on the season,” he said. “My wife allowed me to continue with it for this season. But it’s impossible for me to keep the program up to the same caliber as we’ve enjoyed in the past.”
Lewis was a part of seven district championships and eight Wyoming Valley Conference titles during his tenure. Since the 2012 spring-to-fall season transition, Dallas won three WVC titles, one district title, and two PIAA tournament berths.
Since 2004, Dallas amassed a 214-34-9 (.851) record. As a head coach, Lewis holds a 94-11-1 (.938) mark.
“I’ve been very fortunate,” he said. “I could not do it without the players respecting my decisions and trusting my judgment.”
Lewis guided the Mountaineers to a pair of PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals appearances. Dallas is the lone WVC program to earn wins in the state tournament since the fall season transition. It defeated Northern York in PKs in 2013 and upended Montoursville in 2014.
Kylee Saba, a 2015 graduate of Dallas and a captain on the Mountaineers’ playoff runs, said it will “be hard to fill his shoes.” She added Lewis was a constant mentor to the younger players on defense.
“He never yells,” said Saba, a Luzerne County Community College student. “He just explains things. We didn’t give up a lot of goals, but when we did, he never blamed anyone on defense. Abe would wait to work on things in practice such as when and where we should move on the field.”
Lewis hosted team-bonding activities to boost morale for his 35-player roster. Saba said he hosted pasta dinners at his house and planned annual trips to Roba’s Family Farms.
The pinnacle of his coaching career was a PIAA spring girls soccer Class 2A championship in 2007 – the only state championship won by a WVC program.
A Wyoming Valley West graduate who played collegiately at Keystone College and University of Vermont’s club team, Lewis informed his team of his retirement after clinching the WVC title with a win over Tunkhannock.
He said his players were “very emotional” about his departure after the top-ranked Mountaineers were upset by eventual champion Crestwood in the district semifinal.
“I am very fortunate and humble to be part of the program,” Lewis said. “We have been the standard bearer for many years.”
Lewis will stick around as a volunteer assistant whenever he can lend his expertise. Dallas is set to be one of the conference’s top programs for the next few years with WVC Division 1 scoring leader Alison Francis coming off her freshman season.
Lewis said this year’s team “always will have a special place in my heart”, joining the state championship and two quarterfinal squads as his most memorable coaching experiences.
“Family comes first,” Lewis said. “I feel it’s the right time. It gives me a chance to have some time in the fall for once.”
