No excuses: Pahrump teen refuses to buckle to adversity

Lexi Smith doesn’t want anyone to feel sorry for her. She’s too busy to ask for sympathy, anyway.

The Pahrump Valley High School junior has risen above more family tragedy than most see in a lifetime, and she has emerged as an honors student with a 4.2 GPA.

On the soccer field, Smith is a standout defender and midfielder who helped the Trojans win the Class 4A state title last year. She’ll help lead Pahrump Valley (19-2) against South Tahoe in a Division I-A state semifinal at 6 p.m. Friday at Heritage Park in Henderson.

And the 16-year-old is doing it all while her mother serves a life sentence in a Texas prison.

“There are kids who use things as examples to act out, to do bad things, and I’m not that kind of person,” Smith said. “I get angry when people use bad things as an excuse. Bad things happen to everyone. No one’s life is perfect.”

Smith’s mother, Crystal Boler, is imprisoned in Gatesville, Texas, after pleading guilty to the 2003 murder of a 22-year-old pregnant woman. Boler told investigators that her husband was having an affair with the woman, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Smith handles questions about her mother with grace and maturity.

“It was in self-defense,” Smith said, “but her lawyer, the one who got her sentenced, told her to plead guilty because he said that if she plead guilty, she’d have a lesser sentence. But it came out that she got more time.”

Boler isn’t eligible for parole until 2033, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Boler’s husband at the time of the guilty plea, DeShone Boler, is currently in a Hondo, Texas, prison on drug-related offenses, with a 2015 projected release, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Smith’s biological father has been out of the picture since she was only a few months old.

Smith lives with her grandparents Cyndy and Wade Smith in Pahrump. The grandparents also have helped raise Smith’s younger brothers, Darius, 14, and Shone, 12.

Smith said she hadn’t played soccer “at all” when she moved to Pahrump at age 7, but the sport has provided a sense of family and an outlet.

“It’s a way to get out all your anger and frustration, and even when you’re having a good day, I can say I’m going to go play soccer today, something I love to do, and it makes it even better,” said Smith, who has 15 goals and eight assists this season. “In soccer, you have to connect with people and be able to read what they’re doing before they do it, and being able to do that and have a team like mine, we can do it easily. I love that I have the support system, people who will always have your back, and you know, no matter what, that you have them.

“I just love my team in general.”

Smith’s passion upon her arrival in Pahrump was another activity entirely.

“I actually danced,” Smith said. “Sydney (Sladek) when I first moved here was the first person I met, through soccer. I just tried it because she was like, 'It’s fun,’ and I fell in love with it, and I’ve never wanted to stop.”

Sladek, who has a single-season state-record 73 goals and counting this year, has formed a bond with Smith that transcends sport.

“I just feel like I have two sisters now that she’s been in my life,” Sladek said. “I feel like I can tell her anything and she’ll listen. She can tell me anything, and I’ll listen, and we’re always there for each other.

“I think she’s one of those people who everyone likes. I don’t think there’s one person who doesn’t like her. She’s so friendly, who couldn’t like her?”

Smith said her grandparents have been a foundation in her life.

“They’re really supportive, and getting along with them is like any teenager getting along with your normal parents,” Smith said. “They’ve always been there, and even before my mom was arrested, they were always there.”

Cyndy Smith said Lexi was driven to succeed at an early age.

“I’ve never had to help her with grades, ever,” Cyndy Smith said. “She’s always been really organized and gotten it done. It’s been very rare she’s had to ask for help.”

Another positive influence on Lexi’s upbringing has been Joe Sladek, Sydney’s father. Joe Sladek has coached his daughter and Lexi in club soccer since shortly after Lexi arrived in Pahrump, and he currently serves as an assistant coach for the Trojans.

“They’ve played together for close to 10 years, and (Lexi) is basically another one of my kids,” Joe Sladek said. “She’s just like another daughter.”

Smith said she’s been able to communicate with her mother over the phone and by email, and Boler is able to track her daughter’s progress online.

Last summer, Smith was able to travel to Texas and visit with her mother for about five hours.

It was the first time they had seen each other in eight years.

“We sat there and talked and caught up on things. It was nice,” Smith said. “Leaving was hard, and I cried so much.”

Smith’s teammates were there to support her before and after the trip.

“Everyone was there hugging her before she left, and everyone was right there when she came back,” Pahrump Valley head coach Pamela Larmouth said. “Literally, as she drove up, the team was there to give her love and support because they know how hard that’s got to be. It’s incredibly difficult, and to have someone overcome those kinds of odds in the way she has with her grades and her life and on the soccer field, it’s amazing.

“We’re all inspired by her.”

Smith has been taking honors English classes since sixth grade and has a love for writing, but she has designs on becoming a doctor or dentist. She hopes to play soccer in college.

And Smith plans to continue sending good news to her mother.

“Her being far away, I feel like I try harder to impress her and make her proud,” Smith said. “I miss her every day, and I think about her every day.”