Girls lacrosse: Senior all-star game highlights sport’s growth in central Maine

AUGUSTA — It’s a sport that’s been dominated by southern Maine groups because it’s been provided — but when Wednesday taught us something, it’s that central Maine lacrosse groups are making up floor.

In previous years, the Maine Lacrosse Senior All-Star Video games have often been held properly south and west of the Kennebec County line, from Tub to Falmouth to Waterboro. The game has grown additional north, as was evident by the senior ladies sport at Fuller FIeld, which Group Blue received 15-11. It marked the primary time the all-star sport was held at Cony Excessive Faculty.

“It’s nice to have the ability to have this occasion right here in central Maine and spotlight lacrosse on this space like this,” mentioned Cony head coach Gretchen Livingston. “We haven’t been in a position to host it earlier than as a result of we had grass, however now that now we have turf, I used to be in a position to throw our hat within the ring.”

There have been representatives from eight completely different central Maine groups within the sport. It’s a far cry from the native highschool lacrosse scene 15 years in the past, which included simply two groups and not one of the pristine turf fields that exist at Cony, Gardiner and Messalonskee immediately.

Central Maine’s contingent consisted of Raegan Bechard and Emma Doiron of Cony; Emma Bourget of Gardiner/Corridor-Dale; Emily Hersey of Lawrence; Francesca Caccamo and Natalie Townsend of Messalonskee; Eryn Poiron of Mt. Blue; Piper Hewins of MCI/Nokomis; Sarah Praul of Erskine Academy; and Sage Clukey and Alaina Lambert of Winslow.

Each Maine lacrosse staff is eligible to ship one participant to take part within the sport. Nonetheless, some faculties — like Cony and Messalonskee did Wednesday — can ship extra within the occasion different groups  don’t have any accessible/eligible gamers.

“It was once that we may have each staff ship two or three gamers to this as a result of there weren’t that many groups,” mentioned Freeport head coach and all-star sport organizer Marcia Wooden. “Now, with so many extra groups, we will solely ship one woman per staff. I feel the expansion you see with the groups in central Maine is part of that.”

A part of lacrosse’s progress within the space, Livingston mentioned, has stemmed from rising alternatives for central Maine gamers to remain concerned with the game exterior of the spring season. Clinics that had been beforehand held in southern Maine have made their manner north, and new journey and youth packages are continually surfacing within the space.

Megan Driscoll of Freeport, left, shoots and scores on Lily Hansen of Kennebunk through the ladies lacrosse senior all-star sport Wednesday evening at Fuller Area in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Advertisement

The short successes of recent packages akin to Lawrence and Mt. Blue have additionally generated curiosity from present college students to potential future lacrosse gamers. Native ladies have additionally taken discover of the ladies’s lacrosse packages which have emerged at close by faculties.

“I feel now we have a very supportive construction of coaches all through this space which are actually welcoming and devoted to serving to the sport develop right here,” Livingston mentioned. “I feel packages like Thomas and UMF creating to what they’re now has additionally been a giant assist. Folks take discover of that.”

It’s progress that may be felt by gamers throughout the area, too. Caccamo, who mentioned she couldn’t discover many alternatives to play the game years in the past, has observed considerably extra of them as of late for each youth athletes and highschool gamers alike.

“Once I was youthful, there undoubtedly wasn’t so much to stay up for as a result of there simply weren’t that many groups,” Caccamo mentioned. “As soon as I obtained to highschool, you would see issues actually begin constructing. You possibly can actually see how a lot it’s improved up to now.”

Having turf fields, Livingston mentioned, has helped central Maine groups shut the hole a bit on their southern Maine counterparts. With no subject circumstances to fret about, early-season actions that needed to be carried out within the gymnasium in previous seasons can now be carried out outdoor.

Eryn Parlin of Mt. Blue, left, tries to get round Megan Driscoll of Freeport through the ladies lacrosse senior all-star sport Wednesday evening at Fuller Area in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“With the ability to be on turf with traces exterior on Day 1 was large for us,” mentioned Livingston, whose staff performed its first season on the turf this spring. “Years prior, we’d been within the gymnasium for as many as 4 weeks and couldn’t be again till after April trip. We’d been behind these different faculties with turf in groups of sport technique.”

On this sport, Group Blue (Praul, Clukey, Lambert) claimed bragging rights over Group Inexperienced (Bechard, Doiron, Bourget, Caccamo, Townsend, Parlin, Hewins). Group Blue obtained two objectives from Praul, and Group Inexperienced obtained three from Caccamo and one every from Bourget and Townsend.

Lacrosse’s growth in central Maine, Caccamo and Livingston each agreed, will proceed to enhance. Current services, varsity packages and ladies leagues within the space are solely getting higher, and the developments of recent ones aren’t slowing down.

“There’s no place in central Maine that doesn’t have good gamers and those that wish to win,” Caccamo mentioned. “The drive and the curiosity within the sport is absolutely right here, and I feel having this sport right here reveals that. It’s going to continue to grow, undoubtedly.”

« Earlier

Associated Tales