Northern Maine Moose Boys Lacrosse Team Gears Up for Varsity Debut

Houlton, Maine (WAGM) - Houlton’s Lacrosse team is gearing up for an exciting season ahead, as they make their debut at the varsity level. The Northern Maine Moose boys Lacrosse team, comprised of players from three different schools, are ready to showcase their skills and take on the next level of competition. Newssource 8s Jonathon Eigenmann has the story.

Adam Simoes, Head Coach:” we’re definitely going to be seeing higher level of competition, we’re going to be seeing more seasoned teams, teams that have been together for a longer period of time and already out on the field, because up here we have snow. But we’re excited about it and i think we’re going to be competitive this years”.

The boys’ lacrosse team is making their debut as a varsity program, having previously competed as a club team. Head Coach Adam Simoes has been leading the Northern Maine Moose in their off season and practice sessions, using his own specialized training and conditioning methods to prepare the team for the higher level of competition.

Adam Simoes, Head Coach: ”In my background as an Occupational Therapist, I prescribe exercise and so we do a lot of conditioning, but i like to make it functional, I’m not the type of coach that’s just going to put them out there and make them run two miles, we’re going to do some functional pieces, we’re going to have those aspects of the game built into the fitness and conditioning portion of it”.

Utilizing their playday over the weekend as a final tune-up, the Moose are taking advantage of this week to fine-tune their offensive and defensive strategies and improve their overall game play.

Konnor Lynds, Junior- Northern Maine Moose Player:” We need to work on communicating a lot better, we didn’t do that in the playday we just had. we also need to work on scooping and stuff like that, better passing, just the basics”.

Drake Weston, Senior- Northern Maine Moose Player:” Offensively i think we need to take good shots, we need to move the ball around to give the middies (midfield) time to relax and catch a breath”.

Isaiah Ervin, Sophomore- Northern Maine Moose Player:” Defense we got to be aggressive, we got to try to want the ball, every 50-50 we got to win. Every pass we got to think we can catch, every ball we got to scoop”.

Team chemistry is crucial for any team starting a new season, especially in lacrosse. The Moose have built strong chemistry on and off the field through practices, games, and team-building activities.

Isaiah Ervin, Sophomore- Northern Maine Moose Player:” You can’t really build a bond with somebody just at lacrosse practice, You can start at lacrosse practice or lacrosse games or on the bus, but you got to build it outside of there. So, we’ve been doing a lot of community events, we’ve been hosting them or we’ve been taking part in them. And i think that really, it really makes a bond, its not your teammate anymore, its one of your friends, your buddies”.

For the Moose, winning and scoring goals are important, but they also prioritize enjoying the game and exercising patience as crucial measures of success.

Isaiah Ervin, Sophomore- Northern Maine Moose Player:” I think enjoyment, i think the more people that come out next year, will show how successful it will be because they see the sport and they like it. I think that relationships that form from the team would also be a success but most of all, winning games, scoring goals”.

Drake Weston, Senior- Northern Maine Moose Player:” Trust the Process, i mean we got to have patience with the younger kids, the newer kids. Scoring, all of that stuff not just gonna come after our first game, our first two weeks of practice, i mean its going to take awhile”.

The Northern Maine Moose will kick off their inaugural season this Saturday at noon in Wales, Maine against Oak Hill High school and are ready to put their hard work to the test on the field.

Jonathon Eigenmann, Newssource sports.

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