New kids on the Block; the MC Girls Lacrosse team opens program with first game Saturday

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: April 5, 2019

LEWISTOWN – It’s their turn.

After a successful first season of the Mifflin County boys lacrosse program, a girls team is looking to make the similar trek that their predecessors’ did a year ago.

The girls are going to be led into their first season of play by Theresa Lamont.

Lamont is no stranger to one of the lacrosse, which is one of the most popular sports in recent years in local school districts.

Lacrosse has been sweeping through Pennsylvania and local school’s like Bellefonte, Danville and Selinsgrove, just to name a few.

The game is one of perpetual motion that is a fast paced game of fast reflexes, catching ability, shooting ability as well as speed and strength.

It uses the concepts of fast breaks going in basketball, speed similar to track, catching ability like that found in baseball and softball.

The game is played similarly like soccer but with specialized sticks and allows players to use strategic moves to find their way to the net.

Early in the season, Lamont’s team has been working on the basics and have been very open to the new skill sets they are learning.

The coach is ushering in a young group of players that are eager to get started and ready to make a commitment already to the program.

“We have mostly ninth graders along with a hand few of 10th graders. From a growth perspective this is ideal,” said Lamont. “So if we can keep them coming, the communication issues that most team’s have we should not have. If we can bring five or six new girls in a year, we’ll be golden .”

Though they are PIAA the team is not funded. The group has also been trying to fundraise to earn the money they need to pay for its expenses this season. It’s one that the team understands is a necessity in order to show their commitment and when they are funded they will hopefully be in a solid position to move into the Mid-Penn.

“I agree that no little group can come in and say ‘Oh fund us.You should have to prove your worth,” said Lamont. “The problem is it’s a huge challenge. Travel and officials are what the girls are fundraising for. We’ve been fairly successful with a lot of Corporate sponsors. We’ve been very fortunate. To buy practice goals and uniforms. There was a local buisness that bought our uniforms this year. Those are the things that yes we could play in shorts and a t-shirt. But you look sharp, feel sharp and play sharp.”

Most of the players are learning from square one, according to the coach.

“A lot of these girls have never had a stick in their hands until December. We do lacrosse as an activity in Phys. Ed. but it’s activity based so that so there is a little lead up, not like this though,” said Lamont. “Lacrosse is very popular. We are really anxious to get the season started.”

The girls commitment early has been phenomenal and it’s something their coach is happy about.

“We try to make it fun. But one day, my tone changed a little bit and one of the girls said that ‘It’s Coach love and she has to do it once in a while’,” said Lamont. “It’s true. You want to have fun but we have a job to do. We are playing a half schedule this year, it’s six games. It’s doable for us because you can’t just walk in and play schools that have been playing.”

For right now, the Huskies will be in the Central Susquehanna League and when they are funded, they will move into the Mid-Penn League. They ARE varsity status, but self funded.

“As long as we are self funded, we will be in the Central Susquehanna League playing teams like Bellefonte,Danville, Selinsgrove, Lewisburg, Mifflinburg, Midd-West and a couple other schools,” said Lamont. “Once we go varsity status, we will be in the Mid-Penn. So it’s a good start for us. Financially, it made sense to do only a half schedule.They need to have time to play the game and then debrief and learn the game that way.”

It will be a year of learning for this young squad but one that will be remembered by the group, long after they graduate as they have become the pioneers in their school’s first girls venture into the sport.

They will be looked back on as the foundation on which the program was built on.

The Huskies Open their season April 6th at Mifflinburg.