It’s not just the baseball and softball teams doing well at Oxford Hills this spring.
Both lacrosse teams are also holding their own. After a 3-9 campaign last season, the boys are riding a four-game winning streak and are 5-3 so far this season. Meanwhile, the girls (4-1) are looking to earn back-to-back postseason trips.
The winning has rubbed off on all four teams, which have been supporting each other.
“Different teams go support other teams when they aren’t playing,” girls lacrosse coach Jaimee Smith said. “We supported the boys lacrosse team (on Monday). The boys lacrosse (team) has come up and watched us, baseball players (have watched us). Different groups have been coming up to watch.”
Oxford Hills boys coach Hunter Rowell said the key to this year’s turnaround has been confidence and not getting frustrated when things aren’t going exactly the way the Vikings want them to.
“Consistency, for sure, all hands on deck, just getting it done, realizing the game isn’t over until the last whistle,” Rowell said. “That’s what we have been working on this season, for sure, and definitely (trying) to stay out of our heads; because we found if we play in our heads, the game goes away from us and we play our opponent’s game instead of our game.”
Defense has been one of the keys for the boys team, which has allowed only 21 goals in during their four-game win streak.
“We are heavily defensively based,” Rowell said. “They have been doing a heck of a job, that has been an issue for us in the past for us. We are coming to practice ready for work and practicing like we play, and hopefully it’s been showing.”
Both teams have an abundance of players, as the boys program has 40 and the girls have 17.
Those numbers allow both coaches to spend more time working on game-like situations in practice.
“Having all the guys we have, it does make it a difficult task to figure out what’s going to be the best for us out on the field, but it’s great to see everyone have tempo and psyched to be there and ready to work,” Rowell said.
When Rowell took over the program five years ago, he had 13 players, so he is thankful the community, which is big on football and baseball, has supported lacrosse. Also for the first time, the Vikings are videotaping games, which he said has been a big help.
For Smith, having 17 players gives her roster flexibility.
“My bench players are just as talented as the girls that are starting on the field. That’s huge,” Smith said. “I have the capability to move girls in different positions, and they play in the middle as a center or a midfielder for a little bit. I can also put them on attack, which is huge. We also have a lot of different girls who are scoring, it’s not the same three, four or five players every single game. I think that’s a huge component for the success of the team so far.”
Both Oxford Hills teams currently hold playoff spots in Class A North right now. The girls team’s coaches and players are well-aware of where they stand.
“Some of them are checking the standings more frequently than I do,” Smith said. “I think we are all a big community in that way, they will be like, ’Did you see this or did you hear this?’ I will give score updates and this is what happens when these two teams face off. We all kind of checking and talking looking at the playoffs.”
Rowell is taking more of a Bill Belichick approach to the playoffs.
“We are still eating the humble pie for sure, but, I mean, if we are on all cylinders we can make a positive and potential run here,” Rowell said.
TOUGH PORTIONS
After St. Dom’s and Lewiston met Monday, with the Saints winning 5-4, the two programs then entered different points of their schedules.
The Blue Devils (4-4) have lost the past two games, to the Saints, who were Class C finalists last year, and to reigning Class A champion Falmouth, 10-0, on Saturday. Lewiston also has lost to Windham (6-0) and Cheverus (3-2), who would both be playoff teams if the season ended today.
The Blue Devils have four games remaining, against opponents whose combined record is 9-16 (Messlonskee, Bangor, Biddeford and Morse). Biddeford is the lone team with a winning record at 4-2.
“It is hard,” Lewiston coach Tracey Blaisdell said. “We have played St. Dom’s, they lost in the state championship last year. We’ve also played the top teams from Class A, with Windham, Cheverus and Falmouth. I would rather take a hard team and challenge yourself and raise the level of your game. I don’t mind those, yes, they might be a loss, but you get a lot more experience out of it.”
St. Dom’s, meanwhile, lost its first game of the season Tuesday against Yarmouth, 17-7. The Clippers are currently the top team in Class B right now. The Saints have six games remaining against the opponents whose combined record of 21-14. St. Dom’s still has to face Freeport (6-1), Cape Elizabeth (4-2) and Greely (4-2) during the final few weeks of the regular season.
“Each game we use to learn and hopefully when we get to our tough part of our schedule, as we face the Capes, Yarmouths, hopefully we will have a lot of our issues resolved,” St. Dom’s coach Leslie Klenk said Monday.
BIG GAME FRIDAY
The Lewiston boys have a key game against the Kennebunk Rams at Don Roux Field Friday night at 6 p.m.
Lewiston has a 6-2 record, while Kennebunk is 5-2. The Blue Devils will be well-rested having last played Saturday. The Rams, meanwhile, have a tough test Wednesday against Thornton Academy (5-1).
The Blue Devils currently sit in second in Class A North.
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