Lewiston’s Mya Grant fires the ball at the goal while under pressure from Cape Elizabeth’s Mia Ramsden during a game in Lewiston in May. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
Lewiston girls lacrosse coach Tracey Blaisdell says that nearly every goal the Blue Devils scored this season began with four-year captain Mya Grant.
The top-10 student at Lewiston High School scored a whopping 24 goals and collected eight assists at the attacker position her senior season while helping the Blue Devils reach the Class A North quarterfinals. She also was voted to the All-KVAC first team and has been chosen as the 2022 Sun Journal All-Region Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year.
Over the past four years, an enduring relationship between Grant and Blaisdell was forged on the lacrosse field. Blaisdell appreciates everything Grant did for the program, while Grant enjoyed the coach’s exuberance.
“I loved playing for Tracey,” Grant said. “(She) made sure we were always having fun. During practices, she is a little crazy sometimes, but I love it — and she knows that. I loved having her as my coach these past four years. That is one of the things I will miss about lacrosse the most is Tracey.
“We got closer just because I was a captain for four years and I know I can always count on her if I need her, still. I am just going to miss her so much.”
Grant had no problem taking on the additional responsibilities that came with her four-year stint as one of the three captains, including Lilly Gish and Cece Miller.
“We have a captain’s council and freshman year, you voted for one person in your grade that was on the team to be the … speaker for the grade-level on the team,” Grant said. “No one else wanted to do it so everyone voted for me …
“… Then, unfortunately, COVID-19 hit sophomore year and almost all of the upperclassmen left and then junior year as well — so I kind of ran over as captain and got a hold of the team for Tracey and relayed everything from her to the team. I just kind of stayed the team captain and never got re-voted.
“Then (Blaisdell) grandfathered me in this year again just because I already done it and she said I did so much for her, already. I am pretty sure my team didn’t mind. I think everybody liked that I was captain.”
Blaisdell said being captain is just more than a title to Grant.
“She was always positive. She was always driving,” she said. “She was always instilling that confidence in her teammates and I think that work ethic has a snowball effect. I admire the fact that she was a true student athlete. She was a top-10. She worked a job and has outstanding time management skills — and we saw her confidence grow over the four years taking on those responsibilities.
“I don’t think I will ever have a captain that serves all four years. She treats her peers with respect and kindness.”
Grant made the switch from playing a defensive role in 2021 to becoming an attacker the past season.
“I played attack all season, so I enjoyed being on the other side of the field playing with other girls who I didn’t get to play a lot with last year,” she said. “That was really enjoyable for me.”
Blaisdell calls Grant an unselfish player who didn’t flinch when she was asked to pilot the Blue Devils’ defense her junior year. The coach added that when Grant played attacker she had a clear understanding of how Lewiston’s motion offense works.
“She is really a versatile player,” Blaisdell said. “She is really a team player, which makes her exceptional. She always looked out for team, which I always appreciated. Mya was given a lot responsibility on the field and very trustable.
“Her lacrosse IQ is really excellent. The team respected her and trusted her. She is a great role model on and off the field. To me, she is the complete package.”
Grant said that opposing coaches recognized the Blue Devils’ cohesiveness as a team and it was part of why they were presented with 2022 Class A North Sportsmanship Award.
“Even if we weren’t winning, other coaches said that we worked together as a team more than other teams that win because we passed the ball a lot …” Grant said. “Overall, as team, we tried our hardest. It wasn’t the best outcome, but honestly, we did everything we could. We knew it was going to be a tough season because we lost a lot of great players and the feeder program is just getting started at the middle school.
“We are a definition of team. We share everything.”
Grant has been admitted to Bowdoin College starting this fall. She hasn’t declared a major yet, but she is seriously considering a career in the medical field. She also wants to continue playing sports for the Polar Bears.
“I am planning on playing field hockey there,” Grant, who was a four-year starter for the Lewiston team, said. “I am not on the team, yet. I have to try out. I do like field hockey better, but I enjoyed playing lacrosse a lot throughout high school. I had some really close friends who played so it made it so fun — even if we weren’t the best team out there.”
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