WATERVILLE — Mary Beth Bourgoin boiled an entire field hockey career down to 10 words void of hyperbole or flowery praise. Yet, those simple words spoke volumes about Weslee Littlefield.
“She’s the kind of player you want on your team,” Bourgoin said after Littlefield, who graduated from Winslow High School this month, was named the North team’s MVP at the McNally Senior All-Star Game, the annual summer showcase of the best senior talent from last fall played Saturday afternoon at Thomas College.
“To find the words to describe her is really, really hard, because she’s that kind of player,” Bourgoin said. “Her field hockey knowledge was so vast. She kept her cool out there, she would do anything I would ask. She’s one of, if not the most, coachable kids I’ve ever had.”
The South won the game, 3-0, behind goals from Paige Cote (St. Dominic), Paige Laverriere (Biddeford) and Brianna Doucette (Poland), though none of those goals came with Littlefield patrolling the center of the North’s back line.
But — as is tradition — nobody much cared about the final result. The game is the perfect cap to the careers of more than 50 players, even if it comes almost eight full months after the state championship hardware is handed out in the fall.
For Gardiner’s Aimee Adams, who will play next at St. Joseph’s College in Standish, she kind of likes having the game in the summer instead of the brutal cold of November.
“After field hockey this year, it would have been way too cold and snowy to play,” Adams said. “But in the summer it’s hot, and sometimes you don’t play in a while — like me. I played basketball in the winter and lacrosse in the spring, so I didn’t really play in between.
Adams hadn’t seen any game action since the Tigers hoisted the Class B state championship trophy on November 3.
“It was fun. It is kind of surreal, but it’s awesome,” Adams said. “We have summer workouts for St. Joe’s, and you have to get your stick skills in. I do that. But playing by yourself is nothing like a game, especially when you’re playing with the best players in the state.”
Unlike Adams, Littlefield has been working on her field hockey game with the travel program the Maine Majestix this spring. And, unlike Adams and many other of the state’s field hockey standouts who will continue their careers in college by staying local, Littlefield is taking a big step and heading to Ohio University.
Littlefield will report for the first day of training camp in Athens, Ohio on August 10.
“It’s a big step, but I think I’m ready for it,” Littlefield said. “They found me. My Majestix coach, Kelly Terwilliger, she knew their coach and played with them. So, it was a nice connection.”
Is she excited? Is she nervous?
“Both,” said Littlefield, who just competed in the U-19 Regional Club Championships in Epping, New Hampshire, with the Majestix. “Being far away from home, that will be one of the biggest challenges. (Terwilliger) did a lot for me. I’ve gotten a lot better playing for her.”
Bourgoin recognized Littlefield’s talent at an early age, and she said that even as soon as the former Black Raider’s freshman season, the potential NCAA Division I talent was becoming obvious.
“I saw her grow up through rec programs and coming to Winslow,” Bourgoin said. “I thought, ‘This kid is going to go someplace. She was that natural at accepting whatever came her way. She definitely has the mindset, and the other thing about Weslee is that it was never about Wes. It was about, ‘What are we going to do as a team? We want to win, and I’ll do anything for my teammates.’ It’s one of those rare things.”
Sophia Pompeo of Cheverus was named the MVP for the South team.
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