Editor's Note: Due to an editor's error this story ran with an incorrect byline. The story was researched and written by Stephen Ham. The Leader apologies to Mr. Ham for the error.

By Stephen Ham

Special to the Leader

Incredible, 13 seasons in existence (11 as a Varsity sport), 180 boys playing each year on average, from the youth program, to middle school and high school, 1 State Class A Championship.

How did lacrosse, a sport that had never been played in Scarborough schools prior to 1995 and had little history in Maine, become so popular here? 

Dan Barrett is a Scarborough resident who is credited as one of the founders of the youth and middle school lacrosse programs. He said his involvement began when his oldest son Zach (SHS ’99) was in fifth grade and found his father’s old wooden lacrosse sticks up in the attic, where they had been stored for years. 

“My son, Zach brought the sticks and a ball down and asked, “dad, what are these?,” Barrett explained, “I told him, and showed him how to throw and catch, and from there his interest grew. He liked hockey and thought this was kind of similar, with speed and contact. He wasn’t big on baseball so this became something he wanted to do more of.”

Barrett said he found out about a lacrosse program in Portland called Back Bay Lacrosse. “Their original mission was a boys-only, high school-only club that gave kids a place to play if their school didn’t have a program, and in those days most schools around here didn’t have lacrosse,” he said.

Barrett found out that Back Bay was thinking about starting a middle school program, and since his son was just entering sixth grade he approached Back Bay, and in a great American tradition was promptly recruited to coach. 

At this same time, there was an effort underfoot to form a high school team in Scarborough. Jeff Thoreck has the distinction of being the very first SHS varsity boys lacrosse coach. Today, Thoreck is the athletic director and head boys varsity lacrosse coach at North Yarmouth Academy, a school with a 40 year tradition of winning lacrosse. 

Back in 1995 however, Thoreck was a recent graduate of LeMoyne College where he played lacrosse, following a high school career at Cape Elizabeth when he was approached about becoming Scarborough’s first head coach.

“I still remember those first practices at the middle school gym,” he said. “There were at least 20 players, which was phenomenal for a starting program. We had a group of strong athletes who picked up the game very quickly.” 

Thoreck stayed for three seasons, during which time Scarborough played in what was then known as MILL (Maine Interscholastic Lacrosse League). “MILL was the only league available at the time, and Scarborough made the playoffs in our second year, which was something, because we were competing against perennial powers like Cape Elizabeth and Kennebunk.”

When asked the reasons for the popularity of the lacrosse program in Scarborough Thoreck answered, “I think there are a few reasons. First of all, the town itself has really embraced the game. Then there is the game itself. The kids love the equipment, the pace of the game, the contact, and the fact that there are a lot of goals scored. I also think Dan’s (Barrett) efforts at the youth level have been critical for success. The kids are showing up now at the high school with good stick skills and game knowledge, which is a big advantage.”

Thoreck’s comments ring true. There is a buzz in Scarborough surrounding lacrosse. Where spring was once the domain of baseball gloves and bats, there are now kids of all ages with lacrosse sticks seemingly glued to their gloved hands. And head coaches of all sports know that the way to produce quality high school athletic programs is through a quality youth program. Scarborough Athletic Director Chris Moreau echoes that premise.

“Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the state and the nation,” he says. “We are lucky here in Scarborough to have a great youth feeder program and a strong middle school program. Added to that the energy and passion Coach Hezlep brings to the high school program is just tremendous and you can see it reflected in his players.”

The growth of lacrosse in Scarborough, while impressive, is part of a trend in Maine high school lacrosse. Malcolm Chase is head coach of the USM Men’s varsity lacrosse program and he also runs Maine Premier Indoor Lacrosse (MPIL), an indoor league for winter play. He says of Maine high school lacrosse, “we’ve noticed in MPIL there is a lot more parity. It’s a matter of more schools starting middle school programs, and also some of the really good players who have graduated are coming back to the state and plugging their knowledge back into the youth programs.” He adds that he has seen stick skills at the high school level increase ‘10-fold’, over the past decade. 

Chase knows the Scarborough program and players well, having coached and worked with several over the past few winters at MPIL.

“I love the enthusiasm in Scarborough for lacrosse. It seems to be everywhere.” Speaking of what the future holds for Scarborough lacrosse, he added, “This winter our indoor league championship game featured two teams that were made up predominately of Scarborough players on one team and Portland players on the other. Who knows, that could be your Western Maine Class A final this year.”

First year head coach, Joe Hezlep plans to take advantage of this, saying that his goal is to “coach the schedule,” while making the experience fun.

“My personal philosophy is to help the guys see every obstacle as an opportunity,” he said. “If we can work hard and learn every day, the season will take care of itself.” 

Barrett takes a more philosophical approach to success, saying “sports is a chance to affect kids positively and to get kids to learn lessons that they would not otherwise learn,” adding, “I’d like to think my approach has helped, but it’s probably more that there are lots of good athletes out there that look at what’s available to them for a spring sport and, for some of them, this is just more attractive.”

Barrett’s final comment though, may be the one that really explains the popularity of the sport in Scarborough; “It’s the one sport that kids parents usually don’t know anything about,” he jokes. “You will never hear kids say that, but it becomes a different thing for them, precisely because it is their program.”

Scarborough opens its  season at home April 29 against perennial powerhouse Yarmouth at 7 p.m.