Mifflin County all smiles entering Mid-Penn

BY BRIAN CARSON Sports correspondent

LEWISTOWN—You can’t blame Mifflin County girls’ lacrosse coach Theresa Lamont for having a huge smile on her face.

The Huskies return a veteran group loaded with seniors from last year’s team that finished 8-1.

“Seniors Hailee Sheetz. Aija Binder, Mikayla Bodley, and Aly Hassinger will provide the stronghold on defense. Seniors Monica Druckemiller and Sadie Fike will take charge at midfield. Seniors Brenna Dobson and Ella Kammerer, junior Brenna Alexander, and sophomore Maria Gallo will be the steady sticks on attack,” Lamont said. “As far as leadership within the framework of the team, they are all captains of our ship. We count on them to do what they can when they can on and off the field. We are super proud of them.”

Lamont lost three seniors from last year who have a special place in her heart for their contributions to lacrosse in the county.

“We lost three seniors that started with us in our 2019 inaugural season. They really had a unique experience with the startup process and the building of the lacrosse culture in their community,” Lamont said. “Every player since then and those to come should always know the names Emma Ritchey, Morgan Kaniecki, and Kashia Smith. Another player that started with us was Sammy McCool. She had a season and career-ending injury in 2021.”

Mifflin County officially joins the Mid-Penn Conference this season, and Lamont is excited to play against some of the state’s best.

“All are very positive and forward-focused with cautious optimism as we move into the Mid-Penn for the first time in our brief history. We have many newcomers, so there is a lot to take in with skill development, rules, the application of the rules, and applying strategies,” Lamont said. “We don’t know much about the competition from the Mid-Penn except for the area’s deep respect and commitment for lacrosse. They are practically born with a lacrosse stick in hand.”

Lamont recognizes the strength of her team is the senior leadership. Still, she has enough wherewithal to prepare her younger players for next year and beyond.

“We take a tremendous amount of pride in the fact we have been successful in locking down both ends of the field. We are working to continue that strength this season,” Lamont said. “We will lose many vet- eran players at the end of the season. Our focus is to continue adding challenges for those veterans while exposing the many newcomers to the advanced strategies of the game.”

Other members of the team include senior Kaidyn Curtis, juniors Jillian Dedmon, Aspen Eby, Zeyda Frye, Macey Rheam, Paige Shugarts, and Hannah Snook, sophomores Andi Miller and Hannah Sharp, and freshmen Zoey Foltz, Sage Miller, Alexandria Rupert, and Issabella Snyder.

Personal growth is the main objective for Lamont. Even more so than wins and losses. Mifflin County will be a success if each athlete can improve from the start of the season to the finish.

“Our priority is for each athlete to demonstrate personal growth. Every day, each player should be able to identify something they are better at, or they should have a better understanding of something than what they did when they came to practice or game that day. Investing in oneself becomes an exponential jackpot among team members,” Lamont said.

Mifflin County girls lacrosse Record: 8-1

Coach: Theresa Lamont. Assistants: Hillary Worley, Tanja Fike, and Todd Johnson.