10Sticks: Getting definition at state

MISSOULA — Culminating a program-defining second season of lacrosse action in the Mission Valley, 10Sticks played its best lacrosse right when it needed to, winning one game and dropping two during the Montana State Lacrosse Championships in Missoula over the weekend.

MISSOULA — Culminating a program-defining second season of lacrosse action in the Mission Valley, 10Sticks played its best lacrosse right when it needed to, winning one game and dropping two during the Montana State Lacrosse Championships in Missoula over the weekend.

Coaches shook up the lineup a bit after losing the team’s top scorer, Dan LaFranier, to a season-ending shoulder injury two weeks ago, but even with limited practice at the various positions, the pieces of the puzzle were fitting together in all the right ways.

“We saw some of the smartest lacrosse all season come out onto the field, even in the last game against Sentinel,” coach Alex Alviar said. “We dominated with possession of the ball in our offensive end in the first three quarters, and we saw multiple goals scored from all over.”

Unfortunately, two major injuries to key players, Al Plant and Ambrose Brown, may have contributed to a loss of focus and gradual unravelling of the game in the fourth quarter. Missoula Sentinel pulled ahead in the final stanza and between exhaustion and mental errors, there was no coming back for the 10Sticks squad, falling 13-8 in the loser out game to end the season.

“We played the whole season with strong emphasis on defense and slowly building up our offensive skills,” Alviar said. “After losing Dan LaFranier, we shifted gears to stacking our attack line with our strongest shooters.”

All season long, Zach Daniels manned the net for 10Sticks, but he turned out to be a talented attackman with the ability to pass effectively from behind the net and snipe goals from the outside perimeter, Alviar said.

“We moved him to offense and discovered young Grant Clark to be quick on his feet in goal,” he added. “Ironically, we found better, more natural playing positions for a few players at the end of the season.”

Also falling under this category, Jerome Finley made a change, upgrading his equipment to the longer, defensive stick and abandoning the front lines for a try at one of the all-important defender position. He handled the transition with ease, hanging tight with the opposition’s top scorers and creating movement in the backfield that spurred many 10Sticks attacks.

“I’m so happy with the way the whole team had to struggle to make up for the loss of our top scorer,” Alviar said. “That was no fun, but they all became better players for it, and we got to see those improvements emerge during the playoffs.”

10Sticks players were on fire out of the gate in their first game of the tournament, against Flathead-Whitefish, a familiar foe.

“We got a bit of redemption after losing to them twice in the regular season,” Alviar said. “We dueled pretty evenly throughout the game and went into sudden death overtime where Ambrose Brown got a feed from behind the net and sniped it right under the crossbar of the goal.”

The 6-5 win against Flathead-Whitefish moved them on, where facing eventual state champions, Hellgate, in the second round, 10Sticks dropped its second game 20-8.

“Hellgate of course dominated everybody,” Alviar said, but 10Sticks players did not back down to the top-tier competition.

There were plenty of highlights to the game, and the tournament as a whole. Brown, Zach Schmitt and Plant won tons of faceoffs. Daniels came alive as an attackman, pump faking and sniping shots. Defenseman Beau Mills forced countless turnovers with his magic-like ability to pick off passes and block shots. Xavier Matt and Mikey Brown teamed up to control the midfield with great defensive body positioning and transitioned the ball to offense with speed and finesse. Finally, Grant Clark made some big point-blank saves with only three days of goalie training.

As reward for their efforts during the tournament and all season long, Plant and Mills earned First-Team All-State honors and Schmitt took home Second-Team All-State for the midfield position.

“Every one of these kids put in what they could, in whatever way they could,” Alviar said. “They’re good kids, growing up to be fine men of character — on the field and off the field.”

Once again proving there is more to the game than the totals in the win/loss columns, 10Sticks players, coaches, parents and friends brought a meaning and cultural history to the game of lacrosse that the state’s other programs not only enjoyed, but respected.

“I especially love that we as a team can bring an aspect of lacrosse that often gets lost in the clamor of scoreboards and jerseys, which is a heightened respect for the native origins of the game,” Alviar said. “I love that my players don’t think it’s silly, but understand how much that matters to us as a people, as athletes, and as a team.”

As they’d done all season long, during the playoffs, Hellgate and Sentinel joined 10Sticks to circle up, take a knee and honor the Creator’s Game with a prayer.

“That’s something you won’t see very often, and that’s what makes it amazing and unique,” Alviar said.

A total of 21 kids suited up for the 10Sticks Lacrosse Club this season, almost doubling the participation from a year ago. Never losing sight of its goal to showcase the Creator’s Game as an important social platform to bring kids together, 10Sticks has only just begun its quest to bridge social gaps and give kids a positive experience that sets them up for a brighter future.

“We have native kids, farm rancher kids, punk rock kids — you name it,” Alviar said during a promotional video called “Ten Sticks Brand Story.”

“You’ve got a whole bunch of different abilities, a whole bunch of different backgrounds, out there on the field, and they have to work together.”

June 14-16, 10Sticks will host the first ever Creator’s Game Lacrosse Camp. Promising a fun and informative experience, the camp is bringing in three native coaches

from the Iroquois lacrosse program who will teach about the native game and native traditions in an inviting, non threatening atmosphere.

The video “Ten Sticks Brand Story” can be viewed online at http://vimeo.com/41459595.