MDI Trojans hope to utilize speed> Katy Lawson lone returning starter for defending Class B state champions

The Mount Desert Island girls soccer team gathered in the high school gymnasium Tuesday afternoon as basketball tryouts and practice continued for Classes B, C and D.

Five members of the soccer team’s starting lineup and one backup spent the session running drills and getting ready to defend the Trojans’ 1997 Class B state championship.

With three of last year’s starters gone and one not playing this season, MDI is changing its game plan to reflect its new-found speed.

“This year we’re going to be more slam and jam,” coach Burt Barker said as the players ran a three-on-three drill. “I don’t know if it’s going to work, but it should be fun to watch.”

Barker said the Trojans will use a full-court press and depend on their quick defense to generate most of the offense.

At the forward position, Barker has senior captain Katy Lawson and sophomore Coley Stetler. Lawson started last season and Stetler saw some playing time during the postseason. Both played soccer this fall.

The other captain, senior Lindsay Haskell, will start at point guard. Also a soccer player, junior Crystal Graves will be the Trojans’ shooting guard.

The post may be a weak spot this year, but Barker said 6-0 freshman Melissa Gott, who has been promising so far, should see time at center.

“I knew she was going to be good but I’m surprised at how well she fits in with us,” Haskell said.

Barker also has speed on the bench in the form of Jessie Walls and soccer players Maija Kaldro, Kelly Reed, Erin Fernald and Jenn Gott.

Barker counts last year’s 20-0 junior varsity team and solid play during summer tournaments as positives for the young Trojans.

At least one other Hancock County team got faster as a result of graduation.

Last season, Bucksport got to the Class B quarterfinals with size. This season, the Golden Bucks will try to return to the postseason with a combination of height and speed.

The Bucks have two quick guards in Kelly Downes and Kara Henderson, but this winter’s focal point will be 6-2 starting center Christy Grover. As a sophomore, Grover averaged 16.6 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.

Grover starts this season at the tail end of rehabilitation from surgery to remove a bone spur in her right foot.

“Her injury is such that it could take its toll in the beginning of the season with all of the pounding on the floor,” Archer said. “But she looked good through one-and-a-half hours of drills [Monday night]. This is a big year for her. We’ll see what happens.”

“I’m really surprised. It’s coming along really well. Once I start running it feels fine,” Grover said.

Archer said 40 to 50 NCAA Division I schools, including the University of Connecticut, 1997 national runner-up Old Dominion, and UMaine have all expressed interest in his star center.

“She knows that 6-foot-2-inch centers are a dime a dozen in Division I,” Grover said. “She knows she’s got to do some things to take her game out to the perimeter.”

To take advantage of the Bucks’ collective speed, Archer has gone from a two- to a three-guard set. The 5-9 Henderson will start at the point.

“It’s safe to say that Kara is probably the most exciting and dangerous in the open court,” Archer said. “I think she’s one of the quickest players around and she’s a good shooter and a nice passer.”

Bucksport’s shooting guard will be senior captain Downes, who may be the team’s best free-throw shooter. Archer is encouraging her to take 10-15 shots a game to increase her output.

“She’s going to step it up in scoring,” he said. “We have to find creative ways for her to roll off screens and ways for her to spot up.”