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05/30/2019 12:00 AMMike Parker has gone all-in on lacrosse since he started playing the sport in 6th grade. Mike earned a varsity letter for the Branford boys’ lacrosse team in his freshman year and has been a key cog on the field ever since. Now a senior captain, Mike says that his early experience is paying dividends as he leads the Hornets this year.
“I was definitely nervous and excited. I had a lot of different feelings playing with bigger kids, because I’m a smaller guy, and the juniors and seniors were a lot bigger than me,” Mike says. “It was definitely a challenge, but I got through it, and I think playing with older kids rubbed off on me.”
During the recent regular season, Mike helped Branford post a record of 11-5 to earn berths in both the SCC Tournament and the Class M State Tournament. Mike, who plays long-stick midfielder, says that Head Coach Jim May has been a huge influence with instilling positive qualities into his game.
“We did a lot of stuff that made me a hard worker,” says Mike of May. “He definitely taught me discipline, working hard, and all that good stuff.”
Coach May praises Mike for his ability to do the gritty work on the field. Mike’s durability and versatility have helped him earn All-SCC Second Team honors in each of the past two seasons.
“He does not come off the field. The good thing about Mike Parker is this: He can play any position. Quite honestly, Mike Parker is probably the biggest game-changer I’ve seen in a long time,” May says. “Mike is one of the best leaders I’ve ever had. Every small thing that needs to be done, he has done for four-straight years. His intangibles, skill, and lacrosse IQ are second to none.”
All of these attributes are serving Mike well in his role as a captain. He feels honored to lead the Hornets with fellow captains Will Riggs and Anders Brown.
“When Coach May gave me the position of captain, I was humbled, because I’ve been playing alongside my other three captains for my whole career. Just to see us be a group as captains is something special to me,” says Mike. “I give guys encouragement to keep their heads up during a game or at practice. I get them in a huddle and talk to them, and I think I give off a lot of enthusiasm on the field the way that I play.”
Mike plays a key defensive role for the Hornets as a long-stick midfielder, which is the position he’s played since he was a freshman. Mike also has three goals with five assists on the season.
“I started out as a middie, but coach suggested I play defense, and that’s when I started playing long-stick middie. I definitely had to get used to the mechanics of defense—things like how to play them, footwork, all that stuff,” Mike says. “As the short stick, I was scoring goals, but I really liked it more than the short stick. Scoring goals is a lot of fun, but I just loved playing defense.”
Mike will be attending the University of Maine in the fall. Mike says that he’s contemplating playing lacrosse at the club level in college.
“Coach May ran it by me, and I’m thinking of playing, because I want to keep up with lacrosse,” says Mike. “I was on the fence, but I’ll end up playing club over there.”