The Prince George Posse has served notice it is a force to be reckoned with on the provincial midget lacrosse scene.
After defeating Mission 13-1 Friday in their opening game at an A2 tournament in Kelowna, the Posse is a perfect 11-0 so far this season.
Based on its record so far, the Posse squad will undoubtedly be one of the favourites in the B provincial tournament when Prince George hosts the provincial midget championships,
July 22-26. The core of the team has been playing together since they were five-year-olds and in their final season of minor lacrosse they've been groomed to be among the best in the province.
"Every year ever since they were in peewee our goal was when they turned 16 they'd be going for gold as their ultimate goal and every year they've gotten better," said midget Posse co-coach Don Wittmeier. "They're graduating this year and this will be their last year together. Some will go on to Vancouver, some will go to Alberta, and some will play here, but this is their last shot as a team to play for something big and we're hoping they can fulfil that."
Last year the Posse finished third in B.C. in the B provincials, beating Coquitlam 5-0 in the bronze medal game in Campbell River.
Posse captain and leading scorer Jake McIntosh has never played a tournament at home in his minor lacrosse career and wants to end it in style, waving a championship banner in front of a home audience.
"It's going to be pretty cool to host the best in the province," said McIntosh. "We won gold in our first two tournaments (in Armstrong and Richmond) so that's definitely boosted our confidence to play.
"We've played together since novice and we have so much chemistry. We just grew up together and love the game and we mesh so well together. We used to just get crushed by Lower Mainland teams and now we're beating them by lots. We just pushed each other to get better and we went down there and competed and when you see how they play down there it gives us motivation to do well and compete against them.
"This is our last chance at provincials and we feel we can come away with the gold and have a good showing for Prince George."
Posse forward Cameron Prouse figures his team has enough depth at every position to win the provincial crown.
Looking at their record this season, it's obvious they've been up to the task.
"We've played together since we were tykes and it helps a great amount knowing where your guys will be on the floor and how each other plays," said Prouse.
"We have guys on all three lines who can score but also guys who play more of a defensive role and can dish the ball well."
Six Posse players - McIntosh, Prouse, Jared Huston, Andrew Heitman, Doug Porter, and goalie Jonathon Wittmeier - played for Team Interior two weekends ago at a tryout camp and tournament in Vancouver.
The tournament featured the best players by region, including those who play for A1 and A2 teams in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and Okanagan, and it was used to select Team B.C. for the midget national championship in Whitby, Ont., Aug. 2-8.
That weekend, after a 7-3 loss to Vancouver, Interior ended a 10-year winless drought at the tournament with a 4-3 win over Fraser Valley. Interior finished with a 5-2 loss to Vancouver Island. "It was an honour to be on that team that finally won a game, that was really big," said McIntosh. "We were seeing future NLL players."
"We showed that guys from the north can compete with people down there," added Prouse. "That was a great experience knowing what level you have to be to compete against some of the top players down south. It was a great feeling getting that win, knowing how guys from up north are not known for being able to produce."
None of the Prince George players were selected for Team B.C., but coach Wittmeier was impressed with how they performed in the high-calibre tournament.
"This was the best of the 16-year-olds in B.C. and unfortunately our guys didn't make it, but to even win a game is remarkable," he said. "We've never had six players try out for the Team B.C. program. To have that many that tried out and actually made (Team Interior), it shows the strength of the program. There were no blowouts, Team Interior did well, they were right there with any other boys in the province."
Having won their opening two tournaments at the B level, the Posse is playing up a level this weekend in Kelowna. Due to work commitments and graduation ceremonies this weekend, the Posse will have just 13 runners available.
The Posse squad also includes Hayden Kerr, Alex Nimmo, Bobby Legare, David Rogers, Skyler Roy, Griffin Wal, Conner Adams, Ethan Brown and Sera Sia. Sia, a female player, is ineligible to play in the provincial midget boys tournament because she's past the age limit but is part of the female provincial team.
Porter and McIntosh have been invited to join Junior Stealth Lacrosse Academy, an offshoot of the Vancouver Stealth pro team. The Junior Stealth will play at the Canada Day tournament in Calgary.
The team will also travel to Irvine, Calif., to play in the U.S. Box Lacrosse Association national championships and is booked for a youth tournament in Toronto on Labour Day weekend.
