An Okotoks lacrosse player wasn’t about to give his teammates the cold shoulder despite the fact he wouldn’t be able to play in the biggest lacrosse tournament of his young career.
Okotokian Josh Norton, 17, had to watch from the stands while his teammates on the Calgary Mountaineers played in the Founders Cup final for Canada’s Junior B lacrosse supremacy in Saskatoon, on Aug. 21.
“It was kind of hard because I wanted to get in there and play,” Norton said. “I probably could have stayed home, but there was a small chance I could have been able to play, and plus I wanted to support my team.”
The Mountaineers won the silver medal in the Founders Cup, losing to Six Nations from Ontario 14-11 in the final.
Norton hurt his shoulder during the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League playoffs.
Although he was chomping at the bit to get on the floor in Saskatoon, the Mountaineers weren’t short-sighted, they looked at the future of the Grade 12 student at Holy Trinity Academy.
“Myself and the training staff talked about the possibilities of what would happen if I got hit,” Norton said. “It was decided there would be better opportunities next year.”
Norton was a late round draft choice by the Okotoks Junior A Raiders in 2011. He was cut by the Raiders in the spring and wound up playing for the Calgary Tier I Junior B Mountaineers (Okotoks Ice and Icemen are Tier II and III respectively. Okotoks does not have a Junior B Tier I team at this time.)
Being cut by the Raiders and then being picked up by the Mountaineers is like getting dumped by Miss Canada but then dating Miss Congeniality on the rebound.
Sure it’s disappointing but you get over it quickly.
“It was fun trying out for the Raiders but it was pretty difficult,” Norton said. “It was a little disappointing and the Raiders were great, but then I got to play with a great bunch of guys and I realized I was with the team I wanted to be on.”
Norton finished with seven goals and 11 assists in 18 games in his first year of Junior lacrosse.
The Mountaineers were the class of the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League. They finished with a 21-2 record in the South Division of the Tier I league.
At the Founders Cup they had a 6-2 record, with both losses coming to Six Nations.
Norton’s long-term goal is to land an American university scholarship after graduation from HTA. He has already received some feelers from schools after attending a recruitment camp in Denver earlier this year.
For now, he plans to play at least one more year of Junior B Tier I before attempting Junior lacrosse again.
