Four Mission minor lacrosse players have been selected in the BC Junior A Lacrosse League draft.
Players selected include Nathan McKeigan (11th overall by the Langley Thunder), Kalen Corona (23rd, Langley), Jesse Forster (30th, Langley) and Lucas Taylor (33rd, Port Coquitlam Saints).
“It’s always a thrill to see our players go on to the next level, but when you have four in one year, that’s remarkable,” said Mission Minor Lacrosse Association vice president Paul Horn.
McKeigan started playing for Mission at age seven and credits his success to coaches Craig Vetterl and Scott Wortley, and to Team BC coach Tyson Leies.
Like DJ Saari, the former Mission standout who was drafted by the NLL Stealth last summer, McKeigan hopes to play professionally in either the National Lacrosse League or Major League Lacrosse.
Forster has played lacrosse in Mission for seven years. He is a multi-sport athlete, involved in field lacrosse and soccer as well.
“For me, being involved in the draft was awesome and very exciting. It was a new and fun experience for me waiting to see when I would get picked and which team I would be going to. I am very excited to play for Langley and I think that we will have great potential to do big things,” he said.
Taylor, the only player to get drafted by someone other than Langley, is headed off to the Port Coquitlam Saints organization.
“It’s exciting to have the chance to play for such a great team and meet new people, as well as learn new things.”
Taylor has played all eight years of his lacrosse career in Mission and, like the others, made a point of thanking his family, coaches Vetterl and Wortley, as well as his teammates.
“A lot of older players from Mission have helped and guided me in the right direction over the years,” he said. “Lacrosse is a great social sport with a fantastic family-like community!”
“These are terrific kids and it has been a real honour to be a part of their lives,” said Mission’s head coach, Scott Wortley. “Each one of them deserves to proud and we should be proud of them.”
“For a community of this size, graduating four players to the BCJALL is quite an accomplishment,” said Jeff MacAulay, MMLC president.
