There are sports that a high school seems to be known for.

Go to Lewiston and boys hockey is THE sport. Go south to Yarmouth, and boys lacrosse, along with soccer are the sports little kids play seemingly from birth.

Athletics have been pretty solid at Brunswick High School over the past few years, from the football team advancing to the State Class B title game in 2014, and the Dragons capturing a state title in swimming, to continuing playoffs runs from the basketball and soccer squads.

But, boys lacrosse just seems to be THE sport when thinking of the Dragons, with Don Glover-coached teams finding great success over the past decade, with an endless supply of good, quality, hard-working players rising through the ranks, starting at the youth level, to travel teams, middle school and finally high school. Just making the varsity team at Brunswick is a chore in itself.

“These are kids that have been playing since Little Dragons Camp and straight through,” said Glover, whose Dragons open at home Thursday against rival Mt. Ararat. “This is the primary sport for most, and their goals are good. Many will go on to NCAA play, and they want to leave here playing their best. We have a lot of promise here for years to come.”

Recently, Glover announced his four captains. Seniors Kenan Van Vranken, Ezra Rogers, Matt Brooks and his eldest of three sons Cam Glover lead the squad, one year removed from a State Class A title game loss to South Portland at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland after a solid 10-2 regular season and playoff wins over Mt. Ararat and Cheverus.

“It is like a family, and it trickles down from the high school to the youth players,” said midfielder Cam Glover. “The reputation is good around the school, with good people playing lacrosse. I was born with a stick. My dad handed me one, and I started playing with it right away.”

“I played for 7-8 years, all the way up through the youth leagues,” said Van Vranken, who along with Rogers plays defense for the Dragons. “Playing young in this program was extremely important. I was in that youth group, looking up at those Brunswick captains, and just knew that I wanted to be here some day. I wanted to step out on that field.”

For Rogers and Brooks, playing the game of lacrosse came a bit later.

“I started freshman year,” said Rogers. “I didn’t make varsity that year, and I set a goal to make it the next year and try to be the best. You are always competing here. It is always a competitive environment, and I made varsity as a sophomore.”

“I started in eighth grade after playing baseball, which was a little bit too slow for me,” said Brooks, who plays midfield in the spring and is a hockey player in the winter. “It is so much like hockey, and was one of my best decisions. I look forward to both hockey and lacrosse. I made varsity as a freshman.”

Pressures

“There is a hidden pressure playing at Brunswick, but I think we do a good job controlling our destiny,” admitted Brooks. “We have the tools to do well, and it is up to us to put it together. We all help each other out to get better every day.”

“I don’t think there is a lot of pressure,” said Rogers. “It just boils down to how hard that we have worked all year. It comes naturally sometimes for us. We all go in wanting to play the best lacrosse that we can play. Sometimes, we may be off. But, we each go as hard as we can all four quarters.”

“As a veteran coach of 22 years now, my focus is on program rather than team,” said coach Glover. “In Brunswick, there are kids that love the sport and having a good time. It is that commitment to program. They take a lot of pride of what they are a part of. The kids are ultra supportive of each other. Other sports in the building respect this program. We want kids to be three-sport athletes, two-sport athletes, and if you only play lacrosse, hopefully you are doing something productive in the other seasons.”

Last year, the Maine Principals Association, after talks with several coaches and athletic directors, implemented crossover games, with teams permitted to step outside their conferences and battle against teams of relatively equal skill levels from other conferences. This year, like last, Brunswick will face tradition-rich programs from Yarmouth and Cape Elizabeth, along with rival Morse.

“Crossovers are a necessity for the sport in Maine,” said Don Glover. “We match the best and let growing teams not be thrown into the kettle too quickly, allowing them to build. We need that. It is the best thing for the sport and the kids. No one needs to have games that are blowouts. It makes no one better. We want to create positive experiences for the kids and the fans who attend the games.”

“Our schedule is a challenge,” said Van Vranken. “But, we go into every game with the same mentality — to play Brunswick lacrosse. That doesn’t change, no matter who our opponents are.”

“We have a bunch of great guys, and the goal is to play the best lacrosse that we can,” said Cam Glover. “We know that if we play good lacrosse and to our full potential, things will go well. We want to be playing our best come June.”

As for this year’s Brunswick team, Brooks summed it up.

“Our strength is that we play as a team. We all play for each other. There is no one player that is a superstar. They are all great players and play their roles,” said Brooks.

“It is nice to see kids take a look at the program and realize it is a tough program to stay in,” said coach Glover. “They don’t worry about our opponents or the scoreboard. If we are playing our best, everything takes care of itself. These kids have that mindset. We do everything hard, whether it is running the school stairs, through the hallways or outside on the field. These kids are excited to be a part of this program.”

Expectations are always high for Brunswick lacrosse. Come June, we will see how far this year’s group is able to go. Don’t be surprised if the final result is a return trip to Portland for the state title game on June 17.

BOB CONN is The Times Record sports editor. He can be reached at bconn@timesrecord.com.