WATERBORO — Massabesic High School enjoyed a great deal of success in the winter season .

The boys basketball team beat the odds, improving its regular season record by 12 wins and making it to the conference finals. The hockey team qualified for the playoffs and the swimming team placed third at states.

Coming off a 0-12 record in 2015, the Massabesic boys lacrosse team hopes to turn things around and join this impressive group of teams in the playoffs.

Heading into the regular season, the Mustangs will not only hope to see improvement in games, but as well as in the locker room in terms of confidence and team chemistry.

According to Massabesic coach Steve Gallo, the Mustangs are optimistic for the upcoming year, however understand that there is work that needs to be done to achieve success.

“(Their) attitudes are slowly coming around. We’re a team that has never been held accountable, and never experienced a high level of success,” said Gallo. “The belief that we can pull off a great season is building, but it has a long way to go.”

Gallo believes progress must be made on the field, however he also believes mental toughness will play an important role for the Mustangs.

The Mustangs hope to begin the turnaround season by believing in their ability to win games.

“They have to believe they can accomplish bigger and better things,” said Gallo. “Asking for selfbelief and self-confidence is tough when they’ve never had a reason to have either. It’s a huge leap of faith on their part.”

When assessing the strengths of the team, one valuable asset is youth. As a team filled with underclassmen, Gallo hopes that the younger players step up this season as well as create a culture for the next four years.

Another advantage the Mustangs boast is an aggressive offense, with a defense that has already seen improvement early this spring.

“Our strengths are that our core group is very young, and we will maintain a cohesive unit for four straight years,” said Gallo. “We’ve also got a dangerous offensive unit, and a defense that is rapidly improving.”

In terms of adjustments, Gallo hopes his team will grow to be more aggressive on each side of the ball, regardless of the situation in the game.

“Our areas of improvement are better passing and catching ability, more aggression on both sides of the ball, and the drive to keep the pressure on, regardless of being up or down on the scoreboard,” said Gallo.

The Mustangs appear to be on the right track, and hope a clean slate in the spring will provide new opportunities.

— Sports Staff Writer Alex Sponseller can be reached at sports@journaltribune.com or at 282- 1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.

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