Cole Buchanan is one of three senior captains for a Yarmouth boys’ lacrosse team that is seeking its first Class B state championship since 2009.

The Clippers have come up short in the state title game five of the past six years, lost three overtime games last year and this spring  have suffered two one-goal losses.

Still, Yarmouth enters the week with a 5-2 record after beating Class A Falmouth for the first time in four years, 10-4 on Friday in Falmouth.

Buchanan, a Type 1 diabetic who missed his junior season of soccer in order to be a U.S. Senate page in Washington D.C., plays long-stick midfield. Coach David Pearl calls Buchanan a great captain who brought organization and enthusiasm to preseason workouts.

“This year our team showed up more in shape and bonded better than I have seen in many, many years,” Pearl said. “He is the glue that helps our team stay together.”

Last spring Buchanan received the Bruce Davis Award from Yarmouth lacrosse for showing “grit and determination through anything that might be getting in my way.”

Q: What does a long-stick middie do?

A: That means I play defense. I replace one of the short-stick midfielders when we’re on defense so we can have an extra pole and generally play better defense that way.

Q: How is that more effective?

A: It’s easier to reach people. You’re able to get on hands and not let people shoot. Once we get the ball back, I run off the field and a short stick comes back on.

Q: So you never get to score?

A: Generally not. If I get the ball and can figure out a way to run it up, I could, but it’s not often. I’ve maybe scored one goal (not this year) and it wasn’t anything special.

Q: You’ve experienced some difficult losses in your career at Yarmouth. What kind of affect does that have?

A: I think if anything it’s given us a fire to work harder. Those close games, we’re playing well, but there are things that we could do a little better to tip the scale. We’ve been working really hard in practice, and it’s been everyone. Not only the starting guys but the underclassmen and the younger guys are an important part of our team. They push us in practice. They’re stepping into roles where we need them.

Q: You went to the state finals your first two years in high school. What was that like?

A: That’s always a special experience. We’ve been there and we know what it feels like, but we know what it feels like to lose. We’re ready to push it and know what it feels like to win.

Q: When were you diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes?

A: I was 6. We caught it early.

Q: What’s the difference between Type 1 and Type 2?

A: Type 1 is kind of random. It affects anyone. Usually people are younger when they get it. Type 2 is usually more for overweight people. Their pancreas still works but they can’t produce enough insulin for themselves. That can be (alleviated) through diet and getting their weight in check again.

Q: You have two ports on your midsection, one on each side of your body. Why?

A: The left one is for insulin. I’ll (type in) how much carbs I’m having and it will figure out how much insulin to give and put it right in. On the right, that’s my (glucose monitoring system). That checks my blood sugar every five minutes, lets me see if it’s trending up or down, and that (information) feeds into the app that I built with my dad.

Q: So it all connects to an app on your iPhone that you developed?

A: There’s online documents on how to build it. It took a couple trials and errors to connect the pump and the Bluetooth but we figured it out after a month or two last summer. You have to get an Apple developer’s license because you pretty much have to create your own app.

Q: You first met Sen. Susan Collins when you were 8. How did that come about?

A: I did some advocacy stuff through the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and I had gone down to Washington on behalf of diabetics and getting legislation through that supports us.

Q: Nine years later, she sponsored you for the U.S. Senate Page program and you missed your junior season of soccer to be in Washington from September 2017 to January 2018. What was that like?

A: It was an incredible time down there. You work 40 or 50 hours a week, at least. You get up around 5 and go to school from 5:30 until 8 or 9, whenever the Senate convened. Our dorm was only a few blocks away. We were often there until 2 in the morning, doing long votes.

What was really important and frankly pretty amazing was all the speeches that you hear. You hear speeches on all sorts of issues from both sides of the aisle. From that, you can hear what both sides think and come up with your own conclusion to problems.

Q: What drew you to volunteer for the re-election campaign of Maine’s other senator, Angus King, last summer?

A: In general I’m a Republican but I wanted to see the other side of it. He’s more of a left-leaning independent and a super nice guy. All his campaign staff are awesome. I went door to door, cold-calling people. It was interesting to see and be part of.

Q: I understand you had a presidential encounter with Donald Trump. What was that like?

A: I got to meet him once. He’s very tall. He was actually meeting with Senator Collins and they had me take a copy in. I had no clue he was even there, but I walked in and there he is. I really didn’t know what to say. I shook his hand and got back out of there.

Q: Are you planning to study political science at Wake Forest?

A: I like business, too, so maybe a combination of the two. I’ll see where it takes me.

Q: How has diabetes limited you?

A: Honestly, I wouldn’t say it’s limited me as much as opened up new doors for me. Going down to D.C. that first time, I couldn’t have done that if I didn’t have diabetes. I’m eating healthier. I feel like I’m more responsible because I have to be aware of this and always on top of it.

It has made me who I am today, and I’m happy about that.