Wyatt Coughlin loves lacrosse so much, his stick is beside his bed so he can play as soon as he wakes up.
The Midland Titan U9 lacrosse player has become a scoring machine. Wyatt has racked up more than 110 points in the regular season through games and tournaments. That puts him at the top of the leaderboard for lacrosse players of all ages in the region that includes Huntsville to Shelburne. The person in second place has 59 points.
“He pretty much lives with his lacrosse stick in his hand,” says his mother, Deborah Coughlin. “At home he sleeps with it beside his bed. He gets up with it and goes outside and does shots. If he goes to (day) camp, he takes it in the vehicle with him until he can get back to it."
Wyatt, 7, played on the U9 rep team last year as an under-ager and got a lot of floor time during the box lacrosse provincials. The team won the silver medal.
“He’s definitely a natural lacrosse player,” says coach James Buhagiar. "He's a great leader."
“He puts the team on his back a lot of the time. If they are down or we need to get a goal, he always seems to get them going again. He throws a hard hit, makes a pass or scores a goal. He’s always in the middle of making the team better. He’s always looking forward.”
A good example was at the Six Nations tournament. The team battled their way into the championship game with Wyatt leading the team, said Buhagiar. The game ended in a tie.
"We didn't play at the last bit as hard as we could," said Wyatt. "I was really tired."
But Wyatt scored a goal in overtime and the team won the tournament.
In the team's second tournament in Sudbury, they played five games and made it to the championship game, winning 13-0.
Deborah credits Wyatt's determination to his having two older brothers Emmett, 9, and Charlie, 11.
“His two older brothers don’t take it easy on him. They put him in the situation where he has to fight for every ball. They make him tougher," Deborah says.
Wyatt says he likes lacrosse because he likes running and hitting. He took the first penalty of a recent game.
"I think I'm really good at shooting," he said.
Coach Buhagiar says Wyatt is a fast runner and has great skill at the draw (faceoff) as he plays centre most of the time. Wyatt said he looks for a teammate near the net to pass the ball to when he wins the draw.
After finishing the regular season, the team is heading to Ontario Lacrosse Festival Aug. 4 to 6 in Durham Region in fine form.
Wyatt and his two brothers play box lacrosse in the summer and ice hockey in the winter. Which one does Wyatt prefer? Lacrosse.
Lacrosse is a great sport for boys and girls and there are entry level groups. For more information on the local organization, visit their website.
