SPORTLIGHT

Freshman Carter Laughman excels at midfield

Posted 5/8/19

He is only a freshman, but Carter Laughman is already playing his second season as a varsity lacrosse player for Valley Central.

Laughman started playing the game in sixth grade, and the …

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SPORTLIGHT

Freshman Carter Laughman excels at midfield

Posted

He is only a freshman, but Carter Laughman is already playing his second season as a varsity lacrosse player for Valley Central.

Laughman started playing the game in sixth grade, and the realization set in then that he should become a long-stick midfielder.

"They tried me at short-stick, and I wasn’t very good,” said Laughman, last week following a game in Highland.

They gave him a long stick, and he found a role at scooping up loose balls and trying to stop the opposing offense.
"I was just a natural with it ever since,” he said.

Laughman and his teammates headed home after a 6-5 loss to the Huskies, a league rival.

And with three seasons to follow as a varsity player, Laughman is expected to help keep the Vikings in tough fights such as the one against Highland.
“He’s one of our better ground ball guys and defenders,” said Tom Stoddard, Valley Central’s coach.

Long-stick midfielders are commonly seen as defenders using their sticks to thwart an offensive attempt by the other team. The stick is also handy for picking up those ground balls to regain the possession needed to help the offense.

And it is possible at times when an alert and athletic long-stick middle can take that ball, cross the field un-checked, or checked and make their way to the net and score.

“You have to play smart, and you have to hustle,” said Laughman, of his pivotal role on the field. “You have throw smart checks when he is hanging the stick.”