EDITOR’S NOTE: This the final installment in an ongoing series of Mount Allison Mountie and Tantramar Titan player profiles that have been published this summer.
SACKVILLE, N.B. – Lucas Cormier represents what an ideal Tantramar Titan football player should be.
Coach Scott O’Neal has required his players to learn to play a multitude of positions, and that is one of the reasons they have been successful in winning the provincial high school championship for the past three years.
And Lucas comes across as the model of efficiency.
He was first noticed three years ago as an outstanding receiver, even in Grade 9, as he ran perfect routes and displayed hands that seldom mishandled the ball when thrown in his direction.
Since then, he has learned to be a fine protector – lining up as a strong half or safety – and often takes on the best the opposition has to offer. As a result, few balls are thrown in his direction.
Add to that his ability to punt and return punts and it’s easy to see why there are games in which he may never leave the field.
One immediately recalls the play of Michael Bohan, who was quarterback, punter, punt returner, safety and team leader, who went on to become a star with the Mounties university team.
Lucas, 16, has already spent time with Team New Brunswick and just recently travelled to Arlington, Texas, where he helped Team Canada defeat its U.S. counterparts. He is included in the top 100 high school players by CanadaFootballChat.com.
Due to his play, Lucas has been contacted by a number of university teams even though his older brother Dylan is hoping he will join him with the Mounties.
O’Neal describes Lucas as a “driven player,” who is a physical specimen.
“He is exactly what a coach wants in a football player and he should rip the league apart this coming season with his intensity and talent.”
Lucas, who stands six-foot-two and weighs 180 pounds, got his start in the local minor football program under his dad, Tim Cormier, as coach. He has been playing for seven years and still receives tips from his dad.
“My father attends all games and sometimes suggests something I might do a little better,” says Lucas. “Even though we have the best coaching staff in high school football he sometimes can pick up something I have missed, and his tips really help me be a better football player.”
Hard work, great conditioning and total commitment is the way in which he explains the Titans’ winning ways.
“Our goal is to win our fourth championship this coming season and I see no reason not to if we continue to work just as hard.”
He said the Titans play a very physical game, while some other teams do not seem to be so tough. Last season, a couple of teams quit at halftime, claiming to have suffered injuries.
“We get banged up pretty good sometimes, but nobody complains as we are prepared for this.”
Last season not a single Titan player missed even one game due to injury.
Looking ahead to the fall, Lucas says in spite of losing several key players through graduation, there will be a solid core of veterans returning, while he expects an influx of rookies from a year ago to step in and make their presence felt.
And he says much of the success comes down to coaching.
“Coach O’Neal is there every single day leading us with such intensity, and defensive coordinator Peter Estabrooks does a fantastic job while others like Joe Lafford and Ben Brown reflect this level of commitment.
“We should be strong on both sides of the ball this season and put up a good fight in every game and into the playoffs, giving us another shot at the fourth consecutive title.”
