Andover, North Andover Youth Lacrosse Players Make MA All-Star Team

ANDOVER, MA — Two local youth lacrosse players have been chosen to represent the Mass Bay Colonials, an all-state tour team, that will compete at a tournament in Texas this winter, according to Massachusetts Youth Lacrosse (MYL), which runs the program.

Eighth-graders Marcus DeJesus, of Andover, and Finley McClintock, of North Andover, were selected for the 22-man squad from a pool of 200 athletes from 125 town lacrosse programs from central and eastern Massachusetts.

DeJesus, who attends Wood Hill Middle School, is a midfielder and in his sixth year as a player with the Andover Youth Lacrosse Program.

McClintock, who attends North Andover Middle Schools, is a midfielder and in his seventh season with North Andover Youth Lacrosse Program.

The pair will be part of the Mass Bay Colonials when the team travels to Houston on Dec. 10-11 for the Best of Texas Lacrosse Tournament, which also will feature teams from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and other states from across the Southwest.

According to Mass Bay Colonials organizers, the program's selection committee chooses players based on their performance at tryouts, but also based on submitted recommendations from coaches, teachers and community leaders.

"The Mass Bay Colonials seek to not only bring the most talented youth lacrosse players from Massachusetts, but the players who can proudly represent our state on and off the field," the program said in a statement.

This is the third year of the Mass Bay Colonials boys team and the first year for the program's girls team. Both squads will travel to the tournament in Texas.

Tom Spangenberg, current chair of the Board of Directors of Mass Youth Lacrosse — which includes over 100 town lacrosse programs in the state — said the organization focuses on growing the game and honoring its sacred traditions.

"The Colonials is one such example of how we're uniting our towns, prioritizing teaching skills in a fun environment and promoting the importance of character, community, and camaraderie," Spangenberg said. "We're thrilled to bring the finest athletes and coaches from our small community to a much larger one in Texas this winter."