Okotoks minor lacrosse graduates have enjoyed a fruitful month off the floor.
The Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League held drafts in the Jr. A, Jr. B and Alberta Major Female divisions with a number of Okotokians hearing their names called as they make the leap into the junior ranks.
Okotokian Blake Robinson was selected in both the Jr. A and B drafts, going to the Calgary Jr. A Mountaineers on Feb. 13 and three days later being picked by the hometown Okotoks Jr. B Marauders.
“It’s a big change, but I think it will be exciting,” said Robinson on moving up to junior. “You think about all those years about how old these guys are and you think, ‘It’s junior, we’re not going to play that.
“And now you’re there and you’re thinking now I’m the guy I grew up watching, it’s pretty surreal actually.”
The Mountaineers, who had only seven selections with the rival Jr. A Raiders loading up on draft picks, selected Robinson in the sixth round, 22nd overall.
“Head coach Cody Hawkins was reaching out to me a little before the draft so I kind of had an idea they were interested,” Robinson said. “I didn’t have a preference going into the draft, but super happy with where I am.
“The Mounties are a good team, good group of guys to work with and they’re super good at making you feel like you’re part of the family.”
On Feb. 16, the Marauders selected Robinson 14th overall.
It’s a team the Foothills Composite student had a chance to affiliate with and witness firsthand host the provincial championships last summer.
“I played one game with them last year, went to three or four of their practices and a lot of their camps all last year,” Robinson said. “Training camp gets started in about a week and I’ll try my best to make the Jr. A roster on the Mounties, but as a first year it’s relatively unlikely so I will probably end up playing with the Marauders if I can get a roster spot over there.
“I’m just going to work hard and training camp and see what I can do.”
The Marauders used their fifth-round pick to take Okotoks’ Caleb Armitage.
The Grade 11 Foothills Composite student said hard work paid off with his best season yet at the minor level coming in 2022 as a member of the HOKS A team.
“I used to play Raiders (minor) lacrosse all of my life and was always on the edge of getting cut from the A team,” Armitage said. “Last year after COVID, I started working extra hard and I’m pretty glad I got chosen by them.
“That was probably the best season ever. I had really good coaches, Brent Robinson and Wade Bowley, I wasn’t the best player on the team, but they helped coach me and make me one of the top players.”
Moving onto junior, Armitage said he’s going to the team he grew up watching and expects to play an offensive role after seeing time at multiple positions coming through the ranks.
“I like how it’s a home environment, all of the games are local, friends came, and it was a big deal,” he said. “Blake Robinson, I played PK with him, he’s who I’ve been friends with for a while, we’ve always helped each other out and have expanded our skill levels together.”
Fellow HOKS alumni Frank Gallup and Ryan Williamson, both from High River, were also selected by the Marauders in the seventh and twelfth rounds, respectively.
Earlier in the month, the Alberta Major Female division held its inaugural draft with the Okotoks Ladies Raiders bolstering their roster from their backyard.
Jordyn Payne was selected in the third round by the hometown Raiders.
“It means a lot and it was definitely something I was looking forward to and hoping to get drafted by them,” said Payne. “I know a lot of girls on the team, I know the coaches, I’ve played up with them in the past and it’s a really good community and I’m really happy to be a part of it.”
Payne said getting a chance to play as an affiliate has given her valuable insight into what she’ll see at the next level.
“It was really nice to be able to have that sense of competition early on, so I was prepared for it this season,” she said. “It’s going to be a lot faster and a lot more competitive. I know a lot of the girls are in university so when they come back they’re going to be a part of the team.”
Being part of the historic draft class on the heels of a silver medal as part of the first female box lacrosse competition held in Canada Summer Games history last summer isn’t lost on the Okotokian.
“It’s definitely really special to be part of the first draft for the junior Raiders,” she said. “It was a really cool experience to see that go through because I know it’s been wanted in the junior ladies community for a while now.”
The RMLL’s divisions start their seasons during April with teams already in preseason mode for the 2023 campaign.
For more information, go to rockymountainlax.com.
