It’s not easy to stand out on the Cony girls lacrosse team.

The Rams boasted the top two goal scorers in the state with Emily Quirion (58 goals) and Bayleigh Logan (53).

It was Hayley Quirion, however, that topped them all, leading the state in total points (78). She scored 41 goals and added 37 assists.

For her play throughout the season, Hayley Quirion is the Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year. Emily Quirion, Logan and Messalonskee’s Ally Fischang and Mikayla Turner were also considered.

Hayley Quirion didn’t just lead the Rams in points and assists. She also led the team in draw controls (75), ground balls (74) and proved to be an asset on defense as well, causing 26 turnovers.

Her play helped the Rams to a 10-4 record. The only team the Rams struggled with during the season was local rival Messalonskee, which took three of four games from Cony, including a season-ending loss in the Eastern Class A semifinals. Cony beat Messalonskee in the first game of the season, giving Quirion and the team confidence heading into the regular season.

Advertisement

“To start off when we beat Messalonsee, I was like “OK, here we go,” Quirion said.

A senior, Quirion was asked by head coach Gretchen Livingston to be a multifaceted player.

“She got it done all over the field this year,” Livingston said. “She played midfield all through the year. She was our center, which meant from every width, she was responsible for getting possession of the ball.”

It was Quirion’s first season attempting draws, and she made it a goal to aim draws at all times to her teammates.

“This year was the first year I took draws, I practiced that a lot,” Quirion said. “I feel like learning how to aim my draws toward my teammates (was important). Looking for open people for assists. I knew I didn’t have to score every single time we went down (toward the goal), getting other people involved in the game.”

If Quirion couldn’t get the draw, Livingston said Quirion would find any way possible to get the ball in Cony’s possession, one of the responsibilities in her role as a center.

Advertisement

“If she didn’t get a hold of that draw, she would make sure that we would get that ball back, causing turnovers from the other team, just playing tenacious defense,” Livingston said. “Really having great checks to cause turnovers, knocking the ball down, coming up with interceptions. She would put it in play for us to come up the field (offensively).”

Offensively, Quirion was a cog in a three-player offensive attack. She broke the program record for assists in a season, and helped set up not one, but almost two players to equally break the program record for goals in a season (55) in Logan and Emily Quirion.

“She was trying this year to make the people around her better,” Livingston said. “Make her teammates better, and that showed. She knew when she had to take it herself, but also knew when to pass the ball if she knew that’d be an advantage.”

Quirion said having talented attackers gave her more confidence in passing the ball off and setting up goals.

“Whether it’s me or the other midfielders, we know we always have each other to dish it off to,” Quirion said. “As soon as we’re down there, we run out of energy and we need other people to pick it up and finish the play. Having Bayleigh and Emily is a huge help, I know they can help me. Even the high attack, I know if I dish it off to them, they can score or do something else with the play and I can count on them to do that.”

Quirion also credited sister Emily as both have a strong relationship to lift each other up and if need be at times, critique each other’s work on the field.

Advertisement

“We’re always talking to each other,” Quirion said. “We’re not just picking each other up. We’re more comfortable with each other rather than our teammates because we can say when we’re doing something wrong to each other without being mad. We tell each other what we need to fix, and that’s a big part, learning from our mistakes and helping each other.”

Hayley and Emily Quirion, both basketball standouts during the winter, will play basketball for Saint Joseph’s College in Standish. Although basketball will be her main focus, Hayley Quirion has not ruled out playing for the Monks lacrosse team.

“People are asking us if we’re playing lacrosse, too,” Quirion said. “We don’t know yet, it’s kind of on the edge. Lacrosse is a huge sport for us and we’ve gone far. But basketball is our favorite and what we like to do. It’s going to be exciting and I didn’t want it to just end after Cony.”

Dave Dyer — 621-5639

ddyer@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @Dave_Dyer


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.