2018 | Minnesota | BOYS

Lake of the Woods High School | Bears | BOYS

Recently Luke and a friend of his decided they wanted to make a major, positive impact on their group of friends. They had just been shaken by the suicide of one of their teammates. They never wanted to go through that again. They thought that by planning dryland training and weight lifting schedules for anyone that wanted to join them they were providing healthy alternatives for young people in our community. Day after day Luke went to school at 6:15 AM to lift weights before classes. He encouraged others through his verbal challenges and his example. Their group grew.

Although the team’s numbers were small, this season was a success due to the diligence of Luke’s commitment to his friends, his team, and to himself. Not only did he set an example during the off-season, he was dedicated to making his teammates better at each practice. He set the pace by willingly pushing himself harder during every drill. They followed his example. Extremely coachable, Luke was called upon to face every opponent’s best line. Even though he played as a forward, he was slid back to defense to kill penalties.

As a center and a captain, he often had the opportunity to speak with the opposing center and the officials. You could see all of them smiling as their conversation continued right up to the dropping of the puck. It was also fun to watch him chat with coaches or players from the other teams after almost every game.

Luke definitely understands what it means to be a role model for the younger players in our community. He willingly volunteers at our local hockey camps and can be seen inviting mites, squirts, or peewees to join him and his friends during open ice time. He is vice president of both the senior class and the local chapter of the National Honor Society. He was instrumental in organizing a blood drive for our school. He is a long time member of our school’s club designed to provide anti-drug and anti-alcohol activities called Students Teaching Uniform Decisions (STUDS). He was involved in his church as an altar server.

It has been an honor to coach him.