BRUNSWICK — “Let’s go gents! On a hop!” 

Those words were loud and clear on the Brunswick High School lacrosse field during Monday’s final practice before tonight’s Class B semifinal with Yarmouth (6 p.m.) as boys coach Don Glover chirped at his players during warm–ups. 

This week ends a chapter of a long high school coaching career for Glover, one that started as a junior varsity coach at Cape Elizabeth while in grad school, making a stop in Wiscasset in 1993, before taking over at Brunswick in the spring of 1997. 

Along the way, Glover has compiled a 303-42 record, reaching nine state finals, capturing four, including a championship three of the last four years (2015, 2017 — Class A, 2018 — Class B).  

With his last of three sons graduating high school this spring (Aiden), the New York native, who has called Maine his home since 1990, is happy with the job he’s done and is ready for what’s in store next. 

“I had always said when Aiden was done, at that point, I’d be deep into coaching for quite a few years,” Don said. “I fulfilled everything I wanted to do and helped Maine lacrosse enough that I’m comfortable to say I can go watch Aiden play at Exeter or watch Chris play at Merrimack and enjoy those moments a little more.  

I’m at a point right now that I need to spend some time with my family.” 

Aiden will attend Philips Exeter Academy in the fall and his middle son, Christain attends and plays lacrosse at Merrimack College. His oldest son, Cameron, recently graduated. 

Cameron wrapped up a successful lacrosse career at Springfield. He was recently selected to the Division III Honorable Mention All-America Team. 

“Cameron just graduated from Springfield, All-America team this year,” Don said. “He had a great college career, and I reflect on that I wasn’t able to make some of the games I really wanted to because we were in season.” 

The longtime coach is a spokesperson for Maine lacrosse, as he’s been a member of the Maine Principals’ Association Lacrosse Sub Committee since 1997 and has assisted or run many camps/clinics and assists with the men’s program at Bowdoin College. 

“The piece of Bowdoin has lit my fire to work with the college programs,” Don adds. “I’ll keep coaching at Bowdoin, so I won’t hang up my whistle in full.” 

Numbers and titles are great, but the success of lacrosse, and not just at Brunswick but in the entire state, is what Don is most proud of. 

“I’m excited about lacrosse in Maine,” Don said. “Having my tenure of coaching from Wiscasset to now, the growth has been awesome. Having sat on MPA lacrosse sub-committee and to look and say we’ve grown in numbers and have added another class for a state championship, I’m very excited to have been part of that.” 

Like his 18 seniors on this year’s squad, the coach looks at it like he’s graduating too. 

“I’ve said this for a while that this year could be it,” Don said. “This is the last of my children’s groups to go through. I told the kids a couple of weekends ago that I became a senior and this is the end of my season too. I told the boys first and said to them that I didn’t want it to be a distraction.” 

“It’s kind of cool, it’s like he’s a senior too,” Aiden said about the coach being a senior. “He’s joining us so it’s pretty cool.” 

He will be sorely missed by the athletes that will return next season, but for the seniors he’s coaching for the final time this week, it’s bittersweet. 

“Ever since I was young, I always noticed he always had an eagle eye on me during games and helping me out,” senior captain and goalie Connor Pendergast said. “The last four years I’ve gotten close to him, almost like a dad to me. And he is to a lot of other players on the team. He gets a lot of respect from a lot of us. He has a lot more life ahead of him to take care of and watch his sons play, he’ll be missed for sure.” 

“He’s been coaching a long time. He always helped right through all the youth programs with my brothers and I, looking to make Brunswick lacrosse better,” Aiden added. 

While endings can often be sad, Don is quite content with ending this chapter, knowing that after 22 years, he’s made a difference. 

“I haven’t been sad, I’ve been happy,” the BHS math teacher said. “Happy with the accomplishments and happy with the kids. Happy with the program knowing I can step away and the program will be fine. The framework is there, they’ll just need someone to captain the ship, they’ll be fine.” 

While the end of an era is not quite in the forefront for the coach, he expects when it’s all said and done, he’ll take some time to reflect. 

“I don’t think it’s hit me full force. I’ve looked at things as this could be the last. This could be the last practice, this could be the last email I send out to parents, those things, little tidbits along the way have been on my mind,” Don said. “At this point in your career, I’ve had to go back and kind of reflect, and I think that’s why I don’t feel sad. I think it’s more that I’ve accomplished something, whether it’s here, Wiscasset or Bowdoin. 

“We’ll play out this week, hopefully move on and get a game for Friday, then I think probably it’s going to hit me the hardest.” 

As for the third-seeded Dragons’ (11-2) opponent tonight, Don expects a hard-fought battle with the No. 2 Clippers (9-4). 

“They’re really good. They have an exceptional defense with some really good offensive players,” Don said. “It’s going to be a battle with a nice undertone of tactical things that people who understand the sport are going to see some different things tried by both teams. You’re going to see a lot of great athletes go toe-to-toe.” 

Aiden hopes for “another game with the boys. 

“We want to go out and play our game and just focus on us. Execute our game plan and have fun with it and hopefully get another game together,” Aiden said. 

Win or lose, Brunswick lacrosse is a staple and a model program in Maine high school lacrosse statewide, and Don is a main reason for this. 

“I’m proud of where we are as a program and where Coach Glover has brought us,” Pendergast concluded. 

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