Jeff Kueter, the founder of the Kingfisher program, started it to give children across the region an opportunity to play a sport they had never even heard of. Kingfisher Lacrosse began in 2020. The first group of boys who joined Kueter formed a bright, close-knit team that, over the years, became a true brotherhood. They stuck together, never giving up on each other, transforming from a team that lost every game to one that learned how to win together.
When Kueter launched the program, he gathered former players and enthusiastic adults, but no kids showed up until Grey Denis arrived. At age 11, Denis attended a practice out of curiosity and quickly developed a passion for lacrosse. “When I first tried lacrosse, I came into it with an open mind, wanting to try something new, and the sport just clicked with me,” Denis said. Excited, Denis shared his new discovery with friends at school.
Calvin Crawford, also 11, learned about lacrosse from Denis during a lunch conversation. Curious, Crawford decided to check out a practice. From his first time picking up a stick, he was hooked—spending hours perfecting his skills and challenging himself to improve. “When I first picked that stick up, I knew that I would love this sport a lot,” Crawford said.
As Denis and Crawford attended practices, Kueter asked if they knew others who might try lacrosse. Both thought of Jake Shady, also 11, who was soon invited to practice. “When they asked me, I was confused about what lacrosse was,” Shady said. Next practice, three dedicated boys played for Kingfisher.
At this moment, the Kingfisher program, once at zero, is now at three strong, dedicated kids. The numbers didn’t stop there. A kid who didn’t go to Mount Vernon had a very different story to his first year with Kingfisher. His name was Max Messenger. At 10 years old, he was scrolling through YouTube trying to find an interesting video to watch. That’s when he stumbled across a Dude Perfect video talking about a player playing lacrosse for a professional team and learning how to play. Messenger was confused about what lacrosse was, so he clicked on it. When he began watching, he couldn’t stop. “The video of the boys shooting with the stick and seeing how the game works was so different, and I loved it,” Messenger said. After the video ended, Messenger jumped up and went to his parents and asked them if he could play lacrosse. They were confused about how Messenger knew what lacrosse was, but besides that, they saw a post on Facebook about the new Kingfisher lacrosse team, and without hesitation, they signed Messenger up. At the next practice, Messenger began playing just as he saw in that video, trying cool moves and dodges, loving every moment of it.
When the boys finally formed a bond with each other, more and more kids joined to see what lacrosse was all about. When the team had enough players to play games, there was another program that was excited to play against Kingfisher, which was the Quad Cities. The program was also created very recently, and it’s ready to start playing lacrosse as well.
All of the boys went to practice together, they were ready and eager to have their sticks in hand and give it all they got. “When we first all got to the practices together, something just clicked between us,” Messenger said. This group went from not knowing what lacrosse was to calling it their passion. This group of boys didn’t just stay connected when they were just beginning; they grew together. “This group of young men knows how to push themselves, how to deal with failure, and how to manage success, and importantly, how to work with one another to pursue common goals,” Kueter said.
When the boys reached seventh grade, the 14U team was unstoppable. Every single one of those boys worked past their limits, fighting with everything they had to make it to the championship game against their rivals, Waukee. “The biggest enemies were the Waukee team; they were strong and really good,” Denes said. No matter how much they fought, they couldn’t get the win. But this year was different. When the game started, the boys had some anger in them from all the years of losing to Waukee; they were tired. When the game ended, the boys finally accomplished their goal.“I ripped my gear off and threw my helmet up so far. I sprinted so fast to celebrate finally with the boys,” Messenger said. The boys beat Waukee in the championship game.
The team didn’t stop there. When the boys went up to high school, it was different. “Going up to high school was a big change,” Denes said. There was a lot more competition, and work needed to be done. That didn’t scare the boys; with every loss and tear shared, they were ready to put the work in to be the best they could be. “Lots of kids might have been scared to start with the older kids or the new competition, but not us,” Shady said. They created an even bigger bond with the entire team. The winning didn’t stop after last year; they won game after game nonstop. However, in the end, the team lost in overtime to Ankeny by one point, ultimately losing the championship game.
When the boys go to these tournaments and games far away, they become closer not just from the games they play together but the memories they make outside the games. “The boys the night before the games at the hotel are the most fun,” Crawford said. “Going to eat and just hanging out at the hotel is really fun,” the messenger said. This bond between the boys is becoming stronger and stronger between the games. When they go to eat or just hang out and talk, they become more and more connected.
The boys have all grown up together, bled together, and shared memories that they will never forget through only five years of this program. “I made so many memories with the team and, in general, playing lacrosse,” Crawford said. “Most memories were all from winning the championship game in 14u, and celebrating with the team.”
Not only does this group of boys create a bond that will last a lifetime, but the rest of the program has started to see what these boys have created, and they have made their own memories and friendships. “I had a parent of one of this group once tell me, My son talks with these boys every day. We don’t live anywhere close to them and would never have met them without this Club. They are his best friends,” Kueter said. You can see that there is more than just a sport being played, but bonds being created that will be there forever and ever.
