Junior linebacker leads by example

Grafton, Mass., inside linebacker Mike Lane is a huge fixture on the field at 6-foot-2 and 265 pounds, but you won’t hear him running his mouth. He doesn’t feel the need to talk during a game, he lets his actions make all the noise.

“I am very intense, but I lead by example,” he commented. “I am not vocal, but people follow what I do on the field.” He uses his 350-pound bench max and 500-pound squat max to make sure his actions make a lot of noise.

He has started the last two seasons, but also played a lot as a freshman. He led the team in tackles this year as a junior with approximately 100, and was named to the Central Mass. D-2 all-state team. He has also been voted to be a team captain during his senior year.

While setting the tone on the defensive side of the ball, he likes to use tactics picked up while watching Ray Lewis.

“It is just everything about him,” Lane explained. “He is just the perfect defensive player, the perfect linebacker.”

While considering schools, Lane is looking at “just the school itself” and has not begun to consider where he will go. He has received interest from numerous colleges, including UMass, Amherst, and BC, but is a long way from making a decision. Proximity will most likely not play a big role in his decision, although his mother may have something to say about that.

Lane camped at the Bridgewater and Holy Cross combines last summer and plans to return to each of those this year.