The Brewer High School girls soccer team received a terrific performance from senior attacking left midfielder Brooke Merrow on Monday night.
Merrow caused all kinds of problems for the Bangor defense as she used her blazing speed, tenacity and strength to maneuver past defenders and create scoring chances for herself and her teammates.
This is the first season playing varsity soccer for Merrow, who hadn’t played since seventh grade.
That’s because for years she has spent the summer and fall finding ways to get past other riders on the motocross circuit.
Motocross involves motorcycle racing on dirt tracks with tight turns and high jumps.
Merrow’s father, Aric, raced for 22 years and she followed in his footsteps beginning at age 11.
One of his best friends, David Rudnicki, has his own track behind Home Depot in Bangor and that’s where Merrow cut her teeth in the sport.
She proved to be a fast learner.
One year after taking up the sport, she became just the second girl from Maine to qualify for the annual American Motorcyclist Association Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, one of the country’s best-known tracks.
Merrow, then 12, competed in the ages 9-13 division.
“That really got me into [the sport] and gave me confidence to race,” she said.
Merrow won two Maine state junior championships and earned three titles in the age 14 and older category.
The uniqueness of the sport is one of the reasons she enjoys it so much.
“It’s different. There aren’t a lot of girls in it and you get to try to keep up with the boys,” she said.
Merrow, accompanied by her family and one of her sponsors, is willing to go anywhere to race.
“We only have three tracks in Maine,” she said. “So we’ve raced all over New England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,” along with Canada.
Merrow said more girls race motocross in Canada and the payouts are better.
Her favorite aspect of the sport is being able to travel and meet new people who have the same interests. She said she has received a lot of support from family, friends and sponsors.
“[It] helps me keep excited and motivated,” she said.
Merrow has endured her share of injuries including a broken arm and wrist, a few concussions and lots of bumps and bruises.
“But it all comes with the sport and it’s something that I am willing to risk because of how much passion I have for racing,” she said.
Merrow hopes to compete in some of the major Canadian races next spring and summer, but the borders are still closed due to the coronavirus so there is a lot of uncertainty.
“This will probably be my last big push to win a title,” she said.
The season usually begins after the snow melts and continues into the early fall, but the COVID-19 pandemic significantly hampered the motocross season, so she returned to the soccer field.
“I’ve always loved soccer. So I thought I would come out this year, have fun with my friends and make the best of my senior year,” Merrow said.
Brewer coach Dave Hamel said Merrow could have been a special player if she had played the sport all four years in high school.
“I’m glad I had her for one. It’s better than none,” he said of the season.
“She led the team in goals and assists this year. She’s a spark plug out there,” Hamel said. “She is a great athlete.”
Merrow finished with three goals and four assists for the Witches, who wound up 1-7-2.
After soccer season, she will focus her attention on basketball. She started at guard for Brewer last winter and made an impact.
“She is a phenomenal athlete,” Brewer coach Chris Horr said. “She is crazy fast and is a great jumper. She is one of the few kids I’ve ever coached who can play off the floor. She can play against bigger kids.”
Horr said motocross has helped Merrow develop outstanding strength.
“She has to keep her body in shape to handle the impact and pounding her body takes during motocross,” Horr said. “She has great balance points.”
Merrow also made a late transition to basketball, going out for the team as a freshman despite having missed Brewer’s summer program while competing in motocross.
“She’s very good defensively and she’s a real competitor,” said Horr, who said Merrow has a big upside.
“She’s still raw but has come a long ways. She is a lot better shooter than she gives herself credit for. And she’s a great kid,” he said.
Once the basketball season ends, Merrow will strap on her helmet and climb back onto her motocross bike.
As for her future, she would like to attend Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor and study to become an electrician.