Lacrosse Makes Net Gain
Sport growing in popularity at high schools without official blessing of state association
By Michael Beaven
Special to the Beacon Journal
Published on Thursday, May 12, 2011
Although not yet sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, lacrosse is growing in popularity.
Locally, lacrosse is attracting more athletes and fans.
At several area high schools, lacrosse is recognized as a varsity sport for boys and girls with letters given out, and there are state tournaments that are formatted in a similar fashion to OHSAA tournaments.
''It is a great sport,'' Medina coach Pat O'Brien said. ''Whether we are sanctioned in the near future or not, I think it is taking this area by storm. When I started, there were very few teams and now we have 21 Division I schools and about five clubs and several Division II schools in this area. We are the largest region in the state. Central Ohio used to be the largest. I couldn't be happier with the growth of the sport and I think we are seeing more parity in play.''
Tim Stried, OHSAA's director of information services, acknowledged lacrosse's growth in the state, but said the reason it is not sanctioned is because it does not yet have 150 of the 829 member schools playing it.
''From what data I have seen regarding the growth of lacrosse in Ohio high schools, it doesn't appear that they are on track to reach the 150-team mark within the next few years,'' Stried said. ''That could certainly change, though, and the OHSAA supports the lacrosse coaches association in growing its sport in Ohio.'' A website — http://laxpower.com — offers rankings for each state. In Ohio, the website lists 107 girls teams/clubs and 93 boys teams/clubs.
Medina's girls won the Division I state title lastseason and are ranked No. 2 with a 10-2-0 record. Medina's boys (8-4-0) are No. 9 after making the Division I state semifinals last year. Hudson's boys are ranked No. 3 at 14-1-0, and their girls are No. 4 at 10-2-1.
David Blue is in his 16th year as Hudson's boys coach and has guided the Explorers to two Division I state runner-up finishes (2000, 2007) and four other Division I state semifinal appearances (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009). Blue, a 1989 Walsh Jesuit graduate, said he played soccer, baseball, tennis and hockey growing up and then gravitated toward playing lacrosse in high school. He was an assistant coach at Upper Arlington and Walsh for a year each.
''There were eight teams in the state of Ohio in 1988, and three of those had started that year,'' Blue said. ''The growth of the sport through the 1990s, 2000s and this decade has been tremendous.''
The boys tournament is hosted by the Ohio High School Lacrosse Association and the girls tournament is hosted by the Ohio Schoolgirls Lacrosse Association.
''We are as good as sanctioned,'' O'Brien said. ''Schools have recognized it is a powerful sport and there are a lot of kids involved in it both at the youth level and high school level. For some areas, especially in Columbus, it never really mattered that they are not sanctioned. I think for us as a sport it adds a little bit more legitimacy in the eyes of other people if we do get sanctioned.
''We follow the eligibility rules and other rules that OHSAA has. We put on a great tournament that is very similar with seeding and breaking schools down by division and region. And we are also sending kids off to college to play lacrosse.''
North Canton Hoover, Kent Roosevelt, Western Reserve Academy, Jackson, Walsh, Wooster, Green, Stow, Revere, Brunswick and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy each have a boys and girls team or club. Archbishop Hoban has a boys team.
''We have always said that if the sport is a sanctioned sport it would explode,'' Blue said.
The Hudson boys team features senior midfielder Rob Lynott, senior defender Cooper Charlton and senior defender Alex Carlson. ''Over half of my team is scholar athletes, meaning they carry a 3.5 [grade-point average],'' Blue said. ''We have good student athletes.''
Blue said administrators have helped with their support to improve player safety, getting officials and offering means of transportation.
O'Brien has been involved with lacrosse since 1973 as a player, coach or official. He played at Ohio State from 1974-1977 and then got into coaching. He has coached at Walsh Jesuit, North Canton Hoover and Medina. He guided the Bees from 1997-2004, and then took over again in 2010. The Bees won the Division II state title in 2003 and were Division III state runner-up in 1999.
''I saw a movie in gym class about it one day in high school [at Oregon Clay] and I liked the sport,'' O'Brien said. ''I played football, basketball and tennis growing up, and lacrosse is kind of a combination of those three.''
The Medina boys team features senior midfielder Nate Blue, senior attacker Alex Schell and junior defender Dan Flake.
Amanda Wilson is in her first season as Medina's girls coach and has a team that boasts senior midfielder Sydney Thomas.
Senior attacker Mallory Vehar is the top player for Hudson first-year girls coach Emily Fisher.
''I think we have taken a step in the right direction,'' O'Brien said. ''Before last year we were a [run by] coaches organization. The hierarchy of the sport was mostly coaches. Last year the athletic directors took more control of the sport. I think that is a real positive step in the right direction. The OHSAA has said they are looking very seriously at lacrosse.
''The problem is the fact that there are budgetary constraints and adding new sports could be difficult. With schools being in such dire straits financially, it is kind of a crapshoot where things will go. We are a money-making tournament, where as a lot of tournaments are not. We get big crowds for our games.''
Special to the Beacon Journal
Published on Thursday, May 12, 2011
Although not yet sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, lacrosse is growing in popularity.
Locally, lacrosse is attracting more athletes and fans.
At several area high schools, lacrosse is recognized as a varsity sport for boys and girls with letters given out, and there are state tournaments that are formatted in a similar fashion to OHSAA tournaments.
''It is a great sport,'' Medina coach Pat O'Brien said. ''Whether we are sanctioned in the near future or not, I think it is taking this area by storm. When I started, there were very few teams and now we have 21 Division I schools and about five clubs and several Division II schools in this area. We are the largest region in the state. Central Ohio used to be the largest. I couldn't be happier with the growth of the sport and I think we are seeing more parity in play.''
Tim Stried, OHSAA's director of information services, acknowledged lacrosse's growth in the state, but said the reason it is not sanctioned is because it does not yet have 150 of the 829 member schools playing it.
''From what data I have seen regarding the growth of lacrosse in Ohio high schools, it doesn't appear that they are on track to reach the 150-team mark within the next few years,'' Stried said. ''That could certainly change, though, and the OHSAA supports the lacrosse coaches association in growing its sport in Ohio.'' A website — http://laxpower.com — offers rankings for each state. In Ohio, the website lists 107 girls teams/clubs and 93 boys teams/clubs.
Medina's girls won the Division I state title lastseason and are ranked No. 2 with a 10-2-0 record. Medina's boys (8-4-0) are No. 9 after making the Division I state semifinals last year. Hudson's boys are ranked No. 3 at 14-1-0, and their girls are No. 4 at 10-2-1.
David Blue is in his 16th year as Hudson's boys coach and has guided the Explorers to two Division I state runner-up finishes (2000, 2007) and four other Division I state semifinal appearances (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009). Blue, a 1989 Walsh Jesuit graduate, said he played soccer, baseball, tennis and hockey growing up and then gravitated toward playing lacrosse in high school. He was an assistant coach at Upper Arlington and Walsh for a year each.
''There were eight teams in the state of Ohio in 1988, and three of those had started that year,'' Blue said. ''The growth of the sport through the 1990s, 2000s and this decade has been tremendous.''
The boys tournament is hosted by the Ohio High School Lacrosse Association and the girls tournament is hosted by the Ohio Schoolgirls Lacrosse Association.
''We are as good as sanctioned,'' O'Brien said. ''Schools have recognized it is a powerful sport and there are a lot of kids involved in it both at the youth level and high school level. For some areas, especially in Columbus, it never really mattered that they are not sanctioned. I think for us as a sport it adds a little bit more legitimacy in the eyes of other people if we do get sanctioned.
''We follow the eligibility rules and other rules that OHSAA has. We put on a great tournament that is very similar with seeding and breaking schools down by division and region. And we are also sending kids off to college to play lacrosse.''
North Canton Hoover, Kent Roosevelt, Western Reserve Academy, Jackson, Walsh, Wooster, Green, Stow, Revere, Brunswick and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy each have a boys and girls team or club. Archbishop Hoban has a boys team.
''We have always said that if the sport is a sanctioned sport it would explode,'' Blue said.
The Hudson boys team features senior midfielder Rob Lynott, senior defender Cooper Charlton and senior defender Alex Carlson. ''Over half of my team is scholar athletes, meaning they carry a 3.5 [grade-point average],'' Blue said. ''We have good student athletes.''
Blue said administrators have helped with their support to improve player safety, getting officials and offering means of transportation.
O'Brien has been involved with lacrosse since 1973 as a player, coach or official. He played at Ohio State from 1974-1977 and then got into coaching. He has coached at Walsh Jesuit, North Canton Hoover and Medina. He guided the Bees from 1997-2004, and then took over again in 2010. The Bees won the Division II state title in 2003 and were Division III state runner-up in 1999.
''I saw a movie in gym class about it one day in high school [at Oregon Clay] and I liked the sport,'' O'Brien said. ''I played football, basketball and tennis growing up, and lacrosse is kind of a combination of those three.''
The Medina boys team features senior midfielder Nate Blue, senior attacker Alex Schell and junior defender Dan Flake.
Amanda Wilson is in her first season as Medina's girls coach and has a team that boasts senior midfielder Sydney Thomas.
Senior attacker Mallory Vehar is the top player for Hudson first-year girls coach Emily Fisher.
''I think we have taken a step in the right direction,'' O'Brien said. ''Before last year we were a [run by] coaches organization. The hierarchy of the sport was mostly coaches. Last year the athletic directors took more control of the sport. I think that is a real positive step in the right direction. The OHSAA has said they are looking very seriously at lacrosse.
''The problem is the fact that there are budgetary constraints and adding new sports could be difficult. With schools being in such dire straits financially, it is kind of a crapshoot where things will go. We are a money-making tournament, where as a lot of tournaments are not. We get big crowds for our games.''
Sign Up to Follow Medina Lax on Twitter
Want to keep up with the latest changes and "tweets' with Medina Lacrosse? How do you do this?
1. Go to the Twitter home page.
2. Register for an account.
3. Once you are registered, find the "mobile" tab at the top of your page. Follow the instructions to verify your cell phone with Twitter.
4. Go to the Medinalax twitter page and click the "follow" icon. Once you do this you'll get tweet notifications whenever Coach O'Brien sends one via his computer or cell phone. (Pssst - the Medina Lacrosse Twitter Page is titled Medinalax)
1. Go to the Twitter home page.
2. Register for an account.
3. Once you are registered, find the "mobile" tab at the top of your page. Follow the instructions to verify your cell phone with Twitter.
4. Go to the Medinalax twitter page and click the "follow" icon. Once you do this you'll get tweet notifications whenever Coach O'Brien sends one via his computer or cell phone. (Pssst - the Medina Lacrosse Twitter Page is titled Medinalax)
