UMD Lacrosse Day

A video that two 11 year olds from Duluth filmed and edited of themselves playing lacrosse, wall ball and shooting on the UMD campus. This should motivate you lacrosse players out there to get out the sticks and hit the wall! These little guys are making wall ball fun!

Best Plays of the 2012 MLL Season

These pros can ball!

Time to Start Getting Fired Up for the 2013 Season!

A 2013 College Lacrosse Promo video already!

VERY Early MBSLA Predictions

I just recently took a look at the new MBSLA hierarchy of teams.  With the departure of perennial powerhouse Delano along with a likely new contender Cretin-Derham Hall to the MSHSL, the rankings as I see them became a bit clearer.  Tartan, another up and coming team and North St. Paul also made the jump to the MSHSL this year.

Looking at the remaining contenders, I think two teams stand out to me:  St. Louis Park and Shakopee, with MontiQuois and Hudson close behind.  Both St. Louis Park and Shakopee return several key players and all-conference selections this year.  While MontiQuois and Hudson both lost many seniors, they return a few key players as well.  However, I do see them as a notch behind St. Louis Park and Shakopee.  Interestingly, if Delano had stayed in the MBSLA, I would have put them 4th behind St. Louis Park, Shakopee and MontiQuois based on their significant losses to graduation from their State Championship team.

Following the top 4, I see northern teams making a run, including a St. Cloud North team that had some significant losses to graduation and a very young, up and coming Duluth team that could make some noise this season.  Another northern team, Grand Rapids, while losing several seniors, but returning some good young players, should be tough as well.

Stay tuned as we get closer to the season start for a complete and more detailed MBSLA Top 10.

Instructional Video of the Week: Basic Shooting Technique

Very good basic shooting technique instruction from Zach Brenneman

Instructional Video of the Week: Disguising the Stick

UMD Bulldogs Recruiting Video

Great recruiting video from the U of Minnesota - Duluth Bulldogs lacrosse team.

NILL Getting Ready for Season 2

The NorthCoast Indoor Lacrosse League, a 7 v 7 indoor lacrosse league in Duluth, MN is preparing for its second season of play beginning December 9.  Teams are still being formed and players may also register as Free Agents and be placed on a team.  Go HERE to register.

New for the 2012-2013 season is a Middle School Division that will offer game play for kids grades 5-8.  This season will also include 12 games, up from 8 last year.  We also expect an 8 team league including two teams from Grand Rapids and one from Brainerd.  Last season we had 6 teams.  In addition, we expect at least 3 Middle School level teams.

For more information, please visit the NILL Website.  Schedules will be finalized once the teams are set.  Game dates are as follows:

2012-2013 NILL Game Dates:

Game 1 - Sunday December 9
Game 2 - Friday December 14
(off for holidays)
Games 3 & 4 - Sunday January 6 (doubleheaders)
Game 5 - Friday January 11
Games 6 & 7 - Sunday January 13 (doubelheaders)
Game 8 - Sunday January 27 - @ UW-Superior Fieldhouse (tentative)
Game 9 - Friday February 8
Game 10 - Sunday February 24 - @ UW-Superior Fieldhouse (tentative)
Game 11 - Sunday March 3 - @ UW-Superior Fieldhouse (tentative)
Game 12 - Sunday March 10 - @ UW-Superior Fieldhouse (tentative)
Playoffs - Sunday March 17

Join us for the second exciting season of NILL!

Fargo Fall Ball Tournament

Several Northern Minnesota lacrosse teams participated in the 2012 Fargo Fall Ball Tournament in Fargo on October 20-21. Brainerd, Fargo and Grand Cities joined Winnipeg for the first ever Fall lacrosse tournament to take place in Northern Minnesota.

 Brainerd finished as the runner-up in the tournament, losing to Winnipeg in the Championship game. Grand Cities began the tournament with a win over Fargo and then dropped consecutive games against Brainerd and Winnipeg. Congratulations to Winnipeg as the first Fargo Fall Ball Tournament champion! Looking forward to more lacrosse action in the North in the off-season.

2012 Paul Rabil Highlights

As a former midfielder, I really appreciate the play of one of the greatest midfielders of all time...perhaps more Paul Rabil highlights to come...

Paul Rabil on Discipline - Core of Sports

2013 NCAA Lacrosse Promo Highlight Video

Some incredible moves by these players...watch and learn!

Top Plays by the Pros - MLL 2012

North Coast Jaxx Complete Successful First Season

HGL Champions

The North Coast Jaxx team composed of players from the Duluth area, Grand Rapids and Proctor completed a very successful first summer in 2012, topping it off with the 2012 Homegrown Summer Varsity Prep League championship on August 8.  The NC Jaxx topped Eastview III 5-3 in the semifinal and Champlin Park 5-4 in the Championship game.  They finished the summer Homegrown League season with an undefeated 8-0 record and the season with a 13-3-1 overall record.

North Coast Jaxx in Michigan

Along with the on-field success, the team proved to be a success in many other ways.  The North Coast Jaxx proved that a summer travel team could succeed and flourish in Northern Minnesota.  The team brought together kids and families from rival programs and forged new friendships.  Most importantly, the kids and families had a lot of fun.  The team improved greatly during the Cherry Bomb Tournament in Traverse City, MI while playing some very good competition, and they also had a great time.

Kids in Northern Minnesota are finally playing lacrosse in the off-season and improving their games.  It's a new day for lacrosse in Northern Minnesota, and the North Coast Jaxx were part of the "lax revolution" in the North!  Here's to another successful and flourishing season of summer lacrosse for the Jaxx in 2013!

Thunder Ducks Lax Take Home First SOLL Championship

The first Superior Outdoor Lacrosse League (SOLL) 7 v. 7 Championship Sunday included some close games and exciting lacrosse play.  Games were played at Park Point in Duluth, MN.  With every team in the league having at least 2 losses, the championship was up for grabs.

In game 1, the #3 seed Honey Badgers took on the #6 seed Free Agents.  The young Honey Badgers team, with their two elder statesmen, were looking to warm up against the Free Agents in anticipation of a match up against the #2 seed Brojans in the next round.  The Free Agents however, had other things in mind.  

SOLL regular season scoring leader Scott Wishart #17

The game was close throughout with the score being tied for the majority of the game.  Young James Holak, a 6^th grader and new player to the Free Agent team helped to keep the game close by leading the team with 3 goals.  Jack O’ Connell, also a 6^th grader and new to the Free Agent team helped to control the high scoring Honey Badgers team on defense.  The Free Agents held the Honey Badgers to 8 goals and the game ended with the Honey Badgers eking out an 8-6 win in the first round of the playoffs.

Iziah Schramm, playing lacrosse for the first time ever this summer also scored 2 goals for the Free Agents along with Treven Smalley with 2 goals.  The Honey Badgers were led on offense by Dan O’Connell, Bryce Holak and Jesse Larson who each scored 2 goals.  Holak and O’Connell also added an assist each.  Aaron Kilpo added a goal and an assist and Andy Holak scored one goal.

The second game of the night featured #4 Fighting Aye-Aye’s against #5 Broseidon.  The score was knotted up for much of the game before the Aye-Aye’s pulled away behind the prolific scoring of Frank Napoli and Cooper Carlson to win 20-13.  Napoli poured in 8 goals and added 2 assists while Carlson scorched the net for 6 goals and 1 assist.  Tyler Kolquist added 3 goals, Steve Halver added 2 and Mac Johnson pitched in one goal.  Zack Zierden led the way for Broseidon with 5 goals while Zach Galo and Kevin Marshall added 3 goals apiece and Luke Hannan tallied 2 goals.  TJ Vallie saved Broseidon from even more scoring by standing tall between the pipes with 14 saves.  

The first final four game featured the #1 seed Thunder Ducks against first round winner Fighting Aye-Aye’s.  This game was close until the final minutes of the game when the Thunder Ducks pulled away to win 14-11.  Scott Wishart, the regular season scoring leader, led the Thunder Ducks with 5 goals and 5 assists while Mike Hillman scored 3 goals, Alex Rogers scored two goals and added one assist, Frank Rush added one goal and one assist, and Nick Teresi, Beau Hughes and Tanner Fritsinger each pitched in with one goal.  The Aye-Aye’s were led by Frank Napoli with 5 goals and Cooper Carlson with 3 goals.  Steve Halver added two goals and Tyler Kolquist scored one goal.

The next game proved to be one of the most exciting games of the season with the score knotted up nearly the entire game and ended with a controversial call.  The #2 seed Brojans took on the #3 seed Honey Badgers for the right to play in the first SOLL Championship game.  The game see-sawed back and forth with no team ever leading by more than 3 goals.  The Brojans led by 3 goals late in the game and it looked like it would be a #1 versus #2 championship game before the Honey Badgers stormed back to tie the game.  The Brojans would then take a one goal lead right up until the end before a late goal by the Honey Badgers would tie the game again and send it into overtime. 

BRAVEHEART!

The final overtime period would be decided by Braveheart.  Bryce Holak came out for the Honey Badgers and Doug Jensen would take the face off for the Brojans.  Holak won the opening faceoff and took the ball down the field before solid defense by Jensen and good goalie play would force Holak’s shot to go wide.  Jensen then took possession and made a contested shot on goal that was saved by the 2012 SOLL saves leader Pat O’ Connell, with another fearless play in the net.  On the ensuing loose ball, Holak would pick up the ground ball while Jensen’s head would come off his shaft.  Holak’s shot on goal would be saved by goalie Tyler Altringer making a tremendous play on the ball.  With a new stick Jensen would take the ball upfield again.  Amazingly, on another ground ball, Jensen’s head would come off his back up stick!  This time Holak, with Jackson Schwartz rushing on the field to cover for Jensen, would come down the field and bury the ball in the back of the net for a 16-15 Braveheart win for the Honey Badgers.  There was some confusion on the final play and a questioning of whether or not to continue play after a player’s head comes off his stick in Braveheart.  An explanation of the ruling based on a conversation with head lacrosse referee Dan Heldt can be found HERE

Doug Jensen led the Brojans and all scorers with 7 goals.  Joey Keating scored 3 goals, Graham Gallop and Brad Sandeen each added 2 goals and Ben Dunnell scored one goal for the Brojans.  Bryce Holak led the Honey Badgers with 6 goals while Jeff Wright would add 3 goals, Jesse Larson and Jack Norlen chipped in with 2 goals each and Dan O’ Connell and Aaron Kilpo each scored one goal.  Both Tyler Altringer and Pat O’ Connell were strong in the net.

The Honey Badgers would continue their strong play into the final Championship game with the #1 seeded Thunder Ducks.  The Honey Badgers played well, hanging with the Thunder Ducks goal for goal until the second half.  The Thunder Ducks would pull away from the Honey Badgers to take the first SOLL Championship with a 15-12 win.

2012 SOLL Champions - Thunder Ducks

Alex Rogers led the Thunder Ducks with 6 goals and one assist while Scott Wishart had 3 goals and an assist, Beau Hughes and Nick Teresi added two goals and Mike Hillman and Nevada Shelton each added a goal.  Frank Rush added an assist.   The Honey Badgers were led by Jesse Larson with 4 goals, while Aaron Kilpo, Bryce Holak and Dan O’ Connell each had 2 goals and one assist and Andy Holak added 2 goals.  Jeff Wright added one assist.

2012 SOLL Runners Up - Honey Badgers

The first SOLL season was fun and high school players continued to improve their lacrosse skills over the summer.  We're looking forward to our upcoming winter lacrosse season with the 2nd season of the Northcoast Indoor Lacrosse League starting play in December.

Want to be a Better Shooter? Do What Paul Rabil Does

North Coast Jaxx Exceeding All Expectations

The first ever summer travel lacrosse team in Northern Minnesota, the North Coast Jaxx, have begun the summer lacrosse season undefeated at 8-0.  The North Coast Jaxx are a U16 summer travel team composed of players from the Duluth area, Grand Rapids and Proctor.  The team includes 4 first year players (having only played lacrosse for less than 6 months) and 3 players going into 8th grade.  Along with 4 players just having completed their 10th grade year, the team is mostly composed of players who just completed their 9th grade year.

The team has dominated play in the early season going 4-0 to win the Star of the North games tournament in Rochester, MN.  The young Jaxx have also begun their Homegrown Prep League season 4-0 with wins over Minneapolis/St. Paul, Stillwater South, Roseville and Stillwater North.

The team is winning with superb team play.  Players from teams that competed against each other in the spring season have come together as teammates and are working seamlessly together on the field.  The new players are using their athletic ability to excel and the more experienced players have provided team leadership.  The team will take their 8-0 record on the road to the Cherry Bomb Lacrosse tournament in Traverse City, MI where they will compete with over 100 other teams from all over the midwest.

The North Coast Jaxx, in their first season, have met and exceeded the expectations of the teams organizers and have come together even better than envisioned.  They have proven that lacrosse in the North is alive and growing stronger!

Highlights from 1st Half of MLL Season

Highlights from the first half of the MLL season. These boys can play!

New Youth Day Camp at Bulldog Lax Camp in Duluth

The well regarded Bulldog Lacrosse Camps on the UMD campus in Duluth will be offering a new youth day camp option for local 4-9 graders this year.   Kids will get the same camp the overnight players get excluding the housing and breakfast each day.  Lavin Lacrosse and the Bulldogs are hoping that more and more local players will participate in the camp.  It would be a great experience for all of them. 

There is online registration at www.lavinlacrossecamps.com if they are interested.  They can also register by mail if they’d like.

Best of College Lacrosse 2012

Once again, the best college highlight video of 2012. Check it out!

Congratulations MBSLA North All-Conference Team

Congratulations to the 2012 All-North Conference selections.  This year's selections were a much better representation of the top players in the conference.  Good work by all involved.

 

2012 All-North Conference

Team	Player	School	Pos.	Year
1st	Mike Whitson	St. Cloud North	Attack	12
1st	Steve Halver	Duluth	Attack	12
1st	Carter Schulke	Fargo	Attack	11
1st	Brody Geisler	Grand Rapids	Midfield	12
1st	Tyler Kolquist	Duluth	Midfield	12
1st	Aaron Monson	Fargo	Midfield	12
1st	John McGillis	Brainerd	Defense	12
1st	Michael Kringlie	Fargo	Defense	12
1st	Zach Brist	Grand Rapids	Defense	12
1st	Matt Mensinger	Duluth	LSM	12
1st	Matt Worzala	St. Cloud North	FO-M	11
1st	T.J. Vallie	Duluth	Goalie	11
2nd	Joey Keating	Grand Rapids	Attack	12
2nd	Tanner Lindstrom	Grand Cities	Attack	11
2nd	Aaron Vanyo	Fargo	Attack	12
2nd	Christian Hansen	Grand Cities	Midfield	10
2nd	Kristian Haymaker	Brainerd	Midfield	10
2nd	Ryan Bidinger	St. Cloud North	Midfield	12
2nd	John Deelstra	Fargo	Defense	12
2nd	Tanner Fritsinger	Duluth	Defense	11
2nd	Zach Grandia	Grand Rapids	Defense	12
2nd	Jordan Schmaltz	Brainerd	LSM	11
2nd	Sam Wateland	St. Cloud North	FO-M	10
2nd	Grant Gunderson	Grand Rapids	Goalie	10

Honorable Mention: Brody Carlson (A) Duluth, Mitch Howieson (A) Brainerd, John Kirick (A) St. Cloud North, Zack Galo (M) Duluth, Ben Noah (M) Fargo, Doug Jensen (M) Grand Rapids, Brady McDonald (D) Grand Cities, Seamus Mackinaw (D) Duluth, Tyler Minkel (D) North St. Cloud, Tucker Isaacson (LSM) St. Cloud North, Joseph Noah (G) Fargo.

2012 NCAA Season Highlights

Some pretty sweet highlights from the 2012 NCAA lacrosse season

The Science Behind Paul Rabil's Shot

This is interesting...

Lacrosse Continues to Get Bigger in Minnesota

Carrying a bigger stick

05/26/2012, 1:29am (CDT)

By Jason Gonzalez, Star Tribune

Efforts to cultivate growth have succeeded, as lacrosse has quickly gained traction

Waiting for his chance to be a part of the game, Aaron Propson paid close attention to the whereabouts of the ball during the Eagan High School playoff opener Wednesday. With his stick in the air and his helmet fastened to his chin, he patrolled the endlines for anything heading his direction.

Opportunities for action were limited, but he didn't care. Propson was one of four seventh- and eighth-graders in the Eagan youth lacrosse program eagerly offering services to be a ball shagger.

"I want to be out there one day," the 12-year-old said, looking onto the field of varsity athletes.

Propson's passion for lacrosse mirrors a growing trend in communities throughout Minnesota. Fueled by elementary school and junior high youngsters choosing it over pastimes such as baseball and softball, the sport -- still somewhat unfamiliar to the masses -- is one of the fastest-growing in America.

Minnesota is among the states leading the way. A 2011 study conducted by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association said participation nationally increased 218 percent in the past decade. Minnesota membership growth in U.S. Lacrosse, the sport's national governing body, ranks ninth.

At the state's high school level over the past 10 years, boys' and girls' varsity participation jumped from 61 to 154 teams, according to the Lax Hub.

"We're way up there," said Jenni Lorsung, president of Youth Lacrosse of Minnesota. "Our lowest growth year was 13 percent. And there have been years we've had 25 percent growth in the boys' level."

Grass-roots growth
Preparing himself for a first-round playoff rout, Simley boys' coach Garnet Asmundson explained why his Inver Grove Heights program, which relies on players groomed while in high school, is still "light years" behind the likes of neighboring schools in Eagan, Apple Valley and Rosemount.

"The program is still in its infancy stages," Asmundson said. "You've got to build from the youth up, and we're doing it in the opposite way, and that's tough."

While the sport's popularity has boosted high school team numbers, newcomers are struggling to keep up with the more experienced and rooted programs, such as Blake. The void isn't that large, though, argues Blake interim boys' coach Chris Garland.

As more knowledgeable coaches and referees surround the game, players are learning at an accelerated pace. Garland said the foundations of the sport -- running, passing, catching -- aren't much different than other sports, and kids are enticed by the fast pace.

"It's an easy game to learn," said Garland, who played NCAA Division III lacrosse at Hampden-Sydney College (Va.). "The concepts are so easy, so once you apply them from other sports, it's just a great sport to play."
Growth in Minnesota has been nurtured over the past eight years by Homegrown Lacrosse, a local nonprofit organization that formed in 2004 to raise awareness and help develop programs with "grass-roots'' training. This sort of guidance has matured the metro area into a regular producer of college talent.

"With more and more associations getting stronger and developing, [participation] numbers are continuing to rise," said Colin Achenbach, co-founder of Homegrown Lacrosse. "And the high schools are a testament to that the skill level of lacrosse in the metro area is increasing. The competition and parity is stronger across the state."

The Minnesota State High School League has acknowledged this improvement by continually sanctioning more teams. Its website lists 57 boys' teams and 63 girls' teams. The MSHSL first sanctioned a lacrosse state tournament in 2007. Next year the league will add four new sections and expand the state tournament to eight teams.

Where are they coming from?
Which stick to pick was an overwhelming decision for Eagan senior Mack Nelson. He approached high school with backgrounds in baseball and lacrosse, both spring sports.

"For me, lacrosse is more exciting of a game," Nelson said about his choice. "It's more fun. ... It's more up-tempo."

Baseball has apparently suffered the most, as youth are beginning to pick lacrosse over baseball for spring and summer activities. The Eagan Athletic Association has seen a decline of its youth baseball numbers with the new rival sport in the mix.

High school baseball coaches are starting to address concerns about losing depth and quality players. For example, baseball has typically attracted hockey players who now might see lacrosse functioning as a better cross-training fit. There's also lacrosse's appeal as more fun or social, another issue baseball programs have begun to address.

"Our numbers have not been hampered enough by lacrosse so far, but I am seeing a trend and a correlation that I don't like, and it makes me nervous," Elk River baseball coach Ryan Holmgren said.

At Shattuck-St. Mary's, baseball coach Michael Carpentier said numbers have been down the past five years as a direct effect of lacrosse.

"Lacrosse is fun, physical, and takes athleticism to compete," he said. "But it certainly is taking many talented athletes off of the baseball diamond."

The universal athletic concepts of lacrosse have attracted kids from all sports. Blake sophomore standout Lydia Sutton has put varsity soccer on the back burner of her athletic focus. Eagan's Calvin Lamb did the same to football.

Propson and his three friends all picked lacrosse over baseball. It was an easy decision for them.
"There is a lot more action," 13-year-old Joey Hofmann said about his new favorite sport. "I was [a baseball player] until I played lacrosse. I didn't like standing around."

MBSLA Top 10 May 14

Not much has changed over the last two weeks since our last poll.  Teams that should have won did.  Cretin-Derham Hall lost two games to higher ranked teams, St. Louis Park and Shakopee, and beat North St. Paul.  They remain at #9 since there are no teams there to take their place.  This week we also decided to move Stattuck-St. Mary's to a place in the top 10 based on their ability as a team not dependent on whether they can participate in the playoffs.  #2 MontiQuois knocked of MSHSL team St. Cloud Tech and dropped another one to undefeated and #1 ranked Delano.  Delano remains the clear #1 team in the state.

Big game of the week will be Wednesday to see who will win the East Division in a match up of the top two teams Tartan and Hudson.  Both tied at #5 this week.  The match up should determine the #1 seed for the playoffs from the East.

MBSLA Top 10 May 14:

Lacrosse Has Staying Power in Duluth

 With burgeoning participation numbers, lacrosse showing staying power in Duluth area
Cooper Carlson has seen lacrosse’s image change the past couple of years. The Duluth East sophomore says there’s more talk about the sport at school and more students show up at Duluth-Superior Chargers games. 

By: Rick Weegman, Duluth News Tribune 

Cooper Carlson has seen lacrosse’s image change the past couple of years. The Duluth East sophomore says there’s more talk about the sport at school and more students show up at Duluth-Superior Chargers games.

“It’s a lot more popular this year,” he said. “More people are asking about what the rules are, how we play it and when we have games.”

#5 Cooper Carlson

Carlson, a midfielder in his second year of participating for the Chargers’ boys club team, hopes the sport eventually grows from the club level to become a high school varsity offering.
“I’d love to see it as a varsity sport before I graduate, but that’s kind of far-fetched,” he said. “It just started getting big in the last year.”

Carlson hopes his younger brother, seventh-grader Wyatt, will have that opportunity in the future.

Lacrosse’s popularity with the youth is such that Duluth Denfeld athletic director Tom Pearson says it’s an inevitable outcome.

“I don’t think it’s a question of ‘if’ but a question of ‘when,’ ” Pearson said last week. “The first question we’re going to ask is, ‘Do we have the numbers of Duluth public school students to run a varsity lacrosse program?’ ”

The local lacrosse association has yet to devise a long-term plan for taking that step. The Chargers, a member of the Minnesota Boys Scholastic Lacrosse Association, are comprised of 108 players in grades 5-12 from six area school systems. A spinoff club team in the East school district, where a preponderance of players reside, is the most likely first move.

“Probably the next step for us is to stay in the club division and form a third high school-level club team in the Twin Ports,” Chargers first-year president Brad Mackinaw said, referring to a Proctor club team that began this spring.

With Duluth schools facing budget crunches and potential layoffs, adding a sport would be a hard sell right now.

“The big question always is money,” Mackinaw said. “How are they going to come up with the money to afford that and how are they going to come up with the resources in an environment where they are getting their budgets cut?”

The Chargers operate on a $17,000-a-year budget, of which $7,500 is paid to the district to rent Public Schools Stadium for practices and games. That budget does not factor in transportation costs — players are required to find their own way to home and road games. Approximately 90 percent of the budget comes from players, who pay $300 up front. That budget would increase greatly as a varsity sport, considering road games usually would require a trip to the Twin Cities area.

Pearson equates the situation to when Duluth added soccer in the early 1990s. At that time, the district said the sport’s proponents needed to fund-raise a certain dollar amount and then re-examined it in later years to see if interest was still there. Start-up money needs to be there before the district agrees it’s a viable option, Pearson says.

“With the funding right now, we’re not going to be in a position to say, ‘We’re going to add a $25,000 program, or whatever that number turns out to be, to the school district,’” he said.
Other factors must be considered as well, including Title IX issues and competitive play.
Federal law stipulates equal opportunities exist for boys and girls programs if the interest is there.
But at the moment, the girls’ club program, the Nighthawks, doesn’t have nearly the same numbers as the Chargers so that probably wouldn’t be an impediment to adding a boys program.
Whether a Duluth team could compete against Twin Cities suburban schools that have a longer lacrosse history and much deeper youth programs is a legitimate question.

“The majority of our players started playing in the eighth or ninth grade,” Mackinaw said. “When you go to schools like Eden Prairie and Eagan and Benilde-St. Margaret’s — schools that dominate lacrosse — a lot of those kids first pick up a stick in the fourth or fifth grade. Do we want to jump to the next level of competition, knowing that we’re not going to be competitive in that situation? Those are questions we haven’t resolved yet.”

Chargers coach Scott Wishart, a former Minnesota Duluth player, doesn’t believe jumping up a level is the immediate answer.

“Right now we’re pretty new compared to a lot of programs from the Cities, especially if we were to split all our talents among the high schools,” Wishart said. “Those other teams have had club lacrosse for many years and playing varsity-level lacrosse for five or six years. They’re very developed in the Cities. It will take some time for this program to catch up.”

Even by drawing talented fall and winter sports athletes, local lacrosse teams would be hard-pressed to find similar depth as more advanced rivals.

“There are very good teams throughout the state that are in club-level lacrosse,” Wishart said. “As far as the sake of our sport, right now, we should continue to proceed at this pace and keep developing players.

“It’s something we’re going to have to wait out and keep working on. Until we can have a larger interest and more players out here, I would think we’re in (a club level) for a few years at least.”

Grand Rapids Tournament a Huge Success

The lacrosse tournament in Grand Rapids continues to grow and get better each year.  In 2012 42 teams competed in 5 divisions and there were over 800 kids participating.  Teams from Canada, northern Minnesota and the Twin Cities all traveled to Grand Rapids to compete.

7/8 Champions Duluth-Superior Chargers

All tie games were determined by braveheart which resulted in several exciting finishes and cheers that could be heard on the other side of the golf course where the games are played.  An all team photo and hole shoot were fun events and many teams got together for dinner after Saturdays games.

Northern teams fared well, with the Duluth-Superior 7/8 team finishing the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record and championship in that division.  The offense was clicking the entire tournament for the Duluth team who scored double digit goals in every game they played.

The Grand Rapids Shootout is turning into one of the premier lacrosse events in the state of Minnesota.  The Grand Rapids lacrosse program should be commended for a job very well done.  Teams are already looking forward to next year.

Minnesota-Duluth Claims Their 15th UMLC Championship

From LaxPower

(May 2, 2012 – Duluth, MN) Make another notch in the belt for the men's University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs lacrosse team as they claim the 2012 UMLC Championship title one more time. This marks the 15th UMLC championship the Bulldogs have claimed since 1995 and the 7th consecutive championship title since 2006.

On Sunday, April 29, the Bulldogs faced off with Mankato State University at the Concordia University's Sea Foam Dome in St. Paul, Minnesota for the UMLC Division 1 semifinal round of the play-off tournaments. The game started at 10:45 am after the deciding game of MSU versus Iowa State University the evening before.

The Bulldogs started off incredibly strong in the first quarter against MSU, leading 4-0 by the time the clock read 5:37 with a goal made by UMD's Alex McNamara (#10, Apple Valley, MN). Kevin Gaydos (#6, Lino Lakes, MN) added to UMD's score around 2:38 on the clock. McNamara couldn't hold himself to only one goal, so he attacked the net again at the end of the first quarter, leaving the score 6-0 in favor of the Bulldogs.

Head Coach Frank Clark commented "We had been focusing on dictating the tempo and the guys came out today and did just that"

Drake Peterson (#15, Terrence, OH) came out swinging at the beginning of the second quarter, for his first goal of the game. The Bulldogs continued to be on an unstoppable hot streak and really working as a team. Through this team work, UMD's midfielder Matt Murphy (#21, Eden Prairie, MN), midfielder Stan Drutowski (#28, Rosemount, MN) and McNamara (#10) all put their efforts into the net, putting the score at 10-0 before the second half was even half over.

UMD hit a snag in their sweeping game, receiving a penalty and playing one man down. The defense held strong. Directly following the penalty attackman Tyler Lorinser (#16, Chaska, MN) made his shot count, putting the Bulldogs up 11-0. McNamara (#10) and Lorinser (#16) continued to have a hot shooting streak with both making another goal, along with Drutowski (#28). By the end of the first half, the Bulldogs led unchallenged with a score of 15-0.

The third quarter continued to smile upon the Bulldogs. Gaydos (#6) got the ball rolling at the start of the third quarter, quickly followed by attack Neal Pester (#33, Savage, MN). Mankato suffered a penalty a little later in the third; giving the Bulldogs a man-up opportunity for 30 seconds and Pester (#33) decided to take advantage with another goal for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs would end up having thirteen different players in the point's column. MSU would break through in the fourth quarter and score a couple of goals against the Dogs, but in the end, it was the Bulldogs who reigned supreme. The final score for MSU versus UMD was 26 – 2.

With the first win under their belts, UMD now headed into the championship game against none other than their infamous rivals of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Golden Gophers. The Gophers had advanced as the three seed defeating Saint Cloud State and Marquette University along the way. The championship game took place on Sunday, April 29 at the Sea Foam Dome at noon.

The Bulldogs really started to click together in the second quarter. Alex McNamara (#10) got the ball rolling as he made his first goal against the Gophers' goalie. Midfielder Justin Vossen (#18, Apple Valley, MN) and Drake Peterson (#15) would soon follow suit with goals of their own. The Gophers started to make their mark with their first goal at the end of the second quarter by their attack man Jack Buckley (#44). The Bulldogs held the lead at the half 4-1.

Go to LaxPower for the second half of the article.

MBSLA Top 10 April 30, 2012

Cretin-Derham Hall makes a big jump into the Top 10 this week, coming in at #9.  CDH, in their first year of club lacrosse, looks to be building a strong program.  Their JV squad also boasts an undefeated 4-0 record. Cretin's Varsity squad topped St. Paul last week to signal a shift in the power structure of the MBSLA East Conference.  St. Paul dropped out of the Top 10 this week.  CDH also topped Grand Rapids 15-3 and Lost a close game to the new power in the East, Tartan 10-8.  Tartan moved up a couple of spots to #5 this week.

In the big game of the week, Delano proved that they are the unquestioned power in the MBSLA this year with their 12-4 shellacking of #4 Hudson.  Delano remains undefeated while Hudson still looks good with only one loss.

Shakopee also continued their ascension in the polls with a big 4-3 victory over perennial powerhouse St. Louis Park.  Shakopee is undefeated while SLP dropped precipitously in the polls from #2 to #6.  Both of St. Louis Parks losses have come to top 10 teams and they still remain a very tough team.

Duluth continues it winning ways, completing the week without a loss.  Duluth defeated rival Grand Rapids in a hard fought 6-3 game, as well as Brainerd 12-4 and Rogers 8-5.  Duluth moved up one spot in the polls, and with a 7-1 record could rise higher.  However, Duluth will need to prove its worth in the coming weeks as their strength of schedule goes way up and they play some much stronger teams than they have in the early weeks.

Defending champion MontiQuois move up one spot to #2 with a good win over top North team St. Cloud North.  St. Cloud North drops two spots in the poll to #7 after the loss.

Enigma Shattuck-St. Mary's remains at #10, where we'll keep them the entire year most likely, even though they probably have one of the top two teams in the MBSLA.  However, with only a 6 game schedule and no chance at the MBSLA playoffs their ranking is inconsequential.

Below is our MBSLA Top 10 for April 30, 2012:

Honorable mention for the Top 10:  St. Paul, North St. Paul, Rogers

UMD Tops Minnesota for UMLC Championship

The Bulldogs once again emerge victorious in the UMLC league championship game with a 9-4 victory over University of Minnesota.  With the league championship game win, UMD earns an automatic qualifier into the MCLA national champioship tournament in Greenville, SC.

The Bulldogs made it to the league championship game on the strength of their 26-2 win over Minnesota State Mankato on Saturday.  UMD was led by Alex McNamara and Ryan Butts who both scored 4 goals and had 3 assists. 

The Gophers entered the championship game after defeating Marquette 12-3.  In the championship game victory, the Bulldogs were led by Drake Peterson with 3 goals.  Alex McNamara and Ben Blaeser added 2 goals apiece while Justin Vossen and Kevin Gaydos each added a goal and an assist and Matt Murphy added an assist.  Goalie Joey Slattery had 12 saves.

The Bulldogs now prepare to head to Greenville, SC on May 14 for the start of the MCLA National Championships. 

North Coast Jaxx Summer Travel Team

The North Coast Jaxx is a new summer travel team based in the Duluth area.  This new team will compete at the U16 level and will work with the Minnesota Jaxx, a well-established and successful select lacrosse program in the Twin Cities metro area.  This will be the first summer travel lacrosse team opportunity ever in Northern Minnesota and will hopefully be a catalyst for more growth of the game in the Northern part of the state.

WHO:  The team will be open to any Northern Minnesota lacrosse player and will be composed primarily of players from the Duluth area, Grand Rapids and other Northern Minnesota lacrosse communities like Brainerd and St. Cloud.  Tryouts and practices will be held in the Duluth area.  This means it will primarily be open to current 9th and 8th graders.  There may also be a few Sophomores that would meet the U16 age requirements.  The cutoff for this team for 2012 would be players born on or after 9/1/1995.

WHEN:  Try out date is set for 2:45 p.m. Saturday, May 12 at Public Schools Stadium in Duluth, MN.  Try outs will be approximately 2 hours long and will be held after the 7/8 lacrosse games are played in Duluth.  There is NO COST to try out.  All experienced Northern Minnesota lacrosse players in the U16 age category are encouraged to try out. Registration form and waiver must be completed before tryouts.

Online registration form for tryouts can be found HERE

At a minimum, 20 players will be selected to fill the roster.

SCHEDULE:  The team will participate in two summer tournaments and the Homegrown Summer League in the Twin Cities. 

June 15-17 - Star of the North Games lacrosse tournament, Rochester, MN - High School Junior Varsity division

July 27-29 - Cherry Bomb Lacrosse Tournament, Traverse City, MI - High School "B" division

Homegrown Summer League - 8 game season starting the week of June 11 and ending the week of August 6.  The team will have the option of playing once per week during that period or doubleheaders every other week to reduce the amount of travel down to the Twin Cities for league games.  Practices will likely be twice per week.

COST:  The North Coast Jaxx will make every effort to keep costs as low as possible.  The primary goal of the North Coast Jaxx is to create more off-season lacrosse opportunities for players and grow the game in Northern Minnesota.  The player fee will simply cover the costs to participate.  This is entirely a non-profit endeavor.

To ensure that all players will be able to participate, the North Coast Jaxx will offer fundraising opportunities for players to help cover their player fee.  These opportunities will be announced as they arise.  Please contact the North Coast Jaxx if you're interested in fundraising opportunities to help cover your player fee.

CONTACT:  Andy Holak will be the team manager.  Interested players can email the North Coast Jaxx at trailrunners@gmail.com for more information. 

Additional information and updates can be found on the North Coast Jaxx webpage

Updates can also be found on the North Coast Jaxx Facebook page.

Some great highlights from the first half of the NCAA DI season

Duluth Player Nominated for STX Player of the Week

Steven Halver

Duluth-Superior Chargers attackman Steven Halver has been nominated for STX Player of the Week in the State of Minnesota.  The STX Player of the Week is an award given out to one of the top performing players in the state by STX and the MN Lax Hub, a clearinghouse powered by the Star Tribune for news and information about Minnesota lacrosse.  This is one of the first times a northern Minnesota high school lacrosse player has been recognized like this.  Please go to the MN Lax Hub and vote for a fellow northern Minnesota lacrosse player deserving of the award.  GO TO:  STX Player of the Week Award

MBSLA Top 10 After Week 1

Some interesting results during the first week of the season.  In the big game in the North, St. Cloud North squeaked by Duluth-Superior 8-7.  Delano looks as strong as ever with a big win over defending state champion MontiQuois 12-5.  Tartan tops St. Paul 12-7 in a big MBSLA East tilt while Shakopee makes a big jump into the top 10 with a win over Tartan 9-7.  The top 10 is jumbled up after week one, Brainerd drops out and Shakopee jumps in.  St. Paul drops 3 spots to #8, Duluth drops 2 spots to #9 after the loss to St. Cloud North while North jumps to #5, MontiQuois and St. Louis Park swap positions, Shakopee makes a big jump to #6 and Tartan moves up to #7.

Some big games on the horizon in the MBSLA this week:  St. Cloud North vs. MontiQuois - how strong is the North's top team?; Tartan vs. Cretin-Derham Hall - can Tartan maintain their momentum against upstart CDH?; Duluth vs. Grand Rapids - can Grand Rapids upset rival Duluth with their senior led squad?; Delano vs. Hudson - can Hudson compete with the clear top team in the state?; St. Louis Park vs. Shakopee - was Shakopee's jump into the top 10 warranted?  This game should let us know.

MBSLA Top 10:
1.  Delano
2.  St. Louis Park
3.  MontiQuois
4.  Hudson
5.  St. Cloud North
6.  Shakopee
7.  Tartan
8.  St. Paul
9.  Duluth-Superior
10. Shattuck-St. Mary's 

Honorable Mention:  Brainerd, Grand Rapids 

MN Lax Hub Top 10 - April 22, 2012 

MBSLA State Rankings | April 22, 2012

RANK	TEAM	2012 RECORD	PREV.
1.	Delano Delano | Rage	2-0	1
2.	Shattuck-St. Mary's Shattuck-St. Mary's | Sabres	2-0	2
3.	MontiQuois MontiQuois	0-1	3
4.	St. Louis Park St. Louis Park | Orioles	1-1	5
5.	Hudson Hudson | Raiders	1-0	6
6.	St. Cloud North St. Cloud North | Knights	2-0	7
7.	Shakopee Shakopee | Sabers	3-0	8
8.	St. Paul St. Paul | Celts	1-1	4
9.	Duluth Duluth | Chargers	4-1	9
10.	Tartan Tartan | Titans	1-1	NR

Proctor Rails - 2012 Northern Minnesota Lacrosse Season Preview

High School: Proctor High School

Coaches:  Head Coach- Steve Lokken - 1st year at Proctor

Last Year's Record: new team in 2012

Big Games/Games to See:  Proctor's first game of the season April 14 against local rival Duluth-Superior should be the big game of the year for the new team.

Season Outlook: Proctor is a brand new team in 2012.  The team was formed by a group of inspired and determined students wanting to build a new lacrosse program in the Proctor community.  The team perservered and created a club program to compete in the 2012 season with assistance from the Duluth-Superior club.  With some talented young lacrosse players, the team will grow as the season progresses under the guidance of coach Steve Lokken.  Wins may be hard to come by, as they are for all first year programs, but Proctor can be certain that the initiative shown by a group of young men who wanted to play lacrosse for their school will be rewarded with knowledge they are the pioneers of a new program in the North that will grow and win in the future.

St. Cloud North - 2012 Northern Minnesota Lacrosse Season Preview

High School: St. Cloud North (Sartell, Sauk Rapids, St. Cloud Apollo)


Coaches:  Head Coach- Tyler Safranek, 3 years at St. Cloud North


Last Year's Record: 5-3


Returning Starters/Key Returning Players: junior attackman Andrew Lindmeier, senior attackman Michael Whitson, defenseman Tyler Minkel, FOGO Christian Murray


Key Losses:  Goalie Alex Hoalupczak


Big Games/Games to See:  Knights vs. Duluth on April 15 for what might determine the North Conference championship (note:  Knights defeated Duluth by one goal)


Season Outlook: With several key returning players for the Knights, they clearly are the favorite to win the North Conference title again in 2012.

Grand Rapids - 2012 Northern Minnesota Lacrosse Season Preview

Team: Grand Rapid High School

 Coaches: Brad Gallop - 3rd year at Grand Rapids

Last Year's Record:1-8

Returning Starters/Key Returning Players:  Grand Rapids returns several starters from last season including senior scoring leaders Joey Keating, Aaron Smith and Brody Geisler.  Grand Rapids also returns senior starters midfielders Jace Martinetto and Doug Jensen and defenseman seniors Zach Brist, Zach Grandia, and Nate Bumgarner.

Key Losses: Attackman Ben Dunnell and defenseman Kirk Watson.

Key Newcomers:  Grand Rapids has some up and coming players that will contribute to a team led by seniors at all positions.

Big Games/Games to See: Big rivalry game against Duluth-Superior on April 26.

Season Outlook: In 2012, Grand Rapids will be led by a strong senior class.  With some solid contributions from some of their underclassmen, including a strong sophomore class, Grand Rapids looks to make some major improvements on last years 1-8 record.  With solid performances expected out of their senior class and better than expected support from their younger players, Grand Rapids might be looking at a run at a playoff spot in 2012 and a shot at the North Conference title.

Lacrosse healthy and growing in Rochester

The story of Rochester, MN and how their lacrosse community developed provides a glimpse of where many of our Northern Minnesota lacrosse programs will likely be in a few years.

Lacrosse healthy and growing in Rochester

By Jason Feldman
The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

	At a glance A brief timeline of lacrosse in Rochester: • 2002: Rochester Area Club Lacrosse is formed; 40 boys play club lacrosse at the JV level. • 2003: The RACL boys team begins club play at the varsity and JV levels. • 2006: The Rochester Girls Lacrosse Association is formed and 32 girls begin club play at the varsity level. • 2008: Rochester Youth Lacrosse Association is formed. • 2009: Rochester's high school teams begin MSHSL-sanctioned play. The three associations merge into one — Rochester Area Lacrosse. • For more information on youth and high school lacrosse in Rochester, see the Rochester Area Lacrosse club's website at www.rochesteryouthlacrosse.com

Three years ago, the Rochester Area Lacrosse club was faced with two choices.

• One, continue to play at the club level, rather than becoming a full-fledged varsity sport, sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League.

• Two, continue to fully fund their own programs with the added costs of competing in MSHSL-sanctioned play. Because of a severe budget crunch, the teams would receive no financial help from the Rochester School District.

While Rochester's boys and girls teams had a good amount of success at the club level, many schools throughout the state — specifically the most talented teams — were joining the MSHSL in 2008-09. So, option No. 2 became the choice and a small, but dedicated group of individuals worked to raise enough funds to make varsity lacrosse a reality in Rochester.

"From the beginning, our goal was to get into the Minnesota State High School League," said Rochester Century boys coach Andy Roth, who was a volunteer coach when Rochester Area Lacrosse was formed about 10 years ago with fewer than 20 players. "I don't know that we envisioned having three high school teams for boys and three for girls as quickly as we did, but lacrosse is growing really fast. Once kids play, they're hooked."

Roth credited Wes Emmert of the Rochester Athletic Club with really helping the sport grow in town. When the fledgling club had just 18 players at the start, Emmert helped it find not only a place to play, but new players, as well.

"Once Wes got involved, we went from 18 to 40 in a week," Roth said.

Though the activities directors at the city's high schools took some big tasks off the coaches' plates — particularly scheduling — as the program continued to grow and approach varsity status, more money was needed for uniforms, equipment, travel and coaches' salaries.

That's why RAL players (youth and varsity), coaches and board members spend as much — if not more — time fundraising as they do at the field. RAL president Steve Hagedorn said the club recently wrapped up its biggest fundraising push of the year, selling coupon cards that include discounts to multiple local businesses.

Hagedorn said 90 percent of the funding for the varsity and JV programs comes from student fees, which haven't been increased since the club's first season. The other 10 percent comes from the various fundraisers the club holds. For now, that money is enough to sustain programs for boys from grade 3 and up, and girls from grade 5 and up.

"Our long-range hope is to be able to put money away and arrange for our own practice facilities," said Hagedorn, who is nearing the end of a two-year term as RAL's president. "It's hard to arrange space for all of our teams."

In addition to six varsity and junior varsity teams with 40-45 players each — Lourdes co-ops with John Marshall in both boys and girls lacrosse — Hagedorn estimates there are about 160-170 players in the RAL youth program.

"We're expecting (those numbers) to keep growing," said Hagedorn, whose son Joe played at Mayo and now plays for Swarthmore (Pa.) College. "It's really exciting seeing more and more kids playing every year. The high school programs are attracting more kids each year. Our youth program has grown considerably the past three years and our fundraising has really grown."

The city's high school coaches are excited, too, about the continued growth of the youth program. That means they can spend more time working on game strategy — offensive and defensive sets and plays — and less on fundamentals.

"The first couple of years, everybody who came out for lacrosse was new to the sport," Roth said. "Now we're getting eighth- and ninth-graders coming up who are pretty skilled players. Most of the kids we've had come out will stick with it. Once they catch on, they hang on."

Brainerd Warriors - 2012 Northern Minnesota Lacrosse Season Preview

Team:   Brainerd High School

Coaches:

Tyler Brown - 4th year coaching

Dustin Aune - 2nd year coaching
Zach Brown - 1st year coaching
Ben Berghuis - 1st year coaching
Jake Reichenbach - 1st year coaching
Zach Cadwell - 1st year coaching


Last Year's Record: 5-8

Number of Returning Starters/Key Returning Players:  Starters returning from last years team include John McGillis, Senior Defenseman, Mitch Howieson, Senior Attack/Midfield.

Key Losses:  Brainerd lost 8 of their 10 starters to graduation last year, and 10 of the 30 players on varsity from last year, including all-conference performers Zach Brown, Keith Haymaker, Jake Reichenbach, Ben Berghuis, and Mark Torgerson.

Key Newcomers: The Warriors will be a young team this year, with the majority of the team being sophomores or under. The young players will be looking to make an impact on the 2012 team

Brainerd player in white

Team Strength this season:  According to Coach Brown, "Our offense looks to be pretty solid, and our defense is improving with each and every practice, but our biggest strength will be our desire to compete. We look to be able to hang with any team we play."


Games to Watch:  The opening game of the season April 20 against St. Paul North will be a good indicator for this young team and will be a game to watch.  The first big game of the season will be April 25 against conference favorite and rival St. Cloud North.

Season Outlook:   With the loss of a very good senior class, the Warriors will be looking to grow their prospects for the next few years.  The coaching staff will be working hard to get them ready for the early season.  Coach Brown points out, "We have 3 players who have been playing since 8th grade who are just now sophomores, and a few 8th graders on this years team who are already showing great progress."  Brown believes the team will grow as the season progresses and he continues, "We hope to compete for a spot in the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year."

Fargo Warriors - 2012 Northern Minnesota Lacrosse Season Preview

Team: Fargo Warriors - The Warriors are made up of players from Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead High Schools.

Coaches:
Ben Fairbanks, Head Coach –
Second year with Fargo
Sam Morse, Assistant Coach –
First year with Fargo

Last Year's Record: 1-10

Number of Returning Starters/Key Returning Players: The Warriors return 6 MBSLA North All Conference players from last season who look to be a strong foundation for the team. Those players are Aaron Monson Senior midfielder, John Deelstra Senior Defensman, Ben Noah Sophmore Midfielder, Danie Evenson Junior Goalie, Mike Kringlie Senior Midfielder, and Joe Noah Junior Defense. Among this years Seniors Aaron Monson and John Deelstra are expected to make an strong impact as they step into leadership roles during practice and games to help guide the team through its second season.

Key Losses: Junior Attackman Tannor Lindstrom has moved his talents North as he will be playing with his hometown of Grand Forks as they play their inaugural season and help to continue the growth of lacrosse throughout North Dakota.

Key Newcomers to this years team: Junior Midfielder Carter Schulke looks to have an immediate impact on the team as he comes to the Fargo area with years of experience having played previously in the lacrosse program in Ohio.  Senior Defenseman Ben Nelson will give the Warrior defense the physical presence it needs in this years defensive scheme put in place by new Assistant Coach Sam Morse.

Team Strength this season: Determination & Optimism. Strong Goaltending and Midfield play will help the Warriors to control the game on both ends of the field.

Games to Watch:  With Grand Cities lacrosse joining the ranks of teams in North Dakota, meetings between the two teams have the possibility of growing into a great rivalry for years to come.  Games to watch this season will be when the Warriors face off against Grand Rapids on May 19^th and Brainerd on the 20^th.  Both of these teams squeaked by the Warriors with 1 goal victories last season and these match ups will be strong indicators of how the program has grown over the last year.

Season Outlook:   The Fargo Warriors will be returning every player but one from last year's roster.  With another year of experience and some new players coming in, the Warriors have high hopes for their team in 2012.  Coach Fairbanks believes that, "With there still being a lot of youth on this years roster we are looking to continue to grow game by game and stay determined throughout the season focusing on winning the small battles in every game."  With improvement throughout the season Coach Fairbanks adds, "Our ultimate goal will be a winning record and a birth into the state tournament."