April 26, 2006

Pennsylvania is on the clock.

With close to 200 high school boys' teams now playing the sport, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association is expected to approve the sanctioning of the sport during a vote this summer. Official state championships will likely begin with the Spring 2008 season.

"With the growth that we've had in this sport, it's time for the school districts to take over," said Rich Lefever, Head Coach at Manheim Township High School, located in the Lancaster area. "And for lacrosse to continue to grow, it must go to the PIAA level."

Lefever explains that current funding and support can vary widely from one team and one school district to another. His Manheim Township squad, regarded as one of the strongest teams in the state and recognized as a varsity sport, is unique in that it has nearly full funding by the district. That funding not only covers salaries, equipment and officials costs, but also allows Lefever to schedule more costly out-of-region games against the traditional Eastern powers of the state.

"We're certainly fortunate in our funding, but we're the exception," he said. "Some schools might be getting partial funding. And at some schools, kids are paying as much as two hundred or three hundred dollars to play. There's lots of disparity."

Lefever says that he still hears some resistance to the measure, but the overwhelming ground-swell for PIAA status should bring approval during this summer's vote.

"The only ones that are really against the PIAA sanctioning are the districts that don't currently have lacrosse," said Lefever. "The athletic directors in districts that have teams are all in support. The resistance is getting smaller and smaller."

Lefever and others involved in Pennsylvania lacrosse have helped organize an unofficial state championship for several years, with the state's central region champion playing the western region (Pittsburgh-area) champion, and the winner of that contest then advancing to face the Philadelphia-area champion.

"We may lose some of the traditional teams in the Philadelphia area when the sport goes to the PIAA, but eventually, I think they will jump on board for a chance to play for an official state championship," Lefever said. "Many of the Philadelphia schools have already opened their arms to the state's newer programs by scheduling games. That can only help all of our programs and the sport as a whole as kids are exposed to the quality of play at some of the traditional state powers."

Manheim improved to 13-3 overall with a 20-6 win over Ephrata on Tuesday.

•Also in Pennsylvania, the sixth annual Katie Samson Lacrosse Festival, one of the Mid-Atlantic region's top events, takes place this Saturday at Radnor High School (for girls' teams) and The Haverford School (for boys' teams). Expected to attract 40 high school teams, the event is a tribute to the courage and perseverance of its namesake, who was a star player at Radnor High School and Middlebury College before becoming the victim of a spinal cord trauma in a sledding accident in January, 2000, leaving her paralyzed from the chest down.

In addition to the non-stop games among some of the region's top teams, the festival activities at both locations include plenty of family and kid-friendly attractions, including rides, face-painting, balloon artists, moon-bounces, raffles, and plenty of food. The $5 admission fee includes unlimited Kids' FANZONE fun.

Festival proceeds will be donated to fund spinal cord research through the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation and the NTAF Spinal Cord Injury Program to support Samson's ongoing uninsured medical needs, and to Magee Rehab in Philadelphia to support their wheelchair athletes. Samson, who eventually returned to Middlebury and graduated cum laude with a double major in anthropology and art history, is now in her second year at the University of Arizona, where she is pursuing a master's degree in Art History.

•The Haverford boys are ranked first in Pennsylvania, with 10 straight wins since opening with a 10-7 loss to Maryland power St. Paul's. Haverford does boast three wins against Maryland teams, with impressive victories over Gilman, Severn and Landon.

•The Radnor girls are 9-1 overall and also ranked among Pennsylvania's best. Radnor posted arguably its biggest win of the season earlier this week, winning 13-8 against previously undefeated West Chester East.

•Meanwhile, in Michigan, the second annual Battle to Beat Cancer game between Birmingham Seaholm and Detroit Country Day, two of the state's top ranked teams, raised over $21,000.00 for the Karmanos Cancer Institute last weekend. In addition to playing for a good cause, the game featured a coaching match-up of father vs. son on the sidelines, with Jake Kenney's Birmingham squad prevailing 6-4 over his dad's Detroit Country Day team.