May 8, 2008

by Paul Ohanian, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

Last week's dual announcements from Hobart College regarding its intent, initially, to reclassify men's lacrosse to Division III and then, subsequently, to remain in Division I, provided an emotional roller coaster for many supporters of the program. But what about the recruits?

Tanner Seago is a senior defenseman for Dublin Jerome (Ohio) High School and one of four players on the team to commit to Division I college programs. As one of Hobart's incoming recruits for 2008-09, the events of the past two weeks were of prime interest to him.

"Initially, I found out when one of my friends sent me a text message on Saturday night," said Seago, who had not seen an e-mail sent to him from the school earlier in the day. "I was stunned. I had always [read] rumors on online forums, but never thought it would really happen. I couldn't believe it."

The following day, Seago contacted a couple of current Hobart players he had met during his recruiting visit last fall to get more details. That evening, all the incoming recruits had a conference call with Mike Hanna, Hobart's director of athletics. He outlined their options, including the choice to go to another school.

"All year, I was really excited about going there and playing Division I lacrosse," said Seago. "I loved Hobart. That's where I wanted to go for the next four years."

Statesmen head coach Matt Kerwick also called following the first announcement, offering his assistance if Seago wanted to explore other schools. Seago did have some e-mail exchanges with coaches at other programs, but had not yet made any decisions, when Hobart's second announcement came forth.

"I was super excited that they were going back to Division I," he said. That excitement, however, is still tempered with a little skepticism.

"I'm a little nervous because in the back of my mind, I'm thinking that they can do this again once I get there," said Seago, who is also a member of the National Honor Society.

In the midst of all this, Seago must refocus on Dublin Jerome's playoff push. The Celtics recorded a big overtime win over Thomas Worthington on Wednesday and have five regular season games remaining. While he says that he still plans to honor his commitment to Hobart, Seago also thought that college would be the least of his concerns at this point.

"I never thought it would end up being like this."

All's Peachy in Georgia

The pairings are set for Saturday's Georgia boys' state championship game, following the completion of the semifinals Wednesday. McIntosh defeated defending champion Westminster, 10-9, in overtime. Lovett, which won back-to-back state titles in 2004-05, defeated Milton in the other semifinal.

On the girls' side, Milton (16-5) will try to secure their fourth straight Georgia state championship Saturday against Westminster (20-1). The two teams are meeting in the championship game for the third time in four years, with Milton prevailing in both 2005 and 2006. All five of Milton's losses this year have come against out-of-state opponents, while Westminster has won 14 straight since its only setback in mid-March. The Wildcats advanced to the final with a 13-12 overtime win in the semifinal against Marist.

The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) began sanctioning lacrosse as a championship sport in 2005. The growth of the game, which now includes almost 100 boys' and girls' programs, has surprised even the GHSA leadership.

"There are no historical roots for this sport in the Deep South, [so] that's what really makes it kind of an interesting phenomenon," GHSA executive director Ralph Swearngin recently told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. "One of the things that we do when we sanction a sport, there has to be some sign that it's going to be a stable sport. I don't know that any of us anticipated such rapid growth."

Tier-ing Up in Maine

As with any emerging sport, lacrosse programs develop at different speeds. Because of that, lopsided results are not uncommon. Tired of that trend, the state of Maine has implemented a system to bring more competitive balance to all teams. Beginning this season, high school boys' teams are using a tiered scheduling system based loosely on a precedent set by hockey programs.

Developed primarily by Gary Hoyt, the athletics director at Cheverus High School, the system groups teams based on their results over a five-year span. The groupings are only used for scheduling purposes, and do not replace the state's Class A and Class B classification system.

Cheverus' coach Deke Andrew was an instant convert.

"This new schedule creates better competition with teams matched against teams of similar strength, and will help to minimize the mismatches that have plagued Maine high school lacrosse for many years," he told The Forecaster. "I believe strongly that it's in the best interests of the kids and the game of lacrosse."

"In the beginning, it will be a learning curve, but overall it will be really good for lacrosse," added South Portland coach Tom Fiorini. "It probably needed to be done."

The state boasts approximately 40 teams, split between the Class A and B divisions.

Texas Shootout

They're down to the final four in Texas. Highland Park faces Austin, and Woodlands plays defending champion Dallas Episcopal in Saturday's Division I boys' semifinals. In Division II, 2007 champion Cy-Fair plays Coppell, and Cedar Park meets Highland Park II. Championship games for both divisions will be played on Sunday.

The Texas girls' state championship weekend features six teams in Divisions I and Division II. Three-time defending Division I champion St. John's, which has a 20-game in-state winning streak, is the top seed and team to beat. Kinkaid is the No. 1 seed in Division II.