Wednesday, April 14, 2004

The Warriors bring lacrosse back

To the Wood River Valley

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By MICHAEL AMES
Express Staff Writer

Lacrosse has never been big in Idaho. The Wood River Valley has seen the sport come and go, but it never stays for long.

"When I first coached a team here in the early 90’s, there were only a couple of teams in the entire state," says Wood River Warriors coach Sean St. Johns.

A graduate of University of California-Santa Barbara, St Johns was the head coach of the local team in 1992 and 1993 before the squad dissolved.

Now, thanks to the work and enthusiasm of a dedicated group of lacrosse aficionados, St. Johns has a team to coach.

Again.

The Wood River Warriors High School Lacrosse Club is a fully functioning, competitive, travel lacrosse team in 2004.

With players ranging in age from 13 to high school seniors, the Warriors are composed mainly of Wood River High School athletes. Many are picking up lacrosse in addition to their primary sports of football, hockey and soccer.

The father-son team of Alan and Joe Stevenson is the driving force behind the Warriors. Joe played goal in Boise and since returning to the Wood River Valley has been introducing lacrosse to schoolmates.

The Warriors now boast 30 players and compete in the established Treasure Valley Lacrosse League in Boise.

In their first weekend of competition this year, the Warriors faced two teams of the eight in the Treasure Valley Lacrosse League. The Warriors lost both games last weekend.

On Saturday April 10, the Warriors suffered a 10-1 loss o the Bishop Kelly. Not only was this the first competitive game for the Warriors, but it came against "one of, if not the best, teams in the league," said St. Johns.

Joe Stevenson in goal and a tough defense kept this game somewhat close. For lacrosse, a fast and unpredictable game, a nine-goal spread does not necessarily indicate a huge loss.

Stevenson’s 32 saves on 42 shots was a great performance. Matt Jost had the "lone inspiring goal." Bishop Kelly players and coaches alike were impressed with Wood River’s debut performance.

Sunday’s game was a better performance, but a tough 4-3 OT loss to Centennial. "We were outmatched in stick skills, being a first year team," said coach St. Johns.

"But we didn’t lack heart or enthusiasm and this really close game showed that we can play with teams that have been playing for much longer than we have," he said.

The Warriors are not officially recognized by any high school. For the self-supporting club, this means purchasing all their own equipment: sticks, balls, helmets, pads and goals.

Travel is another expense taken on by the players and parents. The team is currently seeking local sponsorship to help shoulder some of these mounting costs.

Upcoming games will be April 17 against Boise and April 18 against Meridian. Both games will be played in Boise.

Parents and fans are strongly encouraged to come see the fast, non-stop action of lacrosse first hand. If you have never been to a lacrosse game, you will not be disappointed by this past-paced spectator sport.

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.