Category: Games

by WisconsinLacrosse

WLF 2021 Spring Schedule Update

WLF 2021 Spring Schedule Update

The Boys’ and Girls’ High School Lacrosse season will begin March 8th, 2021 or week 36 of the WIAA calendar as normal.  Tournament play and the State Invitational and Championships will conclude on June 12th, 2021.  After much discussion amongst the board, athletic directors, coaches, and the official’s contingency, the board concluded that leaving the season as normally scheduled is in the best interest of both the Girls’ and Boys’ High School programs.

Under consideration were:

  • Health and Safety to our student-athletes under current and potential COVID protocol
  • Impact on both girls’ and boys’ lacrosse programs
  • Facility and resources of a delayed and condensed season
  • Official and Umpire coverage of a delayed and condensed season
  • Crossover athletes between sports

With those being the foundational considerations, delaying the season provided no significant benefit at this time. If warranted, the board may revisit this decision as we know we are still in a very fluid situation regarding the health and safety of our student-athletes.  Until then, plan accordingly and play ball.

Thank you,

WLF Board of Directors

Erin M. Ennis
President

by Brian Salgado

Waunakee Holds Off Verona for First MadLax Title Since 2014

The Verona boy’s lacrosse team has been the class of the Madison Area Lacrosse (MadLax) Conference and among the best in the state for years, with rival Waunakee looking up at the Wildcats as a program to emulate.

However, 2017 became the year of the Warriors Tuesday night as Waunakee won the MadLax Conference title with a hard-fought 8-7 victory at Badger Ridge Middle School in Verona.
“I think our kids have taken their lumps against Verona for the last few years,” Waunakee coach Mike Reiter said. “Verona is always such a good program with great athletes, and they play with such tremendous pride and passion. I really admire that about their program, and I think our kids have matched that today.”

Waunakee (11-5, 9-1 MadLax) was in control most of the game with staunch defense and taking advantage of numerous Verona (15-3, 8-2) penalties. Three the Warriors’ eight goals were scored in man-up situations.

“Like most teams, we spend a fair amount of time on our specialty stuff,” Reiter said. “From our perspective, it’s just about playing good, solid defense and figuring out that instead of trying to do trail checks and things that are going to cause turnovers, we should just play good body defense.”

The Warriors took a 7-4 lead with 9 minutes, 47 seconds left to play when senior attack Brayden Johnson scored his third goal of the game off an assist from senior middie Bryk Austin Duren. The Wildcats responded with three unanswered goals in next 2:15 to tie the game with 6:37 left in the game. Verona senior middie Patrick Stigsell led the charge with a goal and an assist in that stretch. Junior attack Ian Edwards scored his second goal of the game to make it a 7-6 score, and junior attack Graham Sticha tied it with his second goal of the game.

“When you have kids that play with passion like Verona does, they’re not going to give up,” Reiter said. “I give a lot of credit to them because they wanted to get back into the game and they made a couple nice plays and dodges and finished.”

Waunakee withstood the onslaught and managed to take the lead for good when sophomore middie Nick Robson scored the game-winning goal at the 6:14 mark in the fourth quarter. The Warrior defense and senior goalie Jeremy Krysinski took over from there, squashing Verona’s remaining scoring opportunities and killing a Wildcats’ man-up situation at the 6-minute mark to claim the conference crown.

“We had this game circled for a while now,” Robson said. “It just boosted our confidence even more going into the playoffs because it’s a big win for everyone. Everyone was juiced about it.”
Krysinski finished the game with seven saves for Waunaukee, and junior Kam Olsen added two goals for the Warriors.

Verona coach Nate Lutterman admitted his team made far too many mental mistakes against a strong Waunakee team, but he remains hopeful heading into the state playoffs as the No. 1 team in the state.

“We should be optimistic because Waunakee is a very good team,” Lutterman said. “Those are the types of matchups we need to embrace. The difference between this year and last year for us is we’ve had a little bit more of it and we’re hoping that’s a good thing going into the playoffs.”

 

Each week WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight a select game from around the State of Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Amplify Lacrosse.

by Brian Salgado

LAXtravaganza Celebrates Milwaukee’s Youth Players, History of Lacrosse

Jim Calder has attended lacrosse events of every kind across North America throughout his four-decade career, so he knows when a community has truly embraced the sport. As he arrived at University School of Milwaukee’s campus for LAXtravaganza on Saturday morning, he quickly realized the Milwaukee market was pumped for the occasion.

“There’s a buzz,” said Calder, a longtime ambassador of the sport based in Canada who came to the Milwaukee Area Youth Lacrosse Association’s (MAYLA) annual event to deliver a presentation on the history of the sport.

“You know when things are dead, and you know when there’s a buzz, and there’s a buzz here. You can see people are excited.”

That excitement has translated to ongoing growth for lacrosse at just about every level of competition throughout Wisconsin, and the youth divisions are no exception.

According to Mary DiGiacomo, secretary of MAYLA and the director of LAXtravaganza, the 2017 edition grew to 90 teams playing across seven fields over two days. In 2016, the “festival” attracted 72 teams.

MAYLA uses the term “festival” to differentiate its event from tournaments that are run throughout the area. DiGiacomo said the association launched LAXtravganza in 2012 as an annual affair (it was canceled in 2013 due inclement weather delaying the start of the youth season) to celebrate youth lacrosse, so teams may keep score, but there is no final champion declared at the end of Day 2.

“We started this as a way to give back to what MAYLA provides the members of the league,” DiGiacomo said.

With hundreds of boys and girls participating in 171 games over two days, DiGiacomo estimated that between 2,800 and 3,300 spectators would attend LAXtravaganza 2017 – if the weather cooperated. Considering the dreary conditions most of the weekend, that expectation might not have been met.

However, the excitement was still palpable, especially because someone with Calder’s pedigree in lacrosse was in attendance. These days, Calder travels throughout this continent reminding athletes and parents alike about the historical significance lacrosse has in the cultural fabric of North America.

The Creator’s Game – as the First Nations of Canada call lacrosse – was first played by these tribes long before it evolved into its current format, and Calder is on a mission to make its participants aware of their role in the game.

“I think it’s important because it gives you respect for the game from the beginning because you understand you’re just a little tiny part of a thing that’s been going on 10,000 years,” said Calder, who has penned two books about lacrosse and is presently planning the 150th anniversary celebration of the game’s organization as a modern sport. “It’s important to understand that you’re playing a game unlike any other in the world – it’s a spiritual game.”

Each week WisconsinLacrosse.com will highlight select games from around the State of Wisconsin. Made possible by a donation from Amplify Lacrosse.   

by Brian Salgado

State Preview Becomes a Laser Show

Friday night’s matchup between the Kettle Moraine and Arrowhead boys lacrosse teams at Carroll University’s Schneider Stadium had all the trappings of a sneak peek of the a potential state final matchup. The game featured two perennial Wisconsin powerhouses battling for first place in the toughest conference at the site where the state title game is scheduled about a month from now.

Instead of a nail-biter, however, Kettle Moraine – the No. 5 team in the state – beat top-ranked Arrowhead 18-6, taking sole possession of first in the Classic 8 – Red Conference while sending a message to the rest of Wisconsin that the defending champions aren’t ready to relinquish their crown just yet.

“Last year, we played on this field and we won state, so I love this field,” senior middie Nick Psicihulis said. “This [game] pretty much clinches the [conference] championship if we can just carry it out from here, so this is a great win for us as a team.”

Despite winning the state title in 2016, Kettle Moraine (13-6, 3-0 Classic 8 – Red) lost at Arrowhead (8-2, 4-1) during the regular season. In fact, the Lasers entered the game with a 3-10 record against the Warhawks overall.

“It’s a great opponent and a very emotional game with the KM/Arrowhead rivalry, and they generally have had our number throughout the years, so it was nice to see that tonight,” Lasers coach Michael Stefan said. “With the rivalry, we tried to downplay the emotion because we wanted them to worry more about the game rather than the rivalry. But they were excited and had the whole week to prep for this game.”

That dominance evaporated early in Friday’s game as the Lasers took a 4-0 lead with 3 minutes, 13 seconds left in the first quarter and never looked back. Psicihulis had two assists and a goal during that stretch.

The Warhawks closed to within two goals in the second quarter. Arrowhead started the period with a 3-1 scoring run – including one of Kyle Cissne’s two goals – to make the score 6-4.

However, the Lasers extended their lead to 9-4 heading into halftime and turned up the intensity after intermission. In the second half, Kettle Moraine’s athleticism proved no match for Arrowhead as the Lasers ran through and around would-be defenders to finish the game with a 9-2 scoring run.

Freshman Chris Bender led Kettle Moraine with four goals, and Malloy Murphy added three goals and three assists, as well.
It takes a team effort to get the nonstop clock rolling against your fiercest rival that also happens to be the No. 1 team in the state – and that’s exactly what Stephan got out of the Lasers on Friday night.

“It wasn’t one individual player, but it was 26 of them, so I’m proud of that,” Stephan said. “This game is always one of the biggest of the season not just because of the rivalry, but because of the implications. The conference championship generally has run through Arrowhead the last couple years, and while we’ve been doing well, they’re generally the team to beat.”
Kettle Moraine will host Waukesha next Tuesday for next Classic 8 – Red matchup. Arrowhead hosts Appleton East Saturday.