By Jake Luce
Maxpreps.com
Lacrosse has expanded rapidly throughout the Northeast, with major hubs having been established in Boston, New York, Baltimore and Washington D.C. Naturally the growth has continued, and high school lacrosse programs are now featured in nearly every state in the country.
In comparison to the rest of the east coast, lacrosse is still in its adolescence in South Carolina, with just over 50 public and private high schools in the state fielding teams.
Hilton Head High School was the first in the state to establish both boys and girls lacrosse programs. In 2000, the contest between Heathwood Hall and Hilton Head boys' teams was the first high school level lacrosse game played in South Carolina.
Over the past decade, newly established high school programs have been popping up every year, giving youth the opportunity to play a sport that is relatively unfamiliar to the southern culture.
Hal Ness, one of the founding members of the Myrtle Beach Lacrosse Club, was a major catalyst for the growth of lacrosse at the high school level in South Carolina. Ness made numerous presentations about the sport to principals and superintendents, which ultimately led to the adoption of many of the current high school programs in South Carolina.
One example is in Greenville County, where seven schools initiated both boys and girls teams following one of Ness’ lacrosse presentations.
Currently, the majority of high school teams operate in three core areas of the state: Columbia, Charleston/Myrtle Beach and Greenville. In correlation, the state’s consistently dominant teams have been Hilton Head, Wando (Charleston), Heathwood Hall (Columbia) and Greenville, the latter being the reigning South Carolina Lacrosse League (SCLL) champions.
In 2004, the Greenville lacrosse program’s first season, the team made an appearance in the league championship game, and has since won the last two SCLL championships.
Next year, Spartanburg is investing in both boys and girls lacrosse programs and their adoption of the sport should spark the interest of other high schools in the area.
When establishing new lacrosse programs, it usually only takes one or two high schools in a region to implement the sport before other athletic departments realize the opportunity and potential of another spring sport.
When asked about the involvement in the newly formed programs, Ness responded, “There’s 1000 percent interest. It’s not a problem once these kids are presented with the opportunity to play lacrosse.”
Because lacrosse is new in the area, it has yet to be realized as a sanctioned sport by the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL). This year, 17 boys teams and 15 girls teams applied for the sanction; the SCHSL requires a minimum of 16 teams of each gender for the sport to be recognized.
Ness feels that once lacrosse is officially sanctioned, there will be an explosion of lacrosse programs in South Carolina. “Anywhere that lacrosse is today, involvement will be quadrupled over the next 10 years. Once it gets into an area, the curiosity and enthusiasm is contagious.”
Despite the excitement about lacrosse in the region, there are some factors that inhibit the expansion of the sport. Some obvious deterrents to growth include a limited number of quality coaches, the lack of field space and limited youth programs.
Beyond the obvious, some athletic directors are reluctant to be concerned about any sport not already firmly entrenched in the department.
Another factor restricting growth is money. Because the sport is not yet sanctioned, some lacrosse teams are fully supported by the athletic departments while others are forced to pay for the entire program with booster club fundraisers.
In many areas of South Carolina, a football program’s success creates a rivaled competition between flourishing athletic departments. If and when one school has the opportunity to adopt a proven and developing sport like lacrosse, others will likely follow in their footsteps.
Some credit the collegiate club lacrosse teams at schools like South Carolina and Clemson for the increased enthusiasm about lacrosse.
Greg Roberts, a fourth-year assistant coach for Heathwood Hall has witnessed the development first hand.
“The influence of college teams around the state has had a direct impact on the high school player and teams," Roberts said. "It seems like every summer there is more involvement at the collegiate and high school levels.”
The opportunity to watch the highest level of collegiate lacrosse on television has also sparked interest in areas that never had the ability to see the game played. In years past, ESPN only televised the Men’s Lacrosse Final Four, but this year with almost fifty Division I games scheduled to be televised, fans have the convenience to enjoy quality lacrosse every weekend.
The recent surge of lacrosse programs proves the receptiveness and interest of the youth in the state. With continued expansion and time for growth, lacrosse will likely be competing with baseball in the future as the dominant spring sport for high schools in South Carolina.
Jake Luce covers South Carolina for MaxPreps. He may be reached at lucej@mailbox.sc.edu.
