DARIEN, Conn. - Connecticut lacrosse fans won’t have to wait long for some top-flight match-ups as four area high school powers get together in Darien Saturday for the Battle Across the Sound.
The event will feature the Manhasset Indians taking on the host Darien Blue Wave at noon, with the Garden City Trojans versus the New Canaan Rams to follow at 2:30 p.m.
The day is a fundraiser sponsored by Lacrosse Unlimited, with donations to benefit Lacrosse for Autism and Stamford Education 4 Autism.
The Battle Across the Sound was an annual event which began in the late 1990s before being ended a few years ago.
New Canaan Head Coach Alex Whitten and Garden City Head Coach Steve Finnell are former teammates of the Duke University men’s lacrosse team, and the two spoke about holding a lacrosse benefit.
“The Battle of the Sound has happened before and then it kind of died off a couple of years ago,” Whitten said. “Steve Finnell, the Garden City coach, and I played lacrosse together at Duke. So we originally threw around the idea of having it be a cancer benefit and then Lacrosse Unlimited approached me about it.
“We’re going to make that doubleheader every year a Lax For Autism event,” Whitten said. “That’s a great fundraiser for a great cause and it’ll also be two pretty good lacrosse games.”
Lacrosse for Autism has a number of upcoming fundraisers, including a college matchup at Fairfield University on Saturday, April 25. The matchup will have the St. John’s Red Storm taking on the Fairfield Stags with faceoff set for 1 p.m. That game will benefit Stamford Education 4 Autism.
Also on April 25 is a high school matchup between Madison and Summit high schools in Summit, New Jersey — a benefit for The Lacrosse For Autism through Summit Youth Lacrosse Club.
On May 3, St. John’s will host the Duke Blue Devils at 1 p.m. to benefit The Cody Center for autism and developmental disabilities.
The Battle Across the Sound is for a good cause, and provides a glimpse of four strong teams.
The Connecticut squads just began their seasons this week and Darien finished last season with a 22-1 record and was ranked first in the State and 23rd Nationally. New Canaan was 14-7 and was ranked eighth in Connecticut.
Garden City, which ranked 11th in New York with a 15-5 record last year, has opened this season with a 5-1 mark, while Manhasset, which was 14-4 and ranked 20th in New York last year, is 4-1.
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps.com writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com
