Lacrosse was fastest growing high school sport for boys in 2008

Source : ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS -- More high school students than ever before are playing high school sports, according to a group representing the country's state high school athletic associations.

The National Federation of State High School Associations, citing figures from its 50 members and the District of Columbia, said a record 7,429,381 students took part in high school athletics in the 2007-08 school year. That represents 54.8 percent of students enrolled in high schools last year, according to the study.

"This is certainly another great report on the interest of high school sports in our nation's schools," NFHS executive director Robert F. Kanaby said. "The fact that we experienced all-time records for both girls and boys reflects the fact that the high school sports participation experience is more viable than ever and is of great interest to our nation's young people." The 2007-08 numbers also set all-time highs along gender lines, with 3,057,266 girls and 4,372,115 boys participating in 2007-08. The girls' figure surpassed the total of 3,021,807 set in 2006-07, while the boys' figure eclipsed the former record of 4,367,442 set in 1977-78.

According to state-by-state results, Texas had the most high school athletes with 779,049, followed by California (735,497), New York (380,870), Ohio (346,571), Illinois (336,646), Michigan (315,734), Pennsylvania (286,992), New Jersey (256,837), Minnesota (230,068) and Florida (227,157).

Among girls, basketball remained the most-played sport with 449,450 participants, followed by outdoor track and field, volleyball, fast-pitch softball and soccer. Competitive spirit squads gained the most female participants in 2007-08, followed by soccer and cross country, according to the report.

For boys, football was the most-played sport with 1,108,286 participants, followed by basketball, outdoor track and field, baseball and soccer, according to the report. Lacrosse gained the most participants among boys, followed by soccer, swimming and diving, and cross country.

When numbers for boys and girls are put together, the largest-growing high school sport in 2007-08 was bowling, with a 17 percent overall increase in participation. Lacrosse was close behind with a 14 percent increase, according to the report. The NFHS has compiled the survey from its member associations since 1971. The full report is available at the association's Web site.

NJ Pride Close Team Offices

Source: Inside Lacrosse Blog

The New Jersey Pride have closed their offices and general manager Steve Ferretti will be managing the Pride as the team’s only full-time employee throughout the offseason, sources confirmed this week.

The Pride are one of a number of teams looking to solidify ownership issues over the coming months, leading to widespread speculation about relocation for at least three teams around the league.

The Pride have been owned by a limited liability company associated with New Balance since June, and played a game against the Barrage in Portland, Ore., on August 9. The Pride’s situation is markedly different from the Barrage, who were owned and operated by the MLL all season and are also looking for a new home.

“From what I understand, the game we had in Portland was hosted by the Lumberjax, and every layman can figure out maybe Portland wants to own a team, but it’s a very fluid thing that changes week to week,” Ferretti said.

The coaching staff and team roster remain in tact, though a number of players have expressed concern over how many of their teammates would be willing to play home games on the other side of the country.

When reached for comment, MLL Commissioner Dave Gross said he was not in a position to comment on any of the clubs’ ownership.

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A matter of Pride for New Jersey's lacrosse team - Star Ledger

Sunday, June 29, 2008

BY JENNY VRENTAS

Star-Ledger Staff

As Major League Lacrosse attempts to expand -- in number of teams as well as popularity -- the New Jersey Pride face growing pains. As a result, it is one of the franchises MLL Commissioner David Gross said the league is "monitoring."

"New Jersey is an interesting market to say the least," Gross said.

In 2007, the Pride ranked second-to-last in attendance, averaging 2,647 fans per game. In New Jersey's first two home games this season, the average crowd was 2,343 -- last in the league.

The Pride have played in four stadiums since 2001, so venue has been an ongoing battle. The current venue, Rutgers' Yurcak Field, boasts a top-notch playing surface, but has bleacher seating and is not permitted to sell beer. On the other hand, the team that draws the most fans, the Denver Outlaws, plays at INVESCO Field, where fans and players enjoy all the amenities of an NFL stadium -- including beer.

The Pride is also one of two MLL franchises not centered in a city -- the Long Island Lizards are the other -- and Pride acting GM Stephen Ferretti believes the commuter-driven crowd has taken a hit due to rising gas prices.

"But the biggest hurdle we have, being in the New York-area," Ferretti said, "is that we are in a super-saturated sports market."

This summer, Philadelphia is a road team, playing its "home games" at test markets including Dallas and Virginia Beach. Gross said the league hopes to add six new expansion teams over the next decade -- but there is always the possibility, he added, of a new market replacing a current one instead. . .

Read the full article here.

Big East Lacrosse Debuts in 2010

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The BIG EAST Conference will formally begin sponsoring the sport of men's lacrosse beginning in the spring of 2010. The announcement about the Conference adding its 24^th sport was made today by Commissioner Michael Tranghese following a unanimous vote by the league's 16 Directors of Athletics during their recent annual spring meeting.

The seven conference schools that will participate in the newly formed league are Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, St. John's, Syracuse and Villanova. The teams will play a six-game single round-robin regular season schedule. The BIG EAST will apply for an automatic bid to the 16-team NCAA Championship field.

Syracuse won the 2008 NCAA Men's Lacrosse national title, the program's 10^th, after earning an at-large bid as a Division I Independent. Notre Dame also garnered a berth into the national tournament as an automatic qualifier from the Great Western Lacrosse League. Currently, Georgetown, Rutgers and St. John's are part of the ECAC, Providence is a member of the MAAC and Villanova plays in the Colonial Athletic Association.

"We are looking forward to the excitement that men's lacrosse will bring to the BIG EAST Conference," said Commissioner Tranghese. "We have schools with established and successful programs, which want to come together and compete under the BIG EAST brand."

Men's lacrosse will be the BIG EAST's 11^th men's sport while the Conference conducts 13 women's sports.

NJ Varsity Playoff Schedule

Date & Time	Site	Home	Away
5/29/2008 17:00	Watchung Hills	Immaculata	Morristown-Beard
5/29/2008 19:00	Watchung Hills	Delbarton	Bergen Catholic
5/30/2008 17:00	Ridge	West Morris	Moorestown
5/30/2008 17:00	Johnson Regional	Mountain Lakes	Chatham
5/30/2008 19:00	Ridge	Ridgewood	Montgomery
5/30/2008 19:00	Johnson Regional	Hunterdon Central	Bridgewater
6/2/2008 17:00	Bridgewater	TBA	TBA
6/2/2008 19:00	Bridgewater	TBA	TBA
6/4/2008 17:00	Kean University	TBA	TBA
6/4/2008 19:00	Kean University	TBA	TBA
6/7/2008 13:00	Rutgers	TBA	TBA

NJ Boys Varsity Lacrosse Schedule for 5/4/08

Date & Time	Home	Away
5/4/2008 Sun 1:00 PM	Seton Hall Prep	Newark Academy
5/4/2008 Sun 1:00 PM	Montclair	Montclair Kimberle...
5/4/2008 Sun 1:00 PM	West Essex	Glen Ridge
5/4/2008 Sun 2:00 PM	Columbia	Caldwell
5/4/2008 Sun 4:00 PM	Bergen Catholic (@Ramapo)	Don Bosco
5/4/2008 Sun 6:00 PM	Ridgewood (@Ramapo)	Glen Rock

NJ Boys Varsity Lacrosse Schedule for 5/3/08

Date & Time	Home	Away
5/3/2008 Sat 11:00 AM	St. Josephs (Montv...	Boonton
5/3/2008 Sat 1:00 PM	Bernards	St. Peters (JC)
5/3/2008 Sat 2:00 PM	Indian Hills	Wayne Hills
5/3/2008 Sat 2:00 PM	St. Josephs (Metuc...	Old Bridge
5/3/2008 Sat 2:00 PM	Nutley	Pascack Valley
5/3/2008 Sat 2:00 PM	Morristown-Beard	Ridge
5/3/2008 Sat 2:00 PM	Red Bank Catholic	Brick Memorial
5/3/2008 Sat 2:00 PM	Lawrence High	New Egypt
5/3/2008 Sat 2:00 PM	Jackson Memorial	Manasquan
5/3/2008 Sat 2:30 PM	Moorestown Friends	Shipley
5/3/2008 Sat 2:30 PM	North Hunterdon	Bridgewater
5/3/2008 Sat 2:30 PM	Monsignor Donovan	St. Rose (Belmar)
5/3/2008 Sat 2:30 PM	Summit	Chatham
5/3/2008 Sat 3:00 PM	Old Tappan	Demarest
5/3/2008 Sat 3:00 PM	Morris Catholic	Glen Rock
5/3/2008 Sat 3:00 PM	Kinnelon	Ramapo
5/3/2008 Sat 3:00 PM	Mountain Lakes	Northern Highlands
5/3/2008 Sat 3:00 PM	Fair Lawn	Blair
5/3/2008 Sat 3:00 PM	Delbarton	Montclair
5/3/2008 Sat 3:00 PM	Peddie	South Brunswick
5/3/2008 Sat 3:00 PM	East Brunswick	North Brunswick
5/3/2008 Sat 3:00 PM	Princeton High	Moorestown
5/3/2008 Sat 3:30 PM	Newark Academy	Caldwell
5/3/2008 Sat 3:30 PM	Kingsway	Camden Catholic
5/3/2008 Sat 4:00 PM	DePaul	North Warren
5/3/2008 Sat 4:00 PM	Toms River South	St. John Vianney
5/3/2008 Sat 7:00 PM	Randolph	Madison
5/3/2008 Sat 7:00 PM	West Morris	Mendham
5/3/2008 Sat 7:00 PM	Toms River East	Jackson Liberty