It wasn’t a football, soccer or even rugby players breaking through the familiar Waimea mists at the Hawaii Preparatory Academy field on Sunday.
It wasn’t a football, soccer or even rugby players breaking through the familiar Waimea mists at the Hawaii Preparatory Academy field on Sunday.
Instead, it was dozens of Hawaii youth lacrosse athletes who took to the turf to battle in the inaugural Founders Cup. The event – which started on Saturday – brought together Big Island high school co-ed squads from Konawaena and Hawaii Prep, as well as Punahou and the Honoululu Sharks club lacrosse team from Oahu.
The Sharks took home the tourney’s koa trophy, pulling away after the half to down the Buffanblu 6-3 in the championship game.
In an all-Big Island consolation matchup, Hawaii Prep downed Konawaena 5-2.
“A tournament like this lets the kids have something to play for and look forward to,” Hawaii Prep coach Will Zucker said. “We have only played these Oahu teams twice and haven’t really come close to beating them, yet. The nice thing is, we are all pretty much just getting going on the Big Island. Anybody has an opportunity to be successful in the sport.”
Zucker ignited Hawaii Prep’s program two years ago with 12 players, and the turnout has more than doubled since. This is the first season for the Konawaena program, which was started up by physical education teacher Dan Curran.
“It is called the fastest game on two feet and I think that is an accurate description,” Zucker said. “The ball can travel so quickly up and down the field. It is a very fast paced game, similar to hockey, but the plays and strategy are much like basketball.”
The game also has a very physical element, which is what attracted Hawaii Prep’s Alex Brost — an all-BIIF selection in football and soccer.
“Coach said I could hit people,” said Brost, who picked up the game just a few months ago.
But for as many hacks, slashes and big-time hits the game provides, there is also a high degree of gracefulness and teamwork needed to play the game properly and effectively.
Those aspects attracted Jake Anderson, a standout swimmer for Ka Makani.
“I’m a swimmer, so I had never really been involved in a team sport,” Anderson said. “After playing against these Oahu teams, I think we saw that we need to play even more as a team. No one can do it themselves in this game.”
Zucker — who also teaches ceramics at HPA — is a lacrosse-lifer and has a history of starting up programs, most notably in Southern California. He and Curran did a lot of the handiwork in getting the gear for their players, since both programs are still considered club sports. Both would like to see lacrosse become a BIIF sport, as long as other teams follow their lead.
“Once someone touches a lacrosse stick, they are bonded to anyone else who plays the sport,” Zucker said. “There is a lot of camaraderie in the subcultures of many sports — basketball, football, soccer, surfing. But I’ve never experienced anything like the bond lacrosse builds. It’s extremely unique in that way.”
Dan Rosenak, the US Lacrosse Hawaii Chapter President and Punahou head coach, said Oahu had nearly a half-dozen high school teams at one time before seeing numbers fall back a bit. However, he remains optimistic about the future of the sport in Hawaii.
Rosenak cited his former player Lincoln Liesemeyer as an inspiration for the current generation of players. After graduating from Punahou, Liesemeyer won two national championships at Onondaga Community College before moving on to Furman University and becoming the first Division I lacrosse player from Hawaii — ever.
“I think lacrosse is an attractive sport to any athlete because it brings together so many things — running, shooting, physicality and teamwork,” Rosenak said. “Our biggest challenge has been getting steady coaches who can provide the knowledge and get roots into the schools.”
With the Founders Cup now in the rearview mirror, Konawaena and Hawaii Prep are now concentrating on growing the game in advance of the second edition of the tournament.
“Anybody who wants to build a program, I know we can find them a coach and the gear,” Zucker said. “This is not a cheap sport — there is a lot of equipment. Schools with interest to add a sport that could set them apart and give kids a chance to play something that is both fast and furious should really think about lacrosse.”
Konawaena and Hawaii Prep will meet up one more time to wrap up the season at 5 p.m. on Friday at Hawaii Preparatory Academy.