Huntley Raiders lacrosse team starts season March 22

The Huntley Raiders Lacrosse Club will kick off its 2012 competitive season on Thursday, March 22 with a junior varsity game against McHenry at 4:30 p.m. and a varsity game against Marian Central at 6 p.m. Both games will take place at District 158's Heineman Middle School, 725 Academic Drive in Algonquin. Admission is free. The Red Raiders have a 2012 roster which includes 23 varsity players and 27 JV players.

The Varsity team is coached by Phil Ryan, a native of Long Island, N.Y. who has over 20 years of lacrosse coaching experience in New York, Maryland and Illinois, including youth, high school, college and pro. Ryan has two Illinois State Championships and was voted IHSLA coach of the year in 2000 and 2007. He was also an assistant coach for the Chicago Machine.

This year's JV team is being coached by Josh Cole. Cole served as a full-time assistant at The College of Wooster before becoming head coach at University of Iowa and was named Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association Coach of the Year in his first year at Iowa. He also served four years as head coach at Lake Zurich High School, leading his team to the Class B state quarterfinals in each season, including a semifinal appearance in his first year.

“We have assembled a top-notch coaching staff and our teams are looking forward to facing off against the other lacrosse clubs from this area,” said Huntley Lacrosse Club President Tony Nigro. “We've got some very talented players on both the Varsity and JV teams, and I think we're definitely going to be a force in the Northern Illinois Lacrosse League (NILAX) this year.”

New to the club this year is a youth feeder program for players in fourth to eighth grade. More than 60 kids are participating in the inaugural season of the feeder program, which is part of the Northwest Chicago Youth Lacrosse Federation.

The full season schedule, as well as other information, is available at the club's website: www.huntleylacrosse.com.