Lacrosse championships coming after team benchmarks met

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) - High school state championships for lacrosse in Illinois are coming after benchmarks for the number of teams were met.

The decision to hold high school state championships in lacrosse in 2018 was announced by the Illinois High School Association's board of directors after meeting in Bloomington on April 19.

The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald (http://bit.ly/1VVcs2E) reports athletic directors had gone to the IHSA to promote lacrosse seven years ago. The IHSA, which governs high school sports in the state, set benchmarks in 2009 requiring for the creation of 65 boys teams and 40 girls teams in Illinois prior to the approval of lacrosse.

Numbers were reviewed each January, but only recently were the two thresholds met, with the IHSA reporting 83 boys teams and 59 girls team have signed up at last count.

"As soon as the numbers got to this level, where they felt comfortable it would be a legitimate state series and people were not going to back out, then they instituted it," said Steve Rockrohr, athletic director at Glenbrook South. "It took many years, but I understand why it took many years."

Beginning the "state series" in March 2018 will provide time for schools to budget and build programs, officials with the IHSA say. Boys and girls state lacrosse championships are tentatively scheduled for May 2018.

Illinois High School Lacrosse Association president Rich Martin believes IHSA recognition of lacrosse will mean more participation. But he fears as many as 20 programs that already exist could go away because they can't be afforded by school districts.

"I'm not concerned with not having enough teams, but maybe there are teams that have been out there for several years that may not be part of the party in a few years," Martin said. "It's going to be dependent on how leadership approaches school districts and school boards on creatively making lacrosse happen in a very funding-challenged environment."

The last sport prior to lacrosse that was added by the IHSA was competitive dance, which made its debut in 2013. Thirty-one sports will be recognized by the IHSA with boys and girls lacrosse being added.

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Information from: Daily Herald, http://www.dailyherald.com