NewsAthleticsUpper SchoolStudent LifePre-K to 8Service
Thirteenth lacrosse season bears hope
Mar 18, 2003 8:00 AM
By Stefan Eady - Faculty
This spring marks the 13th season of lacrosse at Darlington, and, according to assistant boys coach Gordon Hight, the Tigers are hungry to reestablish themselves as the team to beat in Georgia—a tall feat considering division classifications and competition.
“This season, the Tigers are a young, but determined team,” Hight said. Counting on leadership from senior captains Kent Barber, and Scott Rochelli and junior captains Will Foss and Hunter Edwards, the Darlington lacrosse team is once again pushing for a run to the title. Fresh on the players' minds is the one-goal loss in last year's Semi-final game to Westminster, a feeling being leveraged by the Tigers as motivation this season. So far the team has a 3-2 record having split four games determined by one goal following the disposal of North Springs 15-4 to open the season.
The Tigers made quite a statement in the world of Georgia high school lacrosse by defeating the three-time defending state champion Lovett Lions 9-8 in Atlanta, March 12. The last time Lovett lost to a Georgia high school team was on May 8, 1999 at Chris Hunter Stadium when Darlington beat them 10-7 to win the state championship. The triumph for the Tigers snapped Lovett's 17-game winning streak and a 47 game in-state winning streak.
While this one win restored a bit of order to Georgia high school lacrosse, it was not a region game and thus does not do anything to offset the lost to region foe Pope in the second game of the season. “There is much work that needs to be done including three upcoming road games looming on the schedule,” Hight said. Darlington will travel to Westminster, March 18; play Holy Innocents at Georgia Tech, March 22; and play at Roswell, March 26. Upon their return, the Tigers will host five consecutive home games including the traditional foes of Pace and Woodward Academies and Chattahoochee High School.
Currently, there are no classification divisions applied to lacrosse teams, which means that Darlington, the smallest school fielding a team, faces competition from AAA, AAAA, and AAAA schools. Darlington has maintained a presence at the forefront in the state having qualified for the playoffs since lacrosse went to that format to determine championships in the mid-1990s.
Darlington is home to the state's oldest high school lacrosse program so the School had to play teams as far away as Chattanooga, Nashville, and Memphis until the sport began to grow in popularity in Georgia. The number of schools playing lacrosse has doubled over the past few years –a pace that is expected to continue. Currently, there are 26 teams competing in Georgia.
More than 70 Darlington students participate in the School’s lacrosse program including middle school, junior varsity, and varsity teams. “Given the uphill battle that Darlington faces with its comparatively small size, a successful feeder program at the middle school level is crucial in competing against those AAAAA, Atlanta-based high schools,” Hight said.
“This season, the Tigers are a young, but determined team,” Hight said. Counting on leadership from senior captains Kent Barber, and Scott Rochelli and junior captains Will Foss and Hunter Edwards, the Darlington lacrosse team is once again pushing for a run to the title. Fresh on the players' minds is the one-goal loss in last year's Semi-final game to Westminster, a feeling being leveraged by the Tigers as motivation this season. So far the team has a 3-2 record having split four games determined by one goal following the disposal of North Springs 15-4 to open the season.
The Tigers made quite a statement in the world of Georgia high school lacrosse by defeating the three-time defending state champion Lovett Lions 9-8 in Atlanta, March 12. The last time Lovett lost to a Georgia high school team was on May 8, 1999 at Chris Hunter Stadium when Darlington beat them 10-7 to win the state championship. The triumph for the Tigers snapped Lovett's 17-game winning streak and a 47 game in-state winning streak.
While this one win restored a bit of order to Georgia high school lacrosse, it was not a region game and thus does not do anything to offset the lost to region foe Pope in the second game of the season. “There is much work that needs to be done including three upcoming road games looming on the schedule,” Hight said. Darlington will travel to Westminster, March 18; play Holy Innocents at Georgia Tech, March 22; and play at Roswell, March 26. Upon their return, the Tigers will host five consecutive home games including the traditional foes of Pace and Woodward Academies and Chattahoochee High School.
Currently, there are no classification divisions applied to lacrosse teams, which means that Darlington, the smallest school fielding a team, faces competition from AAA, AAAA, and AAAA schools. Darlington has maintained a presence at the forefront in the state having qualified for the playoffs since lacrosse went to that format to determine championships in the mid-1990s.
Darlington is home to the state's oldest high school lacrosse program so the School had to play teams as far away as Chattanooga, Nashville, and Memphis until the sport began to grow in popularity in Georgia. The number of schools playing lacrosse has doubled over the past few years –a pace that is expected to continue. Currently, there are 26 teams competing in Georgia.
More than 70 Darlington students participate in the School’s lacrosse program including middle school, junior varsity, and varsity teams. “Given the uphill battle that Darlington faces with its comparatively small size, a successful feeder program at the middle school level is crucial in competing against those AAAAA, Atlanta-based high schools,” Hight said.
