It is a great time to participate in North America’s oldest sport. Lacrosse is growing at a rapid rate all over the country, and the growth in Herriman City is an excellent example. Herriman High School was established just two years ago, and along with it came lacrosse.
Two years ago, a small group of parents joined together to discuss starting a team in Herriman. From the beginning, these parents were looking toward the future and setting goals for the city’s programs. One of these goals was to grow the game for all ages and to introduce the game to the local community. In 2010 Trina Katsos, president of Herriman Lacrosse, joined together with parents and about 15 of the original players to hand out flyers and candy at the Herriman Days Parade. On June 9th of this year, the number of youth and high school players to participate in the parade jumped to more then 100!
“I asked a group of youth players how they heard about Herriman [lacrosse] and they said it was because of the flyer’s we handed out during the parade,” Katsos stated. What an amazing result from a seemingly simple idea the year before. Imagine the results next season from this year’s parade. “The High School Boys team also had banners hanging from light poles in Herriman City. Wow, that was a sight and I know we had several kids start asking about [lacrosse] when they saw them. We did the banners again this year and had over 40 hanging in Herriman City,” Katsos continued.
In their first season, Herriman High had a total of 30 boys. That number increased this year to 47. This year the girls team had 40 players. The youth program had a total of 220 players. These numbers are amazing for a second-year team, and they are growing.
To go along with their rapid growth, the Mustangs of Herriman High are having success on the field as well. Led by coaches Mark Roothoff and Jason Erekson, the boys’ team had a 10-6 record this season. The Mustangs even made it to the D-II Semifinal round of the playoffs, losing to the Waterford Ravens by the score of 5-7. The high school girls’ team, coached by Maureen Richard, ended with a record of 5-9 and made it to the second round of playoffs before being defeated by the D-II Champion Timpanogas Timberwolves by a score of 11-6.
Katsos and others are hopeful in the continuing growth of the game in Herriman. The high school boys team only loses a few seniors, one of which is LSM Jeremy Lofgreen. Lofgreen was named D-II MVP in his position. Midfielder Benjamin Richard was named D-II Face-off MVP and will remain with the team as he just completed his sophomore year. Next season the boys’ team is expected to have between 65 and 75 players, including 30 new freshmen. If so, the team will be split into varsity, junior varsity and freshman squads.
Pictures courtesy of Ryan Webb
