The youth of Danville are lovin’ lacrosse.
In 2001 the Diablo Scorpion Lacrosse Association was established as a nonprofit organization to provide children of the San Ramon Unified Valley School District – Danville, Alamo and San Ramon – the opportunity to learn and play the game of lacrosse.
In just that short time, the association has grown to more than 450 players with both boys and girls programs. Currently there are 18 club teams ranging from second to 10th grade.
Lacrosse is considered to be America’s first sport. It was born of the North American Indian, christened by the French, and adapted and raised by the Canadians. For over a century, modern lacrosse has been embraced by athletes and enthusiasts of the United States and the British Commonwealth.
“The sport of lacrosse is a combination of basketball, soccer and hockey,” said George Pereira, one of the Scorpion league founders and coaches. “The game requires coordination and agility, not brawn, and can be played by the big or small. Quickness and speed are highly prized qualities in lacrosse.”
The game is played with a stick, the “crosse,” he explained, which must be mastered by the player, to throw, catch and scoop the ball. It is played on a football field with 10 players on each team. The players try to score on a goal that sits 15 yards from the end of the line, and usually 12-16 goals are scored each game.
The Diablo Scorpion lacrosse league runs from February through May. Player registration fees range from $100-$300. Information on the league can be obtained at www.scorpionlacrosse.com or by calling 648-7845.
The program sends the majority of its players to San Ramon Valley, Monte Vista and De La Salle high schools. Monte Vista has won the Northern California High School Championship two years in a row.
“This year these three teams were in the top high school boys programs in all of Northern California (42 schools) and in the top six high school programs in the entire state of California (138 teams),” said Pereira.
He said that good lacrosse players have “smarts, speed, toughness, great hand-to-eye coordination and lots of heart.”
“Players can continue playing after high school, as many West Coast colleges have club teams,” he added. “UC Santa Barbara won club championships the past two years. Sonoma State is also a powerhouse. Stanford, Cal, Santa Clara, Chico, UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State all have club programs. Whittier College has a Division 3 team and University of Denver and Air Force are major Division I programs in the West.”
This year all of the Scorpions championship teams were undefeated during their regular season, so the future looks bright for those high schools and colleges.
Pereira proudly smiled as he rattled off their records: “The eighth-grade team was 15-0; seventh grade, 14-0; sixth grade, 12-0; fifth grade, 9-0; and fifth/sixth, 13-0.”
With passion and leadership like Pereira’s and other coaches in the league, it is no accident that Danville is becoming known as “LaXtown,” USA.
