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Excitement over lacrosse is raging in the South
Growing sport boasts new fields, better competition

By JENNY DIAL

On a windy Saturday morning, fans lined up their lawn chairs on freshly laid grass to watch the newest action in town.

At Firethorne, a new subdivision near Katy, spectators and fans are enjoying a new set of fields for the area's fastest growing sport: lacrosse.

According to a recent participation survey conducted by U.S. Lacrosse, the sport's governing body, an estimated 147,000 high school students played lacrosse in the United States in 2005, a 206 percent increase during the last 10 years. The survey reported 204,394 U.S. athletes age 15 and under played organized lacrosse in 2005.

That growth is evident in the Houston area. There are 31 high school teams and 18 middle school teams in an area where football remains king.

"I played football forever, but I loved playing lacrosse in the offseason," Andrew LaFleur said. "I ended up getting a scholarship for lacrosse instead of football and now I continue to play a sport I love."

LaFleur, a Katy Taylor graduate, played for the Taylor club team and now competes for Marymount College in Arlington, Va. He is just one of many athletes who have found away to get noticed for a "northern" sport in the South.