Lacrosse a growing sport in C-Falls
The fastest growing sport in the country includes a little bit of hockey, the physicality of football, and basketball-style offense and defense. First played by Indians, lacrosse is becoming increasingly popular in Columbia Falls and across Montana.
Lacrosse is a team sport played on a field about the size of a football field. Players wear helmets and pads similar to those in football or hockey, and throw and catch a baseball-sized ball with netted sticks or “crosses.”
Players attempt to score by throwing the ball into a six-by-six foot goal guarded by a goalie. Skilled players can throw a ball into a 6-inch target at speeds of 80-90 mph. Players are allowed to check each other in a manner similar to hockey.
This year, four Columbia Falls high school athletes are playing for the Flathead Lacrosse Club’s high school team — Henry Chisholm, Grant Wallace, Storm Kemppainen and Connor Bowman.
Chisholm is the most experienced of the bunch, with five seasons under the belt. He scored two goals and had two assists in the season-opener against Bozeman on March 28. Flathead won, 10-8.
The rest of the boys are rookies but showing great promise, coach Matt Rizzolo said. Connor Bowman saw a lot of minutes in the opener, and Rizzolo likes Wallace’s game.
“He’ll be stellar,” Rizzolo said.
Lacrosse is not just for boys. The league has a growing girls program as well, Rizzolo said, but so far in Columbia Falls the boys seem most attracted to the sport. There are 10 Columbia Falls boys in the league’s U-15 squad alone.
The league draws players from all Flathead Valley schools. It got its start about seven years ago when friends Matt Lawrence, Eric Hanson, Scott Blair and others started playing indoors. They had played growing up in coastal states and decided to start a youth league here.
Popularity has been growing ever since. This year, the club has 211 players signed up, including 45 on the varsity squad. Lawrence, who is the league president, said they hope to have lacrosse one day school-sanctioned so athletes can letter in it.
Columbia Falls attorney Dean Chisholm is an assistant coach for the varsity program and played as a youth. The program is growing in part, he said, because of the quality of the club’s staff, where everyone is a volunteer.
“Coach Rizzolo and our other assistants, Charlie Deese and Tad Wehunt, had outstanding high school and college careers playing on the East Coast,” Chisholm said. “We’re very fortunate to have a fledgling program in the Flathead being coached by men who have played the game at very high levels.”
The varsity team’s home games are at Glacier High School. The opening match was held in Columbia Falls because other valley fields were still too soggy.
The team starts practice indoors in January and plays outside until May. They’ve even practiced in a horse pasture, Chisholm said. While the program is relatively young, the team made it to the state championship two years ago.
Rizzolo thinks the sport is growing in popularity for a variety of reasons.
“It’s a much better transitional game for football and basketball players,” he said. “The offenses and defenses are very similar to basketball, and the footwork is great for football.”
Lacrosse is a contact sport, and the hits can be vicious at times, but rules are in place to protect defenseless players — like hockey, penalties are assessed, and players must leave the field if penalized.
“It’s a great game — it’s fast and physical and creative,” Chisholm said. “Lacrosse values athletic ability, resilience and teamwork over sheer size or weight, making it accessible to a large pool of athletes.”
Bottom line?
“It’s fun to watch,” Rizzolo said.
For many parents and players, that may be all the reason in the world. For more information, visit online at http://flatheadlacrosse.com.