Unfortunately enrollment is down slightly this year, with the total number being around 90, as opposed to topping 100 last summer.  Luckily this is tied to the emergence of a couple more youth programs in the city rather than a decreased level of interest.  Still, it is kind of disheartening to see fewer kids on our fields…

This year’s coaching staff is made up primarily of underclassmen, many of whom participated last year.  It is great to see Valley’s players so eagerly contributing the growth of the game on a local level.  Overall, they have been quite enthusiastic and have done a great job of working with the boys.

Coach Jaacki has a few more girls to work with this year, which is great.  One of our primary focuses has been to increase participation among girls, and we are getting there in baby steps.  Another positive note is that this year’s group are on the upper end of their middle school years, which means that they will be ready to transition to the high school team sooner rather than later.

The boys’ games begin on Thursday night.  I plan to stay on top of scores this summer, even if pictures and commentary are harder to come by…

• The Central Iowa Lacrosse Association’s Summer 2013 Youth Lacrosse League starts next week.  The Walnut Creek YMCA is still accepting registrations from boys and girls that will be entering grades 4-9 this fall.  This is a non-profit program operated by the Valley Lacrosse coaches and players.  More information can be found here.  There are also a few for-profit programs operating in Des Moines this summer.
• College lacrosse continues to spread across Iowa.  See the news about the latest addition here.
• Valley concluded its season over the weekend.  We had a strong team and played well all spring.  All-in-all, I am not too disappointed with my first season as head coach.  I am in the process of revamping the website due to host issues (one of the “other things” mentioned above), so statistics and results are a little behind.  We finished with two losses, one of which came over championship weekend…

The Rams currently field a men’s team in the MCLA.  They participate as an associate member of the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference (D2).

Cornell is the second NCAA men’s team in Iowa and will be the fourth women’s team.  The Rams will be the fourth women’s program following Wartburg’s recent announcement.

Official Release:

Wed, May. 15, 2013

MOUNT VERNON – Cornell College will field men’s and women’s lacrosse teams starting with the 2014-15 academic year.

The new programs will help Cornell in its goal to provide an exceptional experience for any student interested in athletics, said Cornell Director of Athletics John Cochrane.

“Interest in lacrosse has grown tremendously across the country in the last decade, including in areas where we already recruit students,” Cochrane added. “Having lacrosse as an option will help us attract even more talented student-athletes.”

Lacrosse is the fastest growing NCAA Division III varsity sport in the Midwest. Within the past year, men’s and women’s varsity programs have been added at Beloit, Augustana, Loras and the University of Dubuque. Wartburg is also adding women’s lacrosse.

Lacrosse is the next sport likely to be added within the Midwest Conference. In the interim, lacrosse-only conferences are competing throughout the Midwest.

At the high school level, lacrosse is well established and growing in the major Midwestern metropolitan markets, including Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Denver, providing a recruiting pool for new programs.

The addition of the sport is made possible by the installation of synthetic grass this summer at Cornell’s Ash Park Field.

Cornell has fielded a lacrosse club team for several years. The college is seeking to hire men’s and women’s lacrosse coaches, who will begin recruiting during the 2013-14 academic year.

With the addition of the lacrosse programs, Cornell will sponsor 19 intercollegiate sports in 2014-15.

I have no idea whether current coach Darrell Aaron will be retained for the NCAA squad.  For what it’s worth, Aaron is an upstanding guy with a real passion for the sport.  Prior to returning to Mt Vernon, Aaron was active in the Des Moines lacrosse community.

Holy crap.  Time has a way of getting away from me more and more as I get older.  I just realized I have not posted since Valley’s second week of the 2013 season!  Unfortunately today’s post will not feature much in the way of color commentary, but will at least bring everybody up to speed on our progress this season.

Week Three: April 13, 2013

Creighton Prep at Valley

Varsity final score: 12-9 (win)

JV final score:  9-1 (loss)

Grand Rapids, MN at Valley (Sunday, April 14)

Varsity final score: 14-1 (win)

JV final score: 8-1 (loss)

Week Four: April 20, 2013

Millard West at Valley

Varsity final score: 6-4 (loss)

JV final score: 6-4 (loss)

Week Five: April 27, 2013

Millard North at Valley

Varsity final score: 15-3 (win)

JV final score: 6-2 (loss)

Week Six: May 4, 2013

Valley at Creighton Prep

Varsity final score: 17-12 (win)

JV final score: 4-1 (loss)

Valley vs Sarpy (at Creighton Prep)

Varsity final score: 10-4 (win)

Current Varsity Record: 7-1

Current JV Record: 1-6

This week the Tigers head to Lincoln, NE for simultaneous varsity and JV  games  against the Rampage.  Once those wrap up, the varsity squad will head east to face Elkhorn and the JV squad will pay a visit to Millard West.

2012 YMCA/CILA Youth Lacrosse Participants

Age Divisions
4th-6th grade                        7th-8th grade               Boys and Girls Welcome!

When
June 10-Aug. 1 with a break the week of the 4th of July. (Practices on Mondays between 5:30 and 7:30, Games on Thursdays between 5:30 and 7:30)

Where
Practices and Games will be held at Jordan Creek Elem. soccer fields

Fees
Member – $70 per child
Non Member- $90per child

Jersey
$15 if you don’t have the current version from other YMCA youth sports

Equipment
You will need a stick to play. We will have a few sticks for sale on opening day otherwise you may purchase your own.  We have some sets of equipment that will be available to check out.

Additional Info:
Our teams will be coached by the Valley High School Lacrosse staff, Varsity players and parent volunteers. 

Contact
Phil Simmons
phil.simmons@dmymca.org
-or-
Walnut Creek YMCA Service Center, 515-224-1888

Wartburg is the third Iowa school to add women’s lacrosse at the NCAA D3 level.  Fellow Iowa Intercollegiate Athletics Conference members Dubuque and Loras announced the addition of women’s lacrosse just over a year ago.  Dubuque will field the state’s first NCAA men’s team beginning in the 2014 season.

• Who can play: GIRLS in 5th-8th GRADE (We will play 7 v 7 so we definitely have enough interest to make this happen)
• COST: $25 US LACROSSE DUES/MEMBERSHIP
• GAMES: April 28 and May 19 at CREIGHTON PREP HIGH SCHOOL in Omaha.
• REQUIRED EQUIPMENT: Girls Lacrosse Stick, Girls Lacrosse Goggles, Mouthguard (can not be clear or white).
• PRACTICES: Will be decided based on number of girls and their locations in Des Moines. We have goals at Waukee High School so this would be a convenient location, but not required.
• UNIFORMS: No uniforms are needed – all the girls can wear the same color t-shirt and coaches will track penalaties. IF a parent wants to organize a tshirt/jersey order, they can do that.

Contact Coach Jaacki for more information and to sign up.

Founded in 2008, the Valley Tigers Lacrosse Club are members of the Nebraska High School Lacrosse League based roughly two hours from Central Iowa in Omaha, NE.  The Tigers joined the league as a JV team in the 2009 season.  They moved to the varsity level in 2010 where they have finished in the top four in each of the last three season under the guidance of head coach Zach Zielonko.  Their overall varsity record includes 39 wins and 11 losses over three seasons.

After a dominant win on the road last week, the Tigers opened their home slate on Saturday.

Westside at Valley

Varsity

With their starting goalie out for the season with a broken scapula, Westside arrived with a newer player in the crease and a young team overall.

Valley’s approach to the game was no different than the Burke game; they focused on ball movement and communication.  The first quarter played out much stronger than last week.  Offensive play – both on and off ball – was strong.  Assists were plentiful.  The starting midfielders more or less checked out before halftime; the starting attack were pulled not long into the second half with the starting defense moving up top.

Only three shorties came up empty as the Tigers played through their bench.  Short of preventing every player from shooting (which is a disservice to both teams), they worked to not run up the score.  The game provided valuable experience for the lower tier of the varsity bench, and allowed everybody to work on ball control and movement in a game day setting.

There is little to report defensively.  Westside only had a few offensive possessions, which were quickly shut down and in one case resulted in a transition goal by McEntee.  Marcum did not see a single shot on goal.

Photos from the game can be found here.

Final Score 27-0

JV

Valley’s JV came into the game hungry for a win.  Like last week, they faced a team that was primarily the varsity squad in different positions.  After going down early, Stall netted the Tigers’ first goal in what would quickly become a tight affair.  As the game clock wound down, Valley trailed 3-2.  An impressive effort tied the game in the final three minutes.  Stall netted his second of the game in the final minute or so to secure the win.

Last week’s stand out, Gardner, and newcomer Jensen rounded out the scoring.  Overall, this was a great game by the JV.  Several players had strong games.  Love and Jensen were both 100% on faceoffs.  Benson played exceptionally in his new LSM role.  The poles and middies continue to make steady progress.

Final Score 4-3

Current Varsity Record: 2-0

Current JV Record: 1-1

Creighton Prep comes to West Des Moines next Saturday for a late afternoon tilt.  This will be the varsity’s first true test, given the teams’ history.  Prep only lost a couple of their key personnel to graduation, so this game should be as competitive as ever.

We’ll head back to Southwoods Stadium Sunday morning to host Grand Rapids on their way back to Minnesota.  Little is known about the team from up north, but we are looking forward to having them pay us a visit.

Click here for the registration form (PDF). We will be taking registration signup for our lacrosse program this Saturday.

DBQLAX.org

Founded in 2008, the Valley Tigers Lacrosse Club are members of the Nebraska High School Lacrosse League based roughly two hours from Central Iowa in Omaha, NE.  The Tigers joined the league as a JV team in the 2009 season.  They moved to the varsity level in 2010 where they have finished in the top four in each of the last three season under the guidance of head coach Zach Zielonko.  Their overall varsity record includes 39 wins and 11 losses over three seasons.

After struggling to get on the practice field throughout March, the other coaches and I knew that there was a lot of work that needed to be done last week.  Having nearly all of the varsity squad out over Spring Break did little to help matters.  When it snowed last Sunday night, I about lost it.  Regardless, cancelling practice was not an option.

Luckily we have a solid varsity crew that came prepared to work all week.  Everybody showed up ready to go and helped bring the newer players along.  Our varsity focus was on setting up a solid game plan and getting everybody on the same page for the opening game.  Meanwhile, with loads of new players ,the JV team focused on the basics of playing an actual game.

When game day rolled around, a collective sigh of relief washed over everybody connected to the team.  Not only were we playing on a nice Field Turf surface, but we were doing so on a sunny 60+ degree Saturday.  Honestly, I cannot think of many better ways to start a season.

Valley at Burke

Varsity

Aside from the usual round of graduating players a couple of significant roster changes took place.  Career midfielder Griess moved alongside Crites on attack, where his skill set will better serve the team over the season following the loss of Levis (graduation), Brown, and Crew (outside obligations).  Lowe rounded out the starting attack unit.

After spending last year between the pipes, Ben Oberender voluntarily took up a pole to make room for North Carolina transplant Marcum.  Alongside Tornberg and Thompson, Oberender received the nod to start over team captain McEntee on Saturday out of respect for his contributions last year.  Newcomers Glenn and Halder will play reserve roles down the stretch.  Kapustka and Turner will take alternating shifts at LSM, as well as fill in on the back line as needed.

The midfield was gutted over the off season.  The Arends brothers, Fay, and Mundus bring the only significant varsity experience.  Both Burmester and Bartlett received limited varsity time last season.  Coleman joined them in moving up while Swailes came in strong, despite not playing in 2012 due to schedule conflicts.  Davis is the only true newcomer to the varsity midfield.

Aside from the obvious, our focus coming into this game was ball control on both sides of the field.  We spent significant time stressing the importance of team ball over the urge to carry and dodge on offense.  Given that the 12 of our goals were assisted, the stats suggest that the lessons have sunk in.  Ball movement and strong communication were evident regardless of who was on the field.  Perhaps the best examples came during man up situations, where we executed at 100 percent through the first three quarters.  Even after removing the starting man up unit, ball movement was up to snuff and the shots were well timed, even if they were unsuccessful.

Defensively, there were a few gaffes, but nothing major.  Most missteps came from poor communication between the midfielders and poles; all of it can be addressed and fixed.  Part of this may be attributed to the lack of defensive specialists in favor of two-way middies.  Still, the overall result was positive and the reduced substitutions left us less vulnerable during transitions.

We were able to work through the bench earlier than I had hoped, which allowed the newer players to gain valuable experience.  Bartlett and Coleman both had opportunities to take face offs and the former netted one of the best goals of the day.

Overall, I am pleased with our performance.  But I also recognize that there is plenty of work that still needs to be done.

Final Score: Valley 17, Burke 3

JV

After spending the last few years as the JV coach, I knew how challenging Saturday would be for the team.  Under normal circumstances, our JV teams have struggled in early games due to widespread inexperience and the fact that our rosters are usually mostly non-varsity players whereas many of our opponents utilize quite a few second and third string varsity guys to fill their JV ranks.  With the crippled practices schedule this spring, leaving Omaha with a victory would be more difficult than normal.

In years past, we also utilized some of our lower tier varsity guys on JV as “swing players”  to fill out the ranks.  This resulted in positives like increased scoring, as well as negatives like a disconnect on the field between the swing guys and the true JV players.  I am proud to report that our numbers this season are strong enough to remove the need for swing players.  Saturday saw 16 short sticks, 5 long poles, and a goalie on the JV roster; we are currently working to convert a few shorties into poles.

Like Ben Oberender, Voggesser moved from goal to pole in the offseason.  Serena made the opposite move, and had the unlikely start with only two practices under his belt.  Yet he managed to save 11 of 19 shots over the course of the game.  Felderman has spent time learning to play goal, but opted for attack in a rotating role alongside fellow returners Smith, Degen, and Gardner.   Returning middies include face off man Love, Robbins, and Parker, who only had pair of games last season.  Jake Oberender and Dowd return at defense.  Seven freshmen and four sophomores round out the team.

Utilizing nearly their entire varsity squad (including at least one high profile starter), Burke got up to an early lead.  By halftime we had pulled within a goal.  The Bulldogs regained their lead and held out, despite some strong play from our boys.

My primary focus was on Thompson and McDougal, both in their first outing as coaches, to offer advice and support.  Both did an outstanding job throughout the game with great communication and composure.  I also concentrated on the team as a unit, though I did pull aside players for one-on-one coaching as needed.

Still, a couple of players offered inspired play: goalie Serena and attackman Gardner.  Serena made some monstrous saves and held his own in unprecedented conditions and with little training, as mentioned above.  Gardner’s play improved significantly from last spring.  He made play after play, found ways to get open and to get the ball in his stick.  His pair of goals led the JV.

All in all, there is a lot of promising talent on this JV team.

Final Score: Burke 8, Valley 4

Current Varsity Record: 1-0

Current JV Record: 0-1

Our home slate opens this weekend when we host Westside for both varsity and JV games beginning at 11:00 am.  Games are open to the public and there is no charge to attend.  I encourage all lacrosse fans in Central Iowa to make the trip to Southwoods Stadium this Saturday and show your support.  For those interested in contributing to the growth of the sport, this is a great opportunity to see the development that has taken place over the last five years.