Spring 2013 Team, End of Final Practice

The spring Blackhawks concluded their 4th season, finishing 3-10 at the varsity level and 3-2-1 at the junior varsity level.  This year’s team was the least experienced so far in the 4 years of spring Blackhawks, but probably had the best team cameraderie and willingess to sacrifice for the good of the team.  Some players drove up to 45 minutes each way for practice.  The players banded together after disciplinary issues cost the team its leading scorer early in the season.  As a result of scheduling conflicts — to be expected on a team that had players from 13 different high schools — the spring Hawks never started the same lineup in any game.  The team nonetheless played hard in every practice and game and saw a significant amount of improvement in individual players, several of whom were in only their first or second year of playing the game.   The won-loss record at both the varsity and jv levels marks an improvement over last year, a pleasant surprise after the

Rain Game vs. Fuquay-Varina, 4/28/13

graduation last year of All-Stars Harry Keefe and Cole Clifton.  Although this year’s team loses 9 players to graduation and 2 others who will return to their schools to play, a solid core of underclassmen will return next season.

At the season-ending team picnic at 4th of July Park in Kernersville last Thursday, May 16, the team got together to share food and company and to recognize some individual and team accomplishments from the seaason.  Each player received a Blackhawk dogtag to commemorate his participation in the Blackhawks unique spring program, which has beat the odds by competing for four straight years.  Among the award winners this season were the following:

• Offensive Player of the Year: Colton Toth
• Defensive Player of the Year: Isaac Shore
• Midfielder of the Year: Faysal Ibrahim
• Defensive Midfielder of the Year: Dylan Mabe
• Ultimate Blackhawk: Zane Wiesman
• Courage Award: Kyle Beinke
• Unsung Hero: Brica Patrick
• Semper Fi Award: Robert Miller
• Most Versatile Player: Andre Carrano
• Outstanding First-Year Player: Chris Short
• Team Leader, Assists: Brandon Creasey
• Most Improved: Cesar Grisales

This season marked the end of the careers of 4-year Blackhawks Robert Miller, AJ Hyatt, and Michael Yu.  Miller gave the team 4 years of aggressive defensive and ground ball play; AJ Hyatt became the team’s most efficient scorer at attack; and Yu was constantly recognized for his ground ball player and energetic defense as a short-stick middie.

Thank you to coaches Mike Toth, Brian Keefe, Brian Brown, and Rick Carrano, trainer Jeff Beinke, and videographer Robert Bailey for making this the most enjoyable spring season yet.

Summer 2013 Pinnies

The Triad Blackhawks have opened registration for its 5th summer of exciting lacrosse action.  To go to the information and registration page, go to SUMMER 2013.

REGISTER NOW

What’s New?

1. The popular HOTT Lax scrimmage program is now part of – in fact, it is the foundation of — our regular program for U15, High School, and Adult players.
2. All rising 9^th graders will play in the U15 division.  In rare cases, the coaches may decide to have a rising 9^th grader play up in the High School division.
3. All rising seniors may attend the High School position clinics and are eligible to be invited to play on a high school travel tournament team (should the Blackhawks decide to have one), but will participate in HOTT Lax in the Adult Division. (Seniors with 2 years or less lacrosse experience may be permitted to play in the high school division, in the discretion of the Blackhawks).
4. You may now purchase Blackhawks apparel during the registration process. To see all available apparel, go to  SUMMER 2013 BLACKHAWKS APPAREL  Apparel will be available for pickup during the first week of the summer program.
5. Wednesday Evening Position Clinics.  Open to Youth, U15, and High School players(including rising high school seniors), these extend of our popular goalie clinics to include a focus on a particular skill or position on each Wednesday evening in June.

Summer '12 HS Champs -- Allison's Assassins

 

Faceoff in action between Clayton Comets (in white) and Triad Blackhawks

The spring Blackhawks– the team for players whose high schools do not play lacrosse — opened their 4th season with an exciting, though disappointing, 6-4 loss to a strong team from Clayton High School at Cash-Bagley Fields on Saturday afternoon in Kernersville. Sporting a new attitude and work ethic after last spring’s difficult campaign, the Hawks fought like warriors throughout the game, controlling most of the possession and outshooting the Comets 28-15.  It was ill-timed errors and a series of second-half penalties that really lost the game for the Hawks.   Senior attackman Justin Carruthers scored 3 goals for the Hawks, and Colton Toth added one. Each goal was assisted, with Gabe O’Dea, Jacob Spindel, Brandon Creasey, and Colton Toth getting one assist each. Hawk defender Brica Patrick caused 5 loose balls on the defensive end while Robert Miller had 3 ground

Hawks Defense Confers During Quarter Break

balls and 3 loose balls caused.  Freshmen Dylan Mabe and Dayton Koontz were solid at the defensive midfield, while senior Faysal Ibrahim provided quickness in the transition game.  Veteran Spencer McNeeley and first-year keeper Kyle Beinke provided solid goalkeeping.  Three first-time lacrosse players saw action in the game for the Hawks and held their own. The Blackhawks travel to Fayetteville next Saturday to play a doubleheader, first facing the Village Vipers — one of the state’s best teams — and then playing the always-competitive Knights from Village Christian Academy.

For more information about the spring Blackhawks, go to Spring 2013.

Go ‘Hawks!

Parrish Competes at Blue Chip Regional

East Forsyth sophomore middie Aaron Parrish competed in the 3D Blue Chip South Regional against the southern United States’s best high school underclassmen on January 18-20 in Davenport, Florida.  The 3DBC is a regional tryout competition among 120 select players in the region, with each player being evaluated against players in all 5 regions by National Evaluators for possible selection to the Jake Reed Nike Blue Chip Lacrosse Camp at University of Maryland this summer.  Many of the participants in the 3DBC go on to play Division I college lacrosse.

The camp ran from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. for three days.  Aaron was frequently selected as the “demo” guy in front of all participants.  To combat cramps, Aaron often reached into his pockets for mustard, earning him the moniker “Mr. Mustard” among the National Evaluators.

Aaron will know by March 1 whether he has been selected for the Nike Blue Chip Camp

Parrish (#201) Demos at Blue Chip Regional

this summer.

Aaron has played lacrosse for only two years, first learning and developing a passion for the game under coaches Kevin Bugg and Al Dollman with the Kernersville Cannons.  During the summer of 2011, Aaron — with merely six months of lacrosse experience — led the Blackhawks “Miracle on Grass” U15 team in goals, assists, and ground balls and was key to the team winning its first five games and reaching the finals of the the Blaze at the Beach tournament in Wilmington.  This past summer, Aaron led the Blackhawks Apache high school team in groundballs and faceoff wins and was one of the team’s top-scoring middies even while having to miss the team’s last tournament.  Aaron played on the undefeated Assassins in this summer’s house league, finishing 3rd in scoring among 130 players.  Aaron was also the most proficient scorer and ground ball middie on the HOTT Lax Blackhawks that competed in the fall Cardinal Cup.

This fall, Aaron was a stalwart for the U15 Gate City Hens that went undefeated this fall against predominately high school select team competition.

Aaron is an example of how important passion, work ethic, and effort are in the game of lacrosse.  He is a true competitor.  Good luck, Aaron!

"Ball! Release!" -- photo by Star Shuping

When our competitive juices get the best of us and we lose our focus, when we need to find our bearings during the difficult times, when we sometimes lose sight of the good amidst the schemes of the unworthy, please take a look at this photo.  Perhaps it will remind us to give thanks for the many good people who grace our community and choose, among many options in  a busy world, to make life a little better for our youth.

Team Peeta, a combination team from Ragsdale and Glenn (plus a player each from NW Guilford, S Alamance, and McMichael), donated the most food among all ten high school teams in Sunday's Hunger Games

Blackhawks and Old Goats (in white) in adult action. The Old Goats were the overwhelming winners in the adult division in food donated.

Thanks to the generosity of the Triad lacrosse community (and our friends from Fayetteville), the first annual Stick It To Hunger Classic collected 340 grocery bags brimming with non-perishable foods – weighing in at 3,284 pounds — as well as net revenue for local charities that is expected to exceed $5,000.  The food will be delivered to Greensboro Urban Ministry, and the monetary proceeds will go to the Kernersville Christmas Relief Fund, military families in need, and A Stick From Chase.  Team Peeta from the high school division and Old Goats from the adult division were the team winners in amount of food donated.  Three teams — Team Everdeen, Blue Jays, and 6M Sports went undefeated in the high school division.  The Adult Blackhawks went undefeated in the adult division.

The world’s largest lacrosse raffle– under the heady management of

Some of the 340 bags of donated food ... Thank you lacrosse community!

Commissioner Al Dollman — sold out in under 2 hours and raised over $1,500 for charity.

To see our post-tournament press release, go to Hunger Games — Press Release POST.

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers and to our sponsors Olympic Products, RF Micro, Hammerhead Lacrosse, and 6M Sports Lacrosse for making this event a reality.  See you next year!

Leaf Rakers Following OT Victory in Title Game

Having lost both of its games last week, the beleaguered Leaf Rakers hoped to salvage some pride in today’s fall HOTT Lax finals at Bagley Field.  They did that … and more … upsetting Autumn Rage, 6-3, in the semifinals and coming back from a 3-1 deficit to wing a sudden death overtime heartstopper, 4-3, over the Crunch in the title game to take home the league crown.   Aaron Parrish was the hero in the final, finding the twine from 8 yards out with 2:10 left in the first overtime period to give the Rakers the championship.  Parrish and teammates Zach Duncan and Xavier Smith controlled the ground ball wars in both games, but it was the

Aaron Parrish, #17 for the Leaf Rakers, scored the sudden death OT gamewinner for the Rakers

play of unsung heroes Dylan Trask and Justin Prairie that really helped to turn the tide for the Rakers.  Trask scored two goals each in the semifinal and final, and controlled the key ground ball and was credited with a Blackhawk assist in the sequence that led to Parrish’s game winner.  Prairie had a goal and 3 assists in the final and played tenaciously in the riding game to end up as the top-rated attackman in the league.   Congratulations to Coaches Kevin Bugg and Erick “Boogie” Smith and their players on an outstanding run and the first fall HOTT Lax title!

Autumn Rage’s Marshall Lemmond, the 4-year Blackhawk warhorse, edged out a tough field to finish with the highest HOTT Impact Quotient, repeating his accomplishment from last summer’s HOTT Lax.

Congratulations, too, to Coach Justin Smith, who steered the Crunch to an amazing 6-game undefeated streak and almost came away with the title.  Coach Smith was selected fall HOTT Lax Coach of the Year.

Final stats and standings are posted at http://triadblackhawks.com/?page_id=951.