Athletes from across the area have competed against each other for much of the school year but have now traded their school colors in a unified effort for the green and white of Northland Lacrosse this spring.
Since the conclusion of winter sports, about 40 high school boys have joined the team, including more than a dozen student-athletes from Platte County. The group includes a couple players from Platte County High School, four from St. Pius X, six from Park Hill South and six from Park Hill.
The opportunity to play alongside athletes from different high schools presents a unique challenge as they compete against opposing Lacrosse Association of Kansas City programs, whose players regularly see each other in school. Park Hill senior William Vande Ven views that challenge as an opportunity to build camaraderie and resilience.
“We come together from all kinds of different high schools,” Vande Ven said. “It’s not like we all go to school together and see each other all the time. It’s almost like a tighter family because we take these shorter practices and seasons and build up that grit together.”
Vande Ven will be the latest in his family to play at Rockhurst University when he suits up for the Hawks next year. It has become a family tradition to play for Northland Lacrosse through high school before continuing at Rockhurst.
Photo: Northland Lacrosse // William Vande Ven of Park Hill will follow his older brothers in playing lacrosse at Rockhurst University next year.
His older brothers wouldn’t recognize the program today after critical improvements in recent years. The latest upgrade has been moving practices to Central Bank Sporting Complex,
providing a quality training center. Northland Lacrosse has also partnered with the Park Hill School District to host home games at Park Hill District Stadium over the years.
Since its founding in 2006, the organization has graduated more than a dozen Platte County athletes who have gone on to play collegiate lacrosse, including five at the NCAA Division I level. Most who play collegiately have been with the club since early development, which Northland Lacrosse provides as early as first grade.
“If you want to have a good high school program, you have to have kids that have played for a long time,” assistant coach Jack Boyer said. “There’s a lot of nuances handling the ball that take time to understand. They get all that time to develop, and they really love the game to adopt that mindset.”
Boyer has been with the club since 2011, when he started as a player before competing collegiately at Maryville University. Since graduating, he has returned to coach with the club that gave him his start in lacrosse, as well as a couple of local travel teams.
“You can’t replace years of experience in a couple weeks of practice,” Boyer said. “It’s called ‘the creator’s game’ because you get to create your own style of play. That takes years of experience to refine.”
Getting lacrosse sanctioned by MSHSAA remains a long-term goal, but Northland Lacrosse would welcome the opportunity for a local high school to establish its own team in the future. For now, the focus remains on the season ahead.
Senior attacker Sam Wigington from St. Pius X has been with the club for about six years since moving to Weatherby Lake from St. Louis. He loves the competitive nature of the club and looks forward to one final postseason run with teammates he has played alongside for years.
After a trip to St. Thomas Aquinas on April 9, the Spartans will finish the regular season with home games at Park Hill against Rockhurst on April 22, Mill Valley on April 25 and Pembroke Hill on April 29. Currently fifth in the league, they aim for their third top-four finish since 2019, from which anyone can win on any given day.
“This could be a very successful season,” Vande Ven said. “We didn’t start off too hot. Once we heal up, I could see us being very successful.”
Photo: Northland Lacrosse // Senior attacker Sam Winington from St. Pius X hopes to extend the season as long as possible going into the final weeks of his Northland Lacrosse career.