TODAY IS THE DAY! Updated District Three playoffs have begun

[rdsknbill]

During my "hiatus" from ES, I had alot more time to focus on our first year as an official HS lacrosse program.

I am bouncing off the walls and cursing the clock that is moving too damn SLOW!

We kick it off this afternoon at home vs. Lower Dauphin. Local TV and print media will be on hand. Wish us luck!

Here is a nice article that they put in the paper this morning of what we went through to get the sport into our school district

http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_11952752?IADID=Search-ydr.inyork.com-ydr.inyork.com

Fundraising offers team lesson

Red Lion parents and students raised more than $66,000 to play lacrosse.

By RYAN DIXON

For the Daily Record/Sunday News

Updated: 03/19/2009 08:01:50 PM EDT

New sports don't start up very often.

So when the PIAA approved boys' and girls' lacrosse as a new high school sport in the York area for the spring season, schools where left to decide if they had the funds and resources to participate.

Some schools, such as Red Lion, needed to raise the money themselves.

"We were a club team like most of the other teams in the county," Red Lion booster club secretary Andrea Unger said. "Last May our school board voted the district would allow lacrosse if the team could raise the money by September 2."

The vote happened May 14, 2008 and the money that needed to be raised was $66,000. So with less than four months to raise the money, the parents and players got right to work.

"We did an activity about once a week July through August," Unger said. "We were pretty busy."

Those activities consisted of anything from spaghetti dinners, to selling raffle tickets to having a car show.

The raffle ticket sales amounted to $7,000 of the budget. The spaghetti dinners and nights eating out raised a couple hundred dollars.

The big event was a dinner dance at Naylor Winery that was held by a subsidiary group called Friends of Red Lion Lacrosse. The event raised $12,000, which went back into the booster club.

"It was overwhelming because really there were about 12 core families who just rolled up their sleeves and gave up their summers to raise money," Unger said.

The club also received a "several thousand" dollar

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sponsorship from J & K Salvage to sponsor both boys' and girls' varsity and JV squads.

"We are very grateful to them," Unger said of the company's generosity.

Even with all the fundraising the teams did, just a mere few weeks before the large sum of money was due; they were still a few hundred dollars short.

So realizing that if they couldn't get the needed money, the children wouldn't have a chance to participate, the parents stepped up.

"We had a meeting with the parents and said here's what we can do, we can continue fundraising or we can pitch in," Unger said. "People just started coming up to the table and giving checks.

"We were down to like $58 and a man stood up and walked to the front of the table and said here you go. We just squeaked in."

The parents wanted to show their support for their kids who worked hand-in-hand with them during the entire fundraising progression.

"As parents, we didn't mind helping them raise the money, but we wanted them to be a part of the process because it was for them," Unger said, who has a son on the varsity team. "It was important for them to go out and raise the money."

Aside from having great team-building activities during the entire summer and getting to spend time with the families, the fact that the students had to step up and work for their chance to play was incentive in itself.

"If you roll your sleeves up and get to work, you can do this. It takes a lot of work, but you can do this," Unger said. "As parents we felt this was an important lesson for the kids to learn that if you want something you have to work for it, it's not always going to be given to you."

Now that the hard part is over, the fun part starts today for the boys' team who play host to Lower Dauphin at 4:30 at Pleasant View Elementary School. The girls' begin Monday at Red Lion Junior High School against York Catholic.

[PleaseBlitz]

Good luck bill! :wavetowel

[bbruce0]

Congrats on getting a real team. While I was at Frostburg, I helped work with alumni of our club team that played in the NCLL, a college club lacrosse league. I just heard about a week ago that in 2010 or 2011, that we will have a varsity NCAA D3 lacrosse team at Frostburg, the last college in the State of Maryland to have a varisty men's lacrosse program. Good luck today!

[Capt. Kaos]

Congrats and Good Luck!!!!

We play our first game next Sunday! I think I'm more excited than the kids!

[rdsknbill]

Congrats and Good Luck!!!!

We play our first game next Sunday! I think I'm more excited than the kids!

How did your pre-season practices go?

[dchogs]

nice, bill.

congrats on getting to this point... it's been a long road.

good luck at the game!

[BigMike619]

good luck bill. i always like to see when sports are given to children.

[btfoom]

That is fantastic!!!! It is great to read about a group who work hard and earn something that is important to them.

My son plays lacrosse for his High School and loves every minute of it. I am very happy for you and your school. The best part is that no matter what the score is today, you have already won - you put together teams that would not have existed if not for all of that hard work.

Please let us know how you do during the year.

Remember: Ground Balls Win Games!!!

[rdsknbill]

OK, Layered up with Under Armour and heading down to the High School! GOOOO LIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rdsknbill]

That is fantastic!!!! It is great to read about a group who work hard and earn something that is important to them.

My son plays lacrosse for his High School and loves every minute of it. I am very happy for you and your school. The best part is that no matter what the score is today, you have already won - you put together teams that would not have existed if not for all of that hard work.

Please let us know how you do during the year.

Remember: Ground Balls Win Games!!!

Thanks my friend, and you are right. Ground balls DOES win games!!!!!!!

[Capt. Kaos]

How did your pre-season practices go?

Been cold and windy most days since we been outside but it has also been very productive. Girls cant wait til they get to play for real!

[rdsknbill]

Been cold and windy most days since we been outside but it has also been very productive. Girls cant wait til they get to play for real!

:rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao:

Come up here and experience the wind tunnel that is our field.

By the way,

WE WON! 7-5 VARSITY 7-0 JV

Very rusty game for our upperclassmen for the talent that is there, but the JV boys were unstoppable. They haven't given up a goal in 2 scrimmages and their first game.

[dchogs]

so how'd it go, brother?

[dchogs]

fine... looked it up myself, you ****.

http://www.gametimepa.com/ci_11961586?source=rss

Lions emerge with first lacrosse victory

Red Lion beat Lower Dauphin, 7-5, in the school's opener as a varsity sport.

By RYAN DIXON

For the Daily Record/Sunday News

Red Lion boys' lacrosse coach Bill Middleton calls the sport, "the greatest game on two feet."

For the first time, that sport was played at the varsity level in Red Lion on Friday.

"I think for the senior group it was an outstanding moment for them after playing club ball for all those years," Middleton said. "It's a pretty cool moment."

Red Lion also showed perseverance after falling behind by two goals to Lower Dauphin early in the game as the Lions came back to win, 7-5, for the school's first lacrosse win. Mitch Heaps scored three goals to lead Red Lion.

"It feels really good," Mitch Heaps said. "I couldn't have done it without my teammates getting the ball downfield on the fast break. I just did my best to finish my shots."

The Lions (1-0) took their first lead on Heaps' goal with 50 seconds to play in the first quarter at 3-2. Casey Raver assisted on the play.

Early in the second quarter, the Falcons (0-1) answered back with a goal by Alex Kamp at 10:29 left in the half. Kamp paced the Falcons with four goals.

But, Red Lion answered right back with a goal by Joe Ross, who beat Falcons goalie Tim Woltman on the left side, giving the Lions a lead they didn't relinquish.

"We were mentally strong in areas where I thought we would lose it, which shows a lot of growth," Middleton said.

That growth leads Middleton to have sky-high expectations for his squad.

"We got goals. We would like to win the county and go to state," Middleton said. "This is a quality team."

That team came together as the result of a fundraising effort from its booster club to the parents and players themselves. The four Red Lion lacrosse teams needed to raise $66,000 to participate. By achieving that goal, the reward is sweet.

"It was really tough," Heaps said. "We came together and did fundraisers and did some big events. We're going to work hard for Red Lion."

Brandon Kessler scored two goals for Red Lion, and Harry Darrah chipped in the other Lions point.

"We work a lot on deception and selling what you do because that's going to create the move and being able to read the defense," Middleton said of his team's offense.

Assistant-coach rdsknbill added, "I'd like to give Extremeskins.com a huge shout out. Dems my homies. I'm so happy right now that I'm almost not afraid of going up against the always-superior Dallastown Wildcats. They keep me up at night. Sometimes, I even cry out in anquish, knowing that there's nothing we can do to avoid being totally dominated mentally and physically."

nice win, coach. congrats! kinda an odd quote there at the end though. i understand where you're coming from, though, and you can call or PM me if you need someone to talk to.

[SkinsBry]

Varsity 7-5

JV 7-0 (ended after the 3rd due to daylight)

The way the team came on the field, I haven't seen a team look so professional in the high school ranks before. The Varsity team did not play to their potential, but it was their first game of the season. I know the coaches and the players, a 7-5 win is a disappointment to them and I know that they will work their asses off to improve on it.

The JV team looked good, but not great. There is room for improvement.

When other teams can run on eight cylinders, Red Lion can run on ten. There is a lot of knowledge that this coaching staff have to offer and they WILL coach up the players to make it a successful season.

Bill is a very respected coach, his players will give him all they have because they want to play the best they can for him. If they fall short, they're disappointed in themselves. I had the privilege to be one of Bill's assistants in 2006 when Bill and our team won the first championship for RL at the junior high level. I'm now a spectator and huge fan of theses kids and my friend Bill which are a powerhouse in York county Lax.

Here's a video, sad thing is, I'm in it and Bill isn't.

http://wgal.highschoolplaybook.com/media/ShowMedia.do?mid=5eca382ec1bc80944c379eda6bd63b5f

Good luck Bill and Red Lion Lacrosse.

Expect Nothing

Earn Everything

-RL LAX

[MikeInJc aka M.I.A.]

:rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao:

Come up here and experience the wind tunnel that is our field.

By the way,

WE WON! 7-5 VARSITY 7-0 JV

Very rusty game for our upperclassmen for the talent that is there, but the JV boys were unstoppable. They haven't given up a goal in 2 scrimmages and their first game.

Go Chambersburg Trojans!!!!!

:hysterical:

You know I had to give you some **** Bill, since I believe we are in the same division;)

[Patrick86L]

That goal by Heaps on the last clip in the video was sweet. It almost looked like an alley-oop.

[rdsknbill]

Go Chambersburg Trojans!!!!!

:hysterical:

You know I had to give you some **** Bill, since I believe we are in the same division;)

Trojans are in the Mid Penn, And they play like a bunch of condoms.

[rdsknbill]

Article in this morning's paper. Click to see photos

http://www.inyork.com/ci_11961586?IADID=Search-www.inyork.com-www.inyork.com

Lions emerge with first lacrosse victory

Red Lion beat Lower Dauphin, 7-5, in the school's opener as a varsity sport.

By RYAN DIXON

For the Daily Record/Sunday News

Posted: 03/20/2009 08:24:26 PM EDT

Sticks raised, the Red Lion lacrosse team heads to the field on Friday. (Daily Record/Sunday News - Kate Penn)

Red Lion boys' lacrosse coach Bill Middleton calls the sport, "the greatest game on two feet."

For the first time, that sport was played at the varsity level in Red Lion on Friday.

"I think for the senior group it was an outstanding moment for them after playing club ball for all those years," Middleton said. "It's a pretty cool moment."

Red Lion also showed perseverance after falling behind by two goals to Lower Dauphin early in the game as the Lions came back to win, 7-5, for the school's first lacrosse win. Mitch Heaps scored three goals to lead Red Lion.

"It feels really good," Mitch Heaps said. "I couldn't have done it without my teammates getting the ball downfield on the fast break. I just did my best to finish my shots."

The Lions (1-0) took their first lead on Heaps' goal with 50 seconds to play in the first quarter at 3-2. Casey Raver assisted on the play.

Early in the second quarter, the Falcons (0-1) answered back with a goal by Alex Kamp at 10:29 left in the half. Kamp paced the Falcons with four goals.

But, Red Lion answered right back with a goal by Joe Ross, who beat Falcons goalie Tim Woltman on the left side, giving the Lions a lead they didn't relinquish.

"We were mentally strong in areas where I thought we would lose it, which shows a lot of growth," Middleton said.

That growth leads Middleton to have sky-high expectations for his squad.

"We got goals. We would like to win the county and go to state," Middleton said. "This is a quality team."

That team came together as the result of a fundraising effort from its booster club to the parents and players themselves. The four Red Lion lacrosse teams needed to raise $66,000 to participate. By achieving that goal, the reward is sweet.

"It was really tough," Heaps said. "We came together and did fundraisers and did some big events. We're going to work hard for Red Lion."

Brandon Kessler scored two goals for Red Lion, and Harry Darrah chipped in the other Lions point.

"We work a lot on deception and selling what you do because that's going to create the move and being able to read the defense," Middleton said of his team's offense.

[rdsknbill]

York Catholic up next on Monday. Without sounding ****y, should be a win

[btfoom]

Come on, Man. Some of us need to keep up with the boys.

It doesn't matter the score, just let me know the games are still going on and the fellas play good defense!!!!

Ground Balls, boys, Ground Balls. Wins Championships!!!1

[rdsknbill]

Since the last update

Red Lion 9 York Catholic 5

Red Lion 16 Spring Grove 3

Pic from the sideline

Red Lion 19 Central Dauphin 1

JV remains undefeated as well.

Our schedule gets tougher this week with a visit to South Western and Northern

4-0 So far SO GOOD!

[rdsknbill]

Defensively we have converted a long time long pole middie to Close Defense since we already have two outstanding LPMs. We lock him on to the opponents' best shooter and he just does his job..

Outstanding kid. He showed up yesterday when I went out to scout Central York.

[rdsknbill]

Here is a recent piece that they did on the head coach in the local paper

http://yorkdispatch.inyork.com/yd/search/ci_12009831?IADID=Search-yorkdispatch.inyork.com-yorkdispatch.inyork.com

He laughs about the freak accident from years ago, breaking into a fake crying spell before the chuckles emanate from his belly.

But the laughs didn't always come so easily. There were times spent wondering awful things. How about the six weeks Bill Middleton spent as a teenager pondering what life would be like without his left arm?

So to wrap your head around how Middleton, 50, has arrived at his sunny disposition, we must go back to that day from more than 30 years ago. We must go back to the event that changed Middleton's life forever.

In high school, Middleton was a student at St. Anne's-Belfield Prep School in Charlottesville, Va. One day he took part in a friendly tug of war with his classmates. The only problem was the kid in front of Middleton jumped out of line for a yearbook picture, leaving young Bill to man the end of the rope by himself.

All of a sudden, the rope -- a two-piece twine arrangement, separated by three D-rings -- came loose and whipped back right at Middleton. The force created by the flying rope was enough to sever Middleton's left arm, leaving his hand flapping near his elbow. It also shattered his right arm.

At the time, Middleton was an up-and-coming lacrosse player. He hoped to play in college. But instead of working toward that dream, he spent five months with his left arm in a full cast. Then another two in a smaller cast.

No bitterness: To this day, though, Middleton is not bitter. The Red Lion boys' lacrosse coach's

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Penn State Harrisburg

accident taught him that things happen for a reason. He kept his love affair with lacrosse alive as a referee and he

coached at Messiah before the Falcons officially became recognized by NCAA Division III.

He also still has use of his hand -- "The guy did a great job fixing it," Middleton says of the surgeon who repaired his limb -- and he uses his experience as a lesson for his players.

For starters, if Middleton can disregard the surgeon's advice and come back for his senior lacrosse season, playing with only his right hand and his left arm wrapped in rubber padding, then why can't the young Lions of today use both their hands effectively in York-Adams League battles?

And there's other important advice, too.

"It's just something that we preach, like that NCAA commercial: 'You're going to major in something other than lacrosse,'" said Middleton, who was the boys' club lacrosse coach at York Suburban the last two years before coming to Red Lion. "Make other plans. Because you never know what can happen."

Experienced staff: Intriguing as Middleton's back story is, the entire Red Lion coaching staff's tale seems fit for a novel too. Middleton coaches with assistants Bill Simms, Tom Ensminger and Dan Ruocco. Yet while the word assistant may technically be accurate, these four peers are more co-coaches than anything else.

Ruocco, 50, coached the first York County Lacrosse Association boys' team back in 1996 with Middleton. About 20 kids from seven different high schools played on that team. Then Ruocco jump-started the Red Lion boys' lacrosse club team in 2001, persuading 20 kids at one of the Lions' junior high football practices to take a chance on a new sport.

Ensminger, 53, had spent the last 10 years guiding the Dallastown boys' lacrosse club team before joining the Red Lion staff this year. And there's Simms, 43, an Annapolis, Md., high school student years ago who moved to Dover when he was a junior. Simms, like Ruocco, has coached a son through the Red Lion lacrosse ranks and has coached in the Lions' system for the last eight years.

This wealth of coaching experience also created an interesting scenario before the start of this year, Red Lion's first season as a recognized varsity sport. Both Simms and Middleton were hoping to be the head coach.

But before any decision on the top job, both agreed that no matter who landed the lead gig, the other would join the staff too.

"We called each other and said, 'It doesn't matter who the lead dog is, we can coach together,'" Simms said. "We've all got a good rapport going."

Booster club's help was vital: All four coaches are also quick to spread credit to the Red Lion booster club, which was faced with the harsh reality of raising $66,000 in about three months to get lacrosse started. But through several successful fund-raisers the money was raised and now 42 kids can say they play lacrosse for Red Lion High School.

The miraculous chain of events led to an interesting exchange between the coaches recently. They were headed to a Red Lion away game on a school bus and all shared a similar look that conveyed the same thought: Did you ever think this would happen?

"North of the Mason-Dixon Line 10 years ago, the word lacrosse could barely be spelled -- especially in the York County area," Ensminger said. "We were always playing catch-up with teams like Hempfield. We'd play those teams and lose by a zip code."

But now that the days of club lacrosse are over, Red Lion has plenty to look forward to. The Lions (3-0) currently hold the fifth-best power rating in central Pennsylvania (94.42) out of 52 teams, according to the Web site Lax Power. And all of the Lions' coaches, with their years immersed in this sport, have big expectations for the future.

"It's going to be extremely big," Middleton said of lacrosse in York County and at Red Lion. "It will rival football and basketball. It will be the spring sport."

[rdsknbill]

Sorry but