Chicago Public League Sports Blog

Whitney Young Beats Lane Tech for CPS Boys Lacrosse Title

Whitney Young 7 Lane Tech 6

Whitney Young wins its first ever city boys lacrosse title.

Some Notable Recent Scores

Boys Lacrosse
Whitney Young 9 Lane Tech 8
Upstart Whitney Young showed that there is a new power in the city, as the Dolphins beat Lane Tech for I believe the first time in boys lacrosse.

Baseball
Morgan Park 9 Simeon 7
Morgan Park takes the Jackie Robinson Conference lead with a 13-1 conference record. The Simeon Morgan Park rivalry goes beyond football and basketball.

Girls Softball
Lane Tech 11 Loyola 5
Any time a CPS school beats Loyola in almost any sport, it is news. Lane girls softball team beat Maine West earlier in the season and now Loyola. The Indians are seeded #4 in the upcoming Ressurection state sectional. That is one of the highest seedings I can remember for a CPS girls softball team.

Whitney Young - A New Major Player in CPS Boys Lacrosse

Jack Devine (jr, Midfielder) is Co-Captain of a Whitney Young  team that was 13-2 playing in its first season of lacrosse last year. Watch out for the upcoming Lane Tech vs Whitney Young boys lacrosse game on April 23rd. Whitney Young is trying to get its first win over CPS boys lacrosse powerhouse Lane Tech.

Thank you to the following article emailed (Publisher@LaneTechFan.com) to me by Whitney Young lacrosse player Zachary Nandapurkar:

"First off I'd like to say I love your blog! I use it every day to catch up on my school's sports and other cps schools in sports.

Anyways I noticed that the last post on Lacrosse was from 2010, and now that Lacrosse is back and mostly in full swing, might I suggest covering the Whitney Young vs Lane Tech Lacrosse game on April 23rd at 5p.m. if you by chance have the time.  It should be a great game and won't disappoint! 

"A little bit about the team: The Whitney Young Lacrosse team formed in 2011 around only about 4 experienced lacrosse players and many willing athletes who currently played different sports or even no other sports.  Lacrosse was always something that was always desired at WY and finally got the parent support it needed in 2011.  As a team comprised of mostly Sophomores and only 1 Senior our first season was the spring of 2012 and our combined varsity/jv record ended up at 13-2 with varsity wins over every CPS team except Lane, and some varsity wins over suburban teams such as St Laurence and St Francis High Schools.  In addition we had 2 players make the all city roster last year: #33 Jack DeVine (1st team) and #99 Owen Bloomfield (2nd team).  This season we already have one win under our belt against a combined (North/South) Downers Grove team (7-6 OT)."

 

It's Official!

CPS Cuts Funding for Water Polo and Lacrosse!

 

Due to budget cuts the CPS has officially decided to cut funding for lacrosse and water polo.

This is truly a sad day for anyone in the CPS involved in lacrosse and water polo.

"It was a sad day for me to hear 
the news but a worse day for my teamates my heart is 
hurt because we were planing to make history this 
year but all good things must come to an end sooner 
or later. I guess what the cps did was right, let
teams go to save money since they are 
way over there budget. Our coach is trying to get
donations so we can get money to play since the cps 
don't sponsor us i hope it works"

- James Harvey
Harlan Lacrosse player

Reading the statement above from Harlan lacrosse player Jame Harvey, pretty much says it all. They had a good thing going. Unfortunately, the reality of the times, made funding an issue. Lacrosse and Water Polo have been dropped.

Water Polo and Lacrosse did not have the most participation but there were schools with promising programs. Lane Tech has always been good in both sports and have beaten quality suburban and private school opponents over the years. Curie had an all-state water polo from last year's city championship team and had the biggest upset of the water polo season when they beat defending state runner up Sandburg in a regular season match last year.

This is not the first sport the CPS has dropped. The CPS eliminated funding for girls and boys gymnastics in the 1990's.

It does not mean, the sports are completely dead. Like Harvey said Harlan will try to get donations to keep the sport alive at Harlan. At a school like Lane Tech where Lacrosse is much more advanced, I'd expect the Lacrosse team to make the efforts to keep a team together. They may have to resort to creative measures like have team fundraisers, have players and parents contribute, and try to get sponsorship.

Sun-Times Report: CPS Cutting Lacrosse and Water Polo

Lacrosse will be extinct if the Sun-Times report is true. What is next?

I know the Sun-Times wrote it in print :  CPS will be "cutting back some spring non-varsity sports and eliminating lacrosse and water polo." I can't believe what I read. Eliminating lacrosse and water polo? Until, I hear it from more sources than just the Chicago Sun-Times, I am not going to fully believe it.

If someone can confirm or not confirm in the comments that would be great. In the meantime, I am asking some of my sources to confirm the report. As soon as I get some additional info, I will let everyone know.

Thank you for ChicagoNow for the following FY2011 CPS Budget Forecast

Q&A - James Harvey on Harlan Lacrosse

James Harvey (jr) - Harlan Lacrosse player

www.CPSfan.com had a FaceBook conversation with Harlan junior James Harvey. Harvey is on Harlan's football and lacrosse teams. Below is are parts of the conversation as well as some other Harlan Lacrosse information.

Question - Lacrosse is a relatively new sport in the city, a lot of people my self included do not know a lot about Lacrosse. Tell us about Lacrosse?

Answer -

okay lacrosse is a sport that has 10 players 3
defenders 3 attackers 3 midddies and a goalie. The
object of the game is to score on your opponent. That is
played using a small solid rubber ball and a long-handled
racquet called a crosse or lacrosse stick. The head of the
lacrosse stick is strung with loose netting that is designed
to hold the lacrosse ball. Offensively, the objective of the
game is to use the lacrosse stick to catch, carry, and pass
the ball in an effort to score by ultimately hurling the ball
into an opponent's goal. Defensively, the objective is to
keep the opposing team from scoring and to depossess
them of the ball through the use of stick checking
and body contact or positioning. The attackers
can come all the way to the 50 but can't pass
it the same way for a defender. He has a ball
and is racquet but can not pass the 50 if he does
he will get a flag.

Question- Tell me about Harlan Lacrosse?

This 2010 spring we will host a varsity squad
and a jv squad.

Question- How about your experience?

Our first year playing lacrosse was difficult I couldn't shoot I
couldn't pass but as time went on it got easier for me. 

We were one of the worse teams in the state on the jv
level,  but things changed when we entered are second
season. We had me,theo adams, aaron burnes, micheal
finney, hakeem blackmond, terrance ballard, justin fox,
carva tucker, micheal finney, and  avontae pope.

We had the number one goalie in the state on the
jv level justin fox who came big on all our games.
He was one of the reasons we had success in our
second season. Now since we know we are playing
higher competition on the varsity level we plan
to get stronger and get better. As far as our weakness 
as far as I know neil you might not know our team in all but I see
something in our team that my coaches don't see. We have a chance 
to do something this year that hasn't never been done for black 
lacrosse program and that's too win city and qualify for state. 

Those are the things we will work on.

New CPS Lacrosse Conference

Harlan will be part of the new CPS Lacrosse Conference

According to the Illinois High School Lacrosse Association (IHSLA):

Beginning in the 2010 season, the lacrosse conferences will be rearranged to better match the IHSA conference alignment. This realignment will usher in a new Chicago Public Schools Conference and a Catholic Conference. The Chicago Metro Conference will be eliminated.

Each team will be expected to play at least five of their games within their conference. Non-conference games will be scheduled after the conference game schedules have been finalized. 

Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
----------------------------
Lane Tech
Lincoln Park
Mather
Northside Prep
Taft
Harlan Academy
Collins Academy
Chicago Academy
Orr Academy

Here is a note from Coach Wilhelmi of Collins:

Collins Lacrosse thanks Fenwick for scheduling JV games in April. We are especially appreciative of Fenwick in that, not only will Fenwick play Collins, they will also hold practices with my squad and donate some equipment.

To us, that is the spirit to which we all aspire. Thank you Bill Iannessa and the Fenwick staff for this opportunity. We cannot repay such generosity.

We realize that experienced teams want to play other experienced teams to improve their programs. For some programs, it is all about winning. On Chicago's west side we just want to save lives-- give these boys an opportunity to get off the streets in the spring. We realize our kids cannot compete on the same level in the classroom. However, just given an opportunity to literally play on the same playing field as some of the more privileged kids would mean the world to my boys.

If any JV programs can find space in their full schedules for a new program, please contact collinslacrosse@gmail.com.

IHSA Sanctions Lacrosse

The Harlan Falcons will join the new CPS boys lacrosse conference.

The IHSA has sanctioned adding Lacrosse as an official IHSA sport starting in the 2010-11 school season. Currently, Lacrosse is an emerging intramural club sport in the state of Illinois with 65 boys teams, 43 girls programs, and more schools opening up programs every year. According to the IHSLA, Lacrosse will be sanctioned as long as a minimum of 65 boys teams and 40 girls teams participate.  Mother McAuley from the south side just announced they will make a new girls lacrosse team. Lacrosse is biggest in the North Shore where schools like New Trier, Stevenson , and Loyola Academy have had thriving club teams for many years.

Lane Tech has been the most dominant CPS boys lacrosse team for the past 10 years.

CPS Boys Lacrosse Report

It's true Harlan has a Lacrosse team:

http://johnmarshalllacrosse.vnsports.com/

Like Bass Fishing, Harlan Lacrosse at the varsity level is new.

Harlan had a JV team last year and should have a varsity team this spring. James Harvey is their best player and they are coached by Greg Simmons

Also, new this year will be an official Chicago Public Schools conference at the boys level. Previously, CPS schools participated in conferences that included non- CPS schools. This year, CPS schools will be grouped into one conference called the "CPS conference" as there are only few teams - Mather, Northside, Lane Tech, Lincoln Park, Taft, and believe it or not Orr and Harlan. They can still play teams outside the conference but at the end of the year, there will be crowned a CPS conference champion.

Of the CPS teams, most of them are relatively new to Lacrosse. Lane Tech is by far the most advanced program in the state and has beaten several suburban programs over the years. Last year, Lane Tech beat St. Rita, Notre Dame, and Vernon Hills. I know they didn't beat any New Trier or Loyola type schools, but Lane did finish with a respectable 8-6 record. Also, over the years, Lane Tech has had several players play at college level lacrosse.

Look out this spring for CPS conference boys lacrosse news.

3 from Lane named to All-conference Lacrosse

 

 

 

 

Lane finished with an 8-6 record including victories against St. Rita, Notre Dame, Vernon Hills and all Public League schools.

Lane Tech Lacrosse had three student-athletes named to the All-Conference team. All are seniors and all are FIRST TEAM selections.

Chris Czekaj (defense)

David Laska (midfield)

Jay Noga (attack)

Czekaj and Laska will represent the team at the upcoming IHSLA All-Star Game.

The entire list of All-Conference, All-State, and All-America student-athletes from Illinois can be viewed by clicking this link to IHSLA.org.

Lane Tech Boys Lacrosse to play Lake Zurich in state playoffs

Just wanted to make sure everyone aware that Lane Tech Lacrosse boys team earned the
#9 seed in the 2008 playoffs and will travel to #8 Lake Zurich for a Friday
night second-round game.

details of the 2008 campaing at: http://lanetech.illinoisboyslax.com/