by Lauren Redfern

The sport of lacrosse is not new to the town of Bellbrook. But, it is new to the Bellbrook Athletic Department. This year, Bellbrook Lacrosse is being recognized as a school-sponsored club sport. Most ask, “What does that mean?” The Bellbrook- Sugarcreek school district does not recognize the lacrosse program as a varsity sport like the other existing programs in the school. Becoming a school-sponsored club, however, is the first step in becoming a varsity sport.

There are restrictions to the new title. All athletes must follow the athlete’s code of conduct and other rules followed by the student athletes of Bellbrook. Athletes also must follow all attendance rules the school has in place. Another new aspect to the lacrosse program is there are no other students from other schools allowed to participate. When the lacrosse program was separate, there was a mix of athletes from other districts. However, the athletes do not receive a gym waiver or transportation to games.

The lacrosse programs has almost 60 athletes at the high school level. The boys’ team, according to BellbrookLacrosse.com, has 37 members. The girls’ team has 21 members. Most of the team members on the boys’ team have been playing for several years. The girls’ roster, on the other hand, is made up of mostly first year players.

With only 8 returning members, the focus of Head Coach Jeff Chew is teaching. Chew coached in the boys’ program for 5 years, and in his last year the team won the High School Club Championship. Chew now finds himself surrounded by teenage girls. Chew had admitted several times that coaching girls and boys is VERY different. One thing that does not differ between the two teams is the will to win.

The Lady Golden Eagles started the season with a win over the Chillicothe Cavaliers. The team was down 5 goals at halftime, but did not give up. The team roared back and won the game 12-11. The lady Eagles took the momentum into their March 21 contest versus Dayton Carroll Patriots. Unfortunately, the Lady Eagles ran out of steam and were unable to produce a win. The team travels to Kettering Fairmont on March 27 for their next contest with a record of 1-1.

The boys’ team dropped their season opener to Cincinnati Wyoming and then lost another one to Kettering Archbishop Alter. The Golden Eagles are determined to not make this a trend, especially under the leadership of captains Trent Beard, Mason Zimmer, Sam Shroder, Luke DiCicco and Phillip Chevrette.

Both teams have raw talent and are fun to watch. Watch a game this season. Both teams play their home games at the Miami Valley South Stadium and would love your support.

Schedules can be found at: Bellbrooklacrosse.com