Lacrosse is making its KHSAA debut this spring and growing in popularity

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW)- Lacrosse has been played in North America since native tribes gathered to use the sport to prepare men for war as early as the 12th century.

In the Bluegrass, the sport is not as deeply rooted, but that may change soon as interest in tlacrosse is growing throughout Lexington.

You Never Forget Your First

This spring season is the first ever that lacrosse is a Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) sanctioned sport. Several local high schools have been playing as club teams before the change.

The ancient competition that’s newly sanctioned is defined as a “team game, in which the ball is thrown, caught and carried with a long-handled stick.”

Henry Clay boys lacrosse Head Coach Ben Ternosky grew up in New York close to where some of the first ever games were played hundreds of years ago.

“It’s nice that lacrosse is growing down South and in the Midwest,” said Ternosky, whose Blue Devils are 8-2 overall so far this campaign.

LCA Girl’s Lacrosse gets ready to face Frederick Douglass at home.

“Everybody looks at lacrosse as a Louisville sport and now this has brought some legitimacy to Lexington,” said Lexington Christian Academy girls lacrosse head coach Tony Shackleton, whose team is playing its first season as a varsity outfit and has a 7-2 mark at this point.

Senior lacrosse players like Griffin Kaylor at Henry Clay and Ava Harrison at LCA are thankful that the change was made for their last season of high school.

“People understand that it’s a real sport,” said Harrison. “(Sanctioning) is a testament to the competition between the girls and the level of dedication that everyone has.”

“The game has been growing for quite awhile now so it feels good to be recognized as a sport instead of a club,” said Kaylor.

Picking up a Stick

A women’s lacrosse ball sits on the turf at Lexington Christian Academy during a game.

With lacrosse being new to plenty of people, Ternosky and Shackleton are here to help you understand the game that’s like “ice hockey without skates.”

First, you need ten players to play a boys game or 12 to play a girls game that, at the KHSAA level, are both made up of four 12 minute quarters played on a field that’s comparable in size to a soccer pitch. Teams can substitute at any position at any given time, just like hockey.

But, there are several differences between girls and boys lacrosse. Most involve the fact that the boys play a “contact sport,” while the girls technically do not.

• Players
  • “There’s three defenseman with really long sticks, three midfielders, three attackers and a goalie,” said the Henry Clay boss on the boys positions.
  • “We have three middies who play offense and defense,” said Shackleton going through the women’s roles. “We have four defenders and four attackers too.”

• Face-offs and Draws
  • The boys face-off while the girls have a draw.
  • “The ball is on the ground for the boys and the ball is in the air between two sticks for the girls,” said Shackleton.

• Handling a Stick or Cradling
  • “Our crosses, which are equal to a stick, have to between 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock,” said Shackleton. “There is no lateral stick.”
  • “A boy’s lacrosse stick has a deeper pocket,” said Ternosky. “They can handle it anyway they want as long as the pocket is not too deep.”

An example of the deeper pocket that boys lacrosse players use on their sticks.

• Defending the Goal
  • Girls have an eight meter section in front of the goal in which they can’t occupy longer than three seconds, while boys can defend in front of the goal for as long as they want.
  • “That goes hand in hand with basketball. Think about inside the lane. You can’t be in there longer than three seconds,” said Shackleton. “If you are than it’s a foul and if the ball is inside the section it’s a penalty shot.”

• Headwear
  • Girls wear goggle-like eye protection traditionally. But on LCA’s team, Shackleton’s players wear girl’s helmets to protect them from head injuries.
  • On the boy’s side, helmets are mandatory and are the status quo.

Regardless of the differences, the coaches and their players think the game has potential to attract anyone who has an interest.

“So far I haven’t had a girl put a stick in their hand who hasn’t returned,” said Shackleton. “I think if we can get more out there about this sport there’s so many girls who might find an avenue they didn’t have before to come out and play.”

Growing the Game

Henry Clay Boy’s Lacrosse at practice.

Both coaches agree that there aren’t many people who understand lacrosse in Central Kentucky outside of a small cohort. That seems to be changing though.

LCA has had six players join the team for 2025 after having 20 the year before. Coach Shackleton thinks his numbers will grow again next season.

“The goal is about 35 players,” said Shackleton. “We’re starting to get more and more people coming into the stands, watching and understanding. The more we do it’s going to help these girls understand they have a sport they can come to.”

How the Eagles’ head coach thinks that’s done is by creating a commitment-free first try for prospective players.

“Just come out and practice a few times. See if it’s something you might like,” he said.

LCA’s goalie ready to make a save during a game.

Henry Clay has played some high-stakes games, notably against cross-town rival Frederick Douglass, that Coach Ternosky wants to use to attract potential new fans of the game.

Youth lacrosse efforts, more organized and on a larger scale, would be the real gamechanger to attract more athletes according to Ternosky.

“I try to invite all the middle school kids to come so they can see the sport and have ways for the high school students to get in for free,” said Ternosky. “You need to have a good youth program and build up. Right now in Lexington, we don’t have a strong youth program yet.”