COLUMBUS, Ohio – High school lacrosse players in Ohio will be playing tournament sponsored by the state’s prep sports governing body in two years.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors voted unanimously Thursday to grant “emerging” status to the sport because it is played by fewer than the 150 schools required for it to be officially recognized, commissioner Daniel Ross said.
Currently organized by the Ohio High School Lacrosse Association (and the Ohio Schoolgirls Lacrosse Association, there were 122 boys schools and 118 girls schools that sponsored lacrosse in 2015, with an additional 18 boys club teams sponsored, Ross said.
The board followed the recommendation of a subcommittee that boys and girls lacrosse become spring sports, beginning in the 2016-17 school year, with the first OHSAA statewide tournament series beginning in 2017.
“Lacrosse is definitely growing in our state at both the youth and high school levels, and it’s exciting when schools want their sport to be part of our association and also exciting that more students will be able to complement their high school experience with another participation opportunity,” Ross said.
Lacrosse is the first sport to be included in the OHSAA’s new “emerging” category, which will be reviewed annually to assess growth and financial solvency to determine if the sport will continue as “emerging,” be elevated to “recognized,” be suspended or be discontinued, Ross said.
The last time the OHSAAA recognized new sports was 2006-07 when boys and girls bowling were adopted.