UPPER FREEHOLD — Since its founding in 2007 with 32 players and two teams, the local Dragons Lacrosse league has grown to 123 players — three boys teams, and two girls teams — ranging from kindergarten through eighth grade.
The girls teams are combining with Robbinsville for this year and will return to Allentown and Upper Freehold in 2013.
At theApril 5 Township Committee meeting, officials heard a presentation regarding the current state of the Dragons.
John Masserini, president of the Allentown Upper Freehold Athletic Association (AUFAA), told the governing body that lacrosse is the fastest-growing sport in U.S. colleges, in both the number of participants and schools.
He said AUFAA lacrosse is a member of U.S. Lacrosse and participates in the South Jersey chapter. It is also a member of the Central Jersey Youth Lacrosse League for boys and the New Jersey Junior Girls Lacrosse League.
The seventh- and eighth-grade boys went 7-0 in tournaments last year, and the majority of the 2012 freshmen who tried out made the Allentown High School team, he said.
For college scholarships, lacrosse ranks third, behind football and basketball, according to Masserini.
“The vast majority of the parents have no clue what the sport is,” he said. “We’re educating them as well as the kids.”
According to Masserini, the goal is to have 20 to 22 players per team, and all players play.
This spring, outdoor practice at Reed Park began the first weekend in March, with two nights of practice per week and every Saturday morning prior to the first game. Once games begin, there is only weeknight practice.
Masserini explained that lacrosse fields are slightly larger than soccer or football fields, and the teams manage to use three fields at Reed Park for the sport.
Games are planned for every weekend, typically running about one hour. Masserini said games are generally within a 20- to 30- minute drive, with players expected to arrive 45 minutes before the scheduled start.
The season consists of between 12 and 14 games, and at least one tournament for the older teams.
Masserini noted that both of his sons also played Little League and that he also served as the league’s president. The most problematic aspect then was the parents “barking at kids from the sidelines,” he said.
In lacrosse, the AUFAA board stresses sportsmanship and conduct for players and parents, he said.
“The Dragons is by far the best-run organization the town has,” Steve Murphy, the chairman of the township Recreation Commission, told the governing body.