Ever since the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) announced back in the fall that they would be holding a vote on whether to sanction lacrosse or not, I have been getting questions from people in and outside of Kentucky about why the KHSAA decided to take a serious look now, what would KHSAA look like, and many other pieces surrounding this whole thing. Continue reading “Mailbag: Questions Surrounding The KHSAA Possibly Sanctioning Lacrosse”→
Photo Credit: Chad Waggoner/Trinity Athletic Photos
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) is asking for athletic directors and principals across the state to vote on the option of sanctioning boy’s and girl’s lacrosse. In their 2017-18 triennial survey last year 30 schools voted yes to sanctioning boy’s lacrosse and 32 schools voted yes to sanctioning girl’s lacrosse, but the result wasn’t enough for the KHSAA to sanction the sport.
While the KHSAA’s next triennial survey isn’t until 2020-2021, the Commissioner and Board of Control has received enough interest to conduct a survey in the interim. Schools have until September 17th to submit their answers to the KHSAA. The vote has to come out in favor of sanctioning the sport, so like usual the fate is in the hands of the athletic directors and principals of schools under the KHSAA.
This decision by the KHSAA comes nearly a year after the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association started their process which ended with lacrosse being voted in as a sanctioned sport. High School lacrosse in Tennessee will begin their first year as a sanctioned sport in 2021.
If the KHSAA’s survey comes back positive, Kentucky would become the 24th state in the country to sanction the sport and join Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina as the southern states that sanction the sport.
At the moment, Kentucky has 35 boy’s high school lacrosse teams and 30 girl’s high school teams. The 2020 season will see DeSales field a boy’s team for the first time and possibly St. Henry field their first boy’s and girl’s teams.
Former Lafayette head coach Charles Bigelow will be taking over as the head coach at Bryan Station for the 2020 season. This coaching change comes after first-year head coach William Marletta stepped down following the 2019 season.
Bigelow comes to Bryan Station after one season as the head coach at Lafayette. Prior to taking reigns as the head coach Bigelow was an assistant for five seasons. Last season Bigelow led a very young group to a 1-19 record, losing in the play-in round of the CLL tournament to Dixie Heights.
At Bryan Station Bigelow walks into a situation where success can be attained and the program seems to be moving upwards. The Defenders went 10-10 last season, losing to eventual champion Henry Clay in the first round.
Hopefully Bigelow can keep the current trajectory going at Bryan Station, especially being the second head coach in two seasons.
Central Hardin announced on Monday afternoon that John Gray would be taking over as the Bruins head coach for the 2020 season. This move comes after Dale Powers stepped down from his post as head coaching following a two-year stint.
Gray has been an assistant for the program and is an alum of Central Hardin. Those two factors are key for a program like Central Hardin who is going through their second coaching change in four years.
Last season the Bruins went 7-8 overall and lost to Lexington Catholic in the first round of the CLL tournament. The 2019 season was a pretty big jump from 2018 when they went 3-10.
The last winning season the Bruins enjoyed was in 2017 when they went 11-6. In addition to not having a ton of success over the past few seasons they also loose a strong senior class headlined by Gaige Powers who tallied 46 points (16G,30A) last season and was the catalyst for the Bruins offense.
However, they do return a good crop of young talent next season which should give them a boost. Gray certainly has his hands full, but success can be attained at Central Hardin and has bene in the past.
Scott Howe led St. Xavier (Ky.) to their 12th championship, second straight, this past season. Howe has been the only coach that the Tigers have ever known and is regarded by many as a “founding father” of Kentucky lacrosse. While Howe is regarded as a legend in the state his leash has never been shorter than it is now, even with all the success that he has had over the years.
According to multiple sources, the St. Xavier lacrosse program could have a changing of the guard sooner than later, and it’s not just retirement rumors anymore. Over the past few weeks there have multiple meetings between St. Xavier athletic director Alan Donhoff and parents of lacrosse players about the Tigers and the direction of the program.
Current and former players, parents, and Alumni of St. Xavier are not happy with the way in which the lacrosse program is being run under Howe, and haven’t been for multiple years now.
Over the past few seasons these complaints have seemed to ramp up and action has started to take place between parents, players, and Alumni of the program. This goes deeper than running up the score and beating teams by twenty of more points, which they did multiple times this past season.
Many are unhappy with the way that Howe leads, carries himself, acts towards, and treats players. Just this past season half of the senior class quit before the season because they “Didn’t want to spend their last semester of high school playing for that man [Howe].”, said a St. Xavier lacrosse parent.
While many have been unhappy about Howe’s coaching style and apparent disregard for sportsmanship there have been other culture issues as well. Multiple sources have said that Howe breeds a “bro culture” that is unacceptable at a private catholic school.
According to a source, St. Xavier athletic director Alan Donhoff was made aware at a meeting over the weekend that there are multiple players who have already said they will not play this next season, their senior year, because of Howe.
There were also a few names mentioned to Donhoff over the weekend in regards to replacements. Those names include L4 Lacrosse founder and director Reid Wesley, Christian Academy (Ky.) head coach Ryan Smith, L4 Lacrosse box director Dylan Gatt, and Collegiate (Ky.) head coach Bobby Schmitt. Both Wesley and Schmitt are graduates of St. Xavier and all four played in college at Bellarmine.
According to multiple sources, Howe is trying to put a plan in place where he would be the head coach for the next two seasons, riding out with the 2021 class. Howe is looking to bring in KCD head coach Andrew Wolford on as an assistant for the next two seasons and then hand over the reigns to Wolford after the 2021 season.
Sources have said that Reid Wesley and Bobby Schmitt have both told St. Xavier that they would not take over as the head coach if offered the position. Schmitt reportedly has said he would be willing to come on as an assistant, but will not take over as the head coach due to work commitments outside of lacrosse. In addition, Ryan Smith has not shown any interest either.
First-year program DeSales could benefit greatly from this turmoil at St. Xavier, reeling in players that might not have gone to DeSales in the past. Trinity and other established programs could also benefit as well.
For the time being, Scott Howe remains the head coach at St. Xavier but change could be coming to the Tigers program sooner than later. Only time will tell how soon that change could be coming and what ultimately happens.
