On any given day over the next few months, Liberty Hill ISD students can be found playing lacrosse on city and school fields around town. While the program is relatively new to Liberty Hill, it has already found success, even making the playoffs last season. Let’s chat with members of the lacrosse club and learn more about this growing sport in Liberty Hill.

Lacrosse is a fast-paced team sport played with a stick, called a crosse, that has a small netted basket and a rubber ball about the size of a tennis ball. Players pass the ball using the net on their crosse with the intent of getting it past the goalie to score when the ball enters the net.

A team is made up of 10 players, and watching a game feels a little like soccer and a little like football. Because of that, lacrosse is great for multisport athletes. According to Kevin Jones, father of two lacrosse players, “Lacrosse has the running of plays like basketball, requires the hand-eye coordination of baseball, and offers the physicality of football.”

Liberty Hill High School senior Luke Benson loves the sport and how easy it is for anyone to pick up and play. “The game is very fluid,” he said. “You have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable because you are always reacting.”

Because lacrosse is not a University Interscholastic League sport, it is played outside of school in a community-based club. It operates independently through the Texas High School Lacrosse League and is self-funded rather than funded by the school district.

The Liberty Hill lacrosse program includes more than 130 Liberty Hill ISD male and female students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The largest team in Liberty Hill is the fifth- and sixth-grade boys team, whose players hope lacrosse becomes a UIL sport by the time they reach high school. They are coached by four players’ fathers and have been playing together since third grade.

That team includes Kade Jones, who attends Bar W Elementary School. He started playing lacrosse after breaking his arm playing football. He plays goalie for his team — his favorite position because he does not have to run. He has proven to be tough, taking hits from the hard lacrosse ball and continuing to play. His team recently recorded a shutout and made the playoffs in the UT Longhorn Shootout tournament. For a goalie, a 30% save rate is strong, and Kade has reached that mark numerous times.

In November, the city of Liberty Hill erected a lacrosse wall at City Park to help players practice passing and catching. Lacrosse parents Lockie Ealy and Jones went to the City Council requesting dedicated lacrosse space at City Park. The wall resulted from that conversation, with lacrosse board members helping select the mural painted on it. “I had no idea until I arrived at the unveiling that they had put the number four on the wall in honor of my son, Tristan,” Ealy said. She said she was touched by the gesture and is excited about the future of lacrosse in Liberty Hill.

A large part of that excitement is for Luke, who has signed to play lacrosse at Arizona Christian University next fall. Originally, Luke planned to play at Northwood University in Michigan, but he said, “I felt a big pull on my heart from God to go all in with my faith.”

He took time to step back from activities and focus on his faith. He decided to attend Arizona Christian University with the hope of doing mission work after graduation. The university’s applications counselor shared Luke’s name with the lacrosse coach, who reached out. “Their lacrosse coach reached out to me to join their team and be a spiritual leader,” Luke said.

Luke officially committed and is ready to grow in his faith and lacrosse skills while in Arizona. Liberty Hill lacrosse program director and varsity boys head coach Adam Bokmeyer said, “Luke is not only an incredibly technical player from a skills perspective, but he is positive and has been a key component in building a positive culture for Liberty Hill lacrosse.”

For the latest schedule, visit the team’s Facebook page at facebook.com/libertyhilllax. Home games are played at Liberty Hill Middle School and behind Liberty Hill Elementary School, at Old Panther Stadium.

Good luck to all Liberty Hill lacrosse teams this season!