(WITH PHOTOS) Challenge Day Wins After Boys Vs. Girls Lacrosse Charity Match

By Aaron Skomial

On a cool night Thursday, two high school forces battled for a hard fought win.  We’re not talking about high school football. We’re talking about the boys and girls lacrosse teams at . These teams showed a lot of skill and they played a great game, against each other. These kids are not only great lacrosse players, but they’re great because they did something that was for the betterment of our community. Both teams faced off in the first annual Lax for the Change lacrosse match. The much-anticipated showdown between the boys and girls was an intense battle of fun and fundraising for Challenge Day at .

Challenge Day is a program that helps kids to reduce conflict, bullying, and alienation. It promotes understanding and compassion for fellow students.  It also encourages students to be the vehicle to make positive changes that they wish to see in their school and their lives. Many of the lacrosse players that participated in the event have had the opportunity to go through Challenge Day. Some of these same high school players continue to volunteer at Ore Creek Middle School Challenge Day events to mentor the younger kids.

The game was entertaining and it had a lot of twists. The first twist was that the boys and girls would switch sticks. The sticks are different in a few ways, but there is one major difference. The pocket on a boys stick is deep and holds the ball very well. A girl’s stick has a shallow pocket which makes catching and retaining the ball in the stick very difficult. 

The game was played using some modified rules in girl’s lacrosse. If you have never seen a lacrosse game, the boys and girls game is very different. There is an extreme disparity in physical contact. Boys wear helmets, gloves, and multiple pads for protection. Girls were goggles and a mouth guard. Does that give you an idea of what we’re talking about?

The teams squared off and the game was played at blistering pace with a lot of balls being dropped in the beginning. The girls took a two goal lead early in the game, but the boys came back to tie it up prior to the half. Half time provided a stick trick competition for high school and middle school players. Perfect Edge Hockey and Lacrosse in Genoa Township provided a $25 gift certificate to the winners.

The second half started with the teams trading goals and then the boys took the lead late and kept it until the final whistle winning 7-5. The teams met at midfield, shook hands, hugged, and took a picture to commemorate the first event. 

The event took donations for admission to the game with a suggested $3 donation. There was also a 50/50 raffle, T-shirt sales, and concessions. There was tremendous support for the event by the players, parents, volunteers, Hartland Area Youth Athletic Association Football, Perfect Edge, and proceeds from the donated T-shirts from Our Team Spirit Wear.com. When the evening came to a close, $769 was raised for Challenge Day at the middle school.

Editor's note: Skomial is a parent of a girls varsity player.