As a new season of spring sports arrives at Grayslake Central, Central and North lacrosse players and coaches are enthusiastic about their upcoming season.
Lacrosse is one of the oldest sports in the world, invented by Indigenous peoples on North America, particularly the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), over 1,000 years ago. Lacrosse was featured in the Olympic Games in 1904, then in 1972 the International Federation of Women’s Lacrosse Association was formed. In 1974 the International Lacrosse Federation (men’s) was formed, and just recently in 2021 World Lacrosse received full recognition by the IOC (International Olympic Committee). Lacrosse is returning to the Summer Olympics for the first time in over a century at the 2028 Los Angeles games.
The Lacrosse program at Grayslake Central started in the “early 2000’s” according to former lacrosse coach Jon Ellis, and became a Varsity sport around that same time. Then just recently the Grayslake Central lacrosse team merged with Grayslake North, The lacrosse team practices and hosts games at Grayslake North’s stadium and fields.
Along with the team having both North and Central students, the team is co-ed. Madeline “Maddie” Powell, a goalie for the JV team said, “since there’s no girls team it should be co-ed.” Coach Elana Herman said in regards to the team being co-ed, “I want everyone to be able to play lacrosse, so I’m glad that we’re very open to anyone who would like to play. Again, like it’s how I grew up, learning how to play lacrosse. I was a girl on a boys lacrosse team. So I enjoy that piece. And, I think, I mean, the team in general is very accepting and just wants everybody who wants to play lacrosse to just be there.”
The goals for the season are high. Coach Herman said, “my big hope is that we continue to get more people to fall in love with the game and, really just grow as a program and make big waves in the conference.” Powell said, “the development of the players and, like, the rules and whatnot of our team, it’s improved a lot.”
The teams next game is March 19, 2026 at home, in which they will face off against Cary-Grove.
