Canby
Youth Lacrosse
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Cougars Finish Strong - Settle Some ScoresOn Saturday, June 9, Canby Traveled to Hood River for a season-ending jamboree. The Cougs were slated to play Hood River, Grant, and Glencoe. Earlier in the year, the Cougs had played Hood River twice and split the previous battles. On Saturday, the nip-and-tuck battle was close the whole way with the Cougs trailing closely for most of the game. With under 5 minutes remaining, the Cougs still lagged behind at 4-2. However, the Cougs exerted some heavy offensive pressure and took the lead with 5-4 with a minute left and then held off a late flurry by Hood River. Final Score: Canby 5, Hood River 4 Next, the Cougs faced Grant. Canby had played Grant in the very first game of the year, suffering a tough initiation at the hands of the Generals. This time, though, the Cougs demonstrated the benefits of their practice habits all year long. Canby completely dominated this effort and absolutely peppered the Grant goalie with point blank shot after shot. It was only due to the spectacular play of their goalie that the score was as close as it was: Canby 7, Grant 1. In the final game of the day and the season, the Cougars faced off against Glencoe. The teams had previously split their earlier games. Both teams played physical and aggressive. The Cougs displayed some passing and ball-movement skills that had been a focus all year long. Over the course of the game, the Cougs eventually seized a 8-4 lead and then held on for the win. Final Score: Canby 8, Glencoe 6. It was a fitting end to the premiere season of Canby Youth Lacrosse. The kids had fun, worked hard, played smart, and won quite a few too. All in all, the season was a MAJOR success. The Cougars had solid play in all areas of the field. Attackmen Taylor VanAmburgh, Janson Toler, Joe Lambert, Steve Nelson, and Shea McKinney all improved their attack and field awareness skills throughout the season making the Cougs a lethal combination of speed and strategy. Midfield play was highlighted by Josh McDonald, Dakota Parker, Alan Koenig, Konnen Bell, AJ Rust, and Cole Unger. Middie play is exhausting and sometimes thankless. Players need to run the field and exert heavily on both ends of the field. Loose ball recovery and transition from end-to-end is keyed by the play of the middies. The Cougs were very fortunate to have this particular group of players in this area as they were often the difference in the games. Over the season, the defense learned when to extend and when to layback, how to get the ball loose, and then how to dig it up and clear it. Andre' Dube', Tony Neuhold, Austin Nelson, Chad Nylen, and Paul Callaway all grew as a group learning to cover and help for each other. Nathan Casciato developed into a solid goalie as well. Nathan just missed on several shutouts during the year, a near impossibility in lacrosse. Especially as the season drew to a close, Nathan's ability to make both the solid and spectacular save increased steadily. Canby finished the season with a record of 12-5. It was a very impressive and exciting showing by all. Outstanding Season, Cougs!!
Cougars Get Solid Start-to-Finish Win over WilsonOn Thursday, May 24, Canby took on Wilson. The Cougs scored 5 quick goals in the first few minutes and never looked back. Nathan Casciato had his best game of the year between the pipes. Wilson's lone goal was questionable as it appeared the scorer was well within the crease. Time after time, Casciato stonewalled a Wilson attack with a solid stop. Casciato had the support of a solid defense in front of him led by Andre' Dube', Cole Unger, Austin Nelson, Paul Callaway, Chad Nylen, and Tony Neuhold. Dakota Parker continued his solid face-off work with consistent wins against several opponents. Josh McDonald continued his fine efforts on the face-offs as well. Midfield play was strong with Alan Koenig, AJ Rust, Konnen Bell along with McDonald and Parker all consistently competing for each loose ball and winning most of those battles. Janson Toler, Taylor VanAmburgh, Steve Nelson, Joe Lambert, and Shea McKinney led a potent attack that moved the ball well and consistently found cutters near the goal. Neuhold and Bell both scored their first goals of the season. Parker (4 goals), Steve Nelson (1 goal, 1 assist), Toler (5 goals and an assist), Koenig (1 goal), Unger (1 goal), and McDonald (3 goals) were all in on the scoring with Lambert (3 assists) and VanAmburgh (3 assists) contributing as well. Next up, the Cougs face Oregon City at Ackerman at 6:30 on May 31. This game has been postponed to Monday June 4 at 6:00 due to a scheduling snafu. Final Score: Canby 17, Wilson 1
Cougars Get Some Revenge Against Hood River
The Cougs got a chance for a little payback when they traveled to Hood
River on Saturday, May 19. The Cougs had played Hood River in their previous
game - the last game of the Canby Jamboree. That game was a frustrating
experience for the Cougs as Hood River seemed to be more fresh and really it
took to the Cougs.
This time, things were different though. The Cougs got out to an early lead as Steve Nelson enjoyed his starting position behind the opposing goal in the X position. He scored two fine assists and a goal on the Cougs first three goals, finishing with two goals and 5 assists in his best performance of the year. Dakota Parker also experienced success with his new-found face-off skills. Time after time, the Cougs consistently gained possession on the face-offs. Janson Toler, Josh McDonald, Joe Lambert, Taylor VanAmburgh, AJ Rust, Alan Koenig, and Shea McKinney all kept up a stellar attack that moved the ball and found open men cutting to the goal all day. Toler, McDonald, Lambert, Parker, and Koenig all were in on the scoring. Andre' Dube', Austin Nelson, Cole Unger, Chad Nylen, and Paul Callaway all played very nice defense with only a few lapses. Nathan Casciato did his regular fine job in the goal with several nice stops. Next up, the Cougs face Wilson at Ackerman at 6:00 on May 24. Final Score: Canby 13, Hood River 6
Cougar Lacrosse Takes Out West Linn
On Friday, May 4, the Cougars rebounded from a tough game earlier in the
week against with a solid performance against West Linn. The Cougs
appeared to have a tough time getting started as they fell behind 3-2 in the
first half. However, with a very strong second half, the Cougs played much
better.
Canby's offensive attack started to show some signs of coordination as the passing efforts sometimes exceeded the results, but those efforts led to many opportunities for lots of guys. Janson Toler led the attack with 3 big goals. Cole Unger, Taylor VanAmburgh, Josh McDonald, and Paul Callaway each scored as well. The West Linn goalie also scored an "own-goal" for the Cougs. Steve Nelson and Paul Callaway each made the offense work well, moving the ball to open players in transition and in being patient in the set offense. Defensemen Dakota Parker, Andre' Dube', Chad Nylen, Austin Nelson, and Tony Neuhold were once again solid in their defense in front of the brickwall play of goalie Nathan Casciato who made 16 saves. Shea McKinney also continued his steady improvement. Final Score: Canby 8, West Linn 3
Cougar Lacrosse Team Still Improving
On Saturday, April 28, the Cougars attended a Jamboree in Sisters. Playing
3 games in a single day, the Cougs outscored their opponents by a combined
score of 30 to 13.
Scoring on the day was highlighted by Joe Lambert with 6 goals and 7
assists. Janson Toler tossed in 7 goals and 4 assists. Taylor VanAmburgh
scored 7 goals and shipped in 2 assists. Cole Unger had 4 goals and Josh
McDonald had 2. Also, scoring goals were AJ Rust, Paul Callaway, Andre' Dube',
and Chad Nylen with his first for the year. McDonald and Steve Nelson also
provided 2 assists, Unger and Dakota Parker each adding 1 as well.
Defensively, the Cougs continued improving as Austin Nelson, Tony Neuhold,
Nylen, Callaway, and Dube' working hard in front of the strong play of goalies
Nathan Casciato and Dakota Parker.
The Cougs beat Burns 10-4 and Sisters 13-1 before becoming completely
drained and falling 7-6 to Burns in a game that was determined in the last
minute.
The Cougs were to travel to play Tigard on Monday evening the 30th and then
on to West Linn on May 4th. The next home game is Tuesday, May 8 versus
Kingsway.
Cougars Continue Promising Start against ClackamasOn Tuesday, April 24, the Cougars faced Clackamas at Happy Valley City Park. Taylor VanAmburgh had a hat trick in the first 2 minutes of the game and the Cougs never looked back. Steve Nelson, Dakota Parker, Paul Callaway, and Austin Nelson all scored their first goals of the season. Chad Nylen, Tony Neuhold, Andre' Dube', and Callaway, along with Parker and Austin Nelson continued their improvement and stellar defense. Nathan Casciato continued his stonewall efforts in the goal. Despite the score, the Cavs goalie actually performed quite well as the Cougs offense peppered the Clackamas goal with shot after shot. Janson Toler, VanAmburgh, Shea McKinney, and Joe Lambert were relentless in their attack. Josh McDonald, Alan Koenig, AJ Rust, Cole Unger, and Steve Nelson continued their fine play in the midfield area. Next up, the Cougs travel to Sisters for a weekend tournament on April 28. Final Score: Canby 18, Clackamas 5
Cougars win first ever lacrosse game in CanbyOn Thursday, April 19, the Cougars faced Glencoe in the first ever lacrosse game played in Canby. With lots of enthusiastic support, the Cougars sprinted out to a 5-2 lead at halftime behind the stellar attack of Janson Toler, Taylor VanAmburgh, Joe Lambert, and Shea McKinney. The Cougars defense improved dramatically over the previous game behind the rock-solid play of Andre' Dube', Chad Nylen, Dakota Parker, Tony Neuhold, Paul Callaway, and Austin Nelson. Nathan Casciato continued his excellent work between the pipes and came up with several crucial stops. Midfield play was highlighted by relentless effort from Cole Unger, Steve Nelson, AJ Rust, Josh McDonald, and Alan Koenig. In the second half, Glencoe made a strong comeback and briefly took the lead 6-5 before the Cougs tied it 6-6 going into the 4th quarter. The Cougs defense stepped up with two crucial penalty kills in the 4th before seizing the game with a goal with 2:00 minutes remaining and then put it away with a goal in the final minute. McDonald led the scoring attack with 3 goals and an assist, while VanAmburgh added 2 goals and 2 assists. Also in on scoring goals were Koenig, Toler, and Unger. Rust and Lambert also contributed with assists. Casciato had 12 big saves in goal. Coach Curt Nelson was happy with the team's improvement on defense, "We are really starting to understand the areas of the field that we need to protect and how to protect them." Nelson was proud of the day on the whole, "The skies opened up and gave us a perfect day for lacrosse. It was reasonably warm and dry. The kids were excited and played with high levels of energy. In fact, if anything we probably need to slow down just a bit in order to clean up some sloppiness on offense." Assistant Coach Frank Lambert noted that there was a big turnout of fans, "There were lots of folks who just stopped to watch because they were interested in the game. It's such an exciting game to watch. I think a bunch of them were not even affiliated with the team." The Cougars next game is Tuesday, April 24 at Clackamas. Their next home game (to be played at Ackerman MS) is Tuesday, May 8 versus Kingsway at 6:30 PM. Final Score: Canby 8, Glencoe 6
First Practice under our BeltsOn Saturday March 10, we held our very first practice. There were 13 young men who were in attendance and showed a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement about the game. We worked on some simple running techniques as well as throwing, catching, and picking up ground balls. We emphasized the techniques involved to maximize our ability with each of these skills. We also briefly discussed some of the rules of the game. Before we knew it, it was 11:00 and time to quit. I think everyone would have loved to have gone on.
Canby Youth Lacrosse joins Canby KidsCanby Youth Lacrosse has been adopted by Canby Kids as a member organization. By doing so, we gain the support of Canby Kids in securing fields, obtaining tax-deductible charitable contribution status, and many more upsides. Frank Lambert has spearheaded the effort to work with Canby Kids and get a voice vote of acceptance. Nice work Frank!!
Field Secured!Through Canby Kids, we have secured the use of a large field at Trost. The field is close to the Baker Prairie campus and is ours to use. We will be lining it and perhaps doing some grooming too.
The Game of Lacrosse
Players pass the ball (a solid rubber ball slightly smaller than a baseball) around the field trying to get a good shot on the goal. The defense tries to intercept those passes and/or knock the ball out of offenders stick in order to gain possession. It is this "checking" that necessitates the gear and leads to much of the roughness of the sport. Lacrosse is played quickly. Good teams are able to pass and catch the ball quickly and with ease. There are lots of nuances to the rules and what constitutes a foul, but in essence, if a legitimate attempt is made to play the ball, a foul will typically not be called. If, on the other hand, there is an attempt made to hit the offensive player's body in any way, that will typically be called a foul. The penalty for some fouls are simple turnovers (the other team gets the ball). Others present sit-out situations where the team must play with only 9 players for some period of time (again, like hockey).
EquipmentObtaining the equipment needed to start playing lacrosse is not a trivial expense. We have coordinated team purchases of equipment through www.laxworld.com. While their website does include a wide array of equipment, books, videos, and so on, the starter sets of equipment must be purchased through Curtis Nelson. The starter sets include "good" quality pieces, but not spectacular. We have found the equipment to be quite adequate. The sets include a helmet (usually about $150), shoulder pads ($75), gloves ($40), elbow pads ($45), stick ($70), ball ($3), and mouthpiece ($1). Add that up and you would pay over $350 if you purchased this stuff individually. Our deal with laxworld gets this complete set for around $220. Younger age gear is probably even less expensive, but we have not yet pursued that. There are local sources for gear as well. These include Bigfoot Lacrosse (in Beaverton), GI Joes, Big 5 Sports, and others too. Girls lacrosse is a significantly different game. The girls gear is only a stick and a set of eye goggles. Contact is discouraged in girls lacrosse. There is some contact allowed in the boys game, but the game is not supposed to be rough like football.
We Need CoachesAt this time, Curt is planning to coach a 7th/8th grade team (Steve is an 8th grader as are most of the other kids already involved). There are teams in many local communities at various age levels. We have heard that there are even teams at the first grade level. Generally, there are quite a few teams at grades 3/4, 5/6, 7/8 and high school (JV and varsity). Curt is not an experienced player/coach of lacrosse and is just now learning the details of the game himself. Lacrosse is a fairly simple game with some important fundamental skills that can be understood quickly. No matter what age level of the players, the fundamentals are the core of the game. If you can understand them, you can teach them even if you have not yet mastered them yourself. If you are interested in trying to form a team for girls and/or at a different grade level, send an email to Curt and he will try to help you connect with other teams.
The SeasonLacrosse is a spring sport. It starts about the first week of March with practice. Games begin around April 10 and run through the first week or so of June. There will typically be about 10 to 15 games during the season. Practices will occur usually about 3 times a week in the pre-season and as possible once the games begin. There are opportunities to play pretty much year-round. There is even an "indoor" league for youth during fall and winter.
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Lacrosse is a very
simple game actually. There is a goal on each end of the field. The goal is 6
foot by 6 foot. There are 10 players on each team. There must be three players
on the offensive end of the field at all times, and there must be four on the
defensive end (this does include the goalie). Substitutions occur on the fly
(like in Hockey).