JU being the new kids on the block for men’s lacrosse in the southeast had a great inaugural season under the leadership of Matt Kerwick. Coach Kerwick is one of the best college coaches at being accessible to the local lacrosse community and building the sport. Having a stadium event would provide access to thousands of lacrosse people to a quality stadium event while exposing the event to thousands in Florida and the south who may have never heard of the event.

Duke and Notre Dame signed on, Georgetown agreed to be a part of the program, and the city of Jacksonville stepped up and embraced the idea and the rest is history. The Moe’s Southwest Grill Sunshine Classic is born! Now there is an exciting lacrosse event in Florida that can take the sport of lacrosse to new heights. As many as 100 high school boys and girls teams are planning on attending the event as a team. Local people who have never seen lacrosse are signing on, with ticket prices starting at just $25.50 (for two games), the price is right.

EVENT PARTICULARS

February 20th may be a bad time to play lacrosse in Detroit, Boston, and Philly, but in Florida, 2.20.2011 is just fine!

Teams will have a chance to tailgate in the parking lots and team bond before the event, sit together inside the stadium and see two great lacrosse games up close and personal, and for some, enjoy a ride home full of memories. What is not to like about that?

Check out this seating map. EverBank Field has never been used for lacrosse before, but the stands are right on top of the field. It’s going to be a great event. For more information on how you can get your team involved, contact the stadium box office for group tickets. Club seats are the way to go for lax fans – they are right behind the benches for the teams and have premium amenities. There are no team discounts for club seats, but the seats are just 20% of the cost of a normal club seat. Unreal.

Gold: $39.50, Orange: $34.50, Green: $25.50 (both games included. ALL ticket fees included)

The event is being sponsored by Moe’s Southwest Grill. Florida lax-buff Brad Chasteen, a Moe’s franchisee, has been spearheading growth of the sport over the past five years. The event will bring together the southern lacrosse community in a venue reflective of the growth and strength of this rapidly expanding sport. It will be great to bring everyone together in fellowship of the sport.

Final Schedules are also here:
High School Schedule:
FLCC 2010 HS FINAL schedule
Middle School Schedule:
FLCC 2010 schedule

Don’t forget to check out the tournament app at:
www.teamscores.us

http://flclublaxchampionships.WebStarts.com – The tournament website!

Middle School St. Johns/Atlantic Division:
Barefoot – Champions
LaxManiax North-Central – Finalist
LaxManiax North-East – Third Place

MIddle School Sawgrass Division:
Stickbenders – Champions
TFG LaxManiax Black – Finalist
Orange Crush – Third Place

High School St. Johns Division:
PTC Warriors 2 – Champions
Barefoot Green – Finalist
Hericanes White – Third Place

High School Atlantic Division:
PTC Warriors 1 – Champions
KnightsLax 1 – Finalist

High School Sawgrass Division:
Stickbenders Green – Champion
Eagle Stix Blue – Finalist
TFG LaxManiax Black – Third Place

2010 3-v-3 Champions:
Middle School
TFG LaxManiax Black

High School
Hotlanta Red

2010 Braveheart Champions:
Middle School

High School

Striving for the prize on Sunday!

HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION START TIMES:
7:30am
Stickbenders White 4 vs. Southern Rage Red 9 (Field 5)

8am
Hammerheads 15 vs. LaxManiax Southeast Elite 9 (Field 1)
Hotlanta Yellow 7 vs. KnightsLax 1 11 (Field 2)
Eagle Stix Red 16 vs. Coweta 4 (Field 3)
LM Lax 7 vs. TFG White 9 (Field 4)
Southern Rage Green vs. SOFLA White (Field 5)
Barefoot Green 10 vs. KnightsLax 2 1 (Field 6)
EagleStix White 10 vs. LaxManiax North Pink 6 (Field 7)
Wild Wahane 9 vs. Planet Lax Navy 8 (Field 8 )

8:30am
SOFLA Blue 3 vs. Stickbenders Green 6 (Field 5)
Eagle Stix Blue 12 vs. Southeastern Lacrosse Club 7 (Field 6)
Hotlanta Red 12 vs. Hotlanta White 6 (Field 7)
TFG Black 10 vs. South Rage Red 5 (Field 8 )

9am
PTC Warriors 2 17 vs. Wild Wahane 4 (Field 1)
Hericanes White 13 vs. LaxManiax North Pink 7 (Field 2)
LaxManiax SW Pink 5 vs. Barefoot Green 12 (Field 3)
LaxManiax South-Central 3 vs. SOFLA White 7 (Field 4)
Hotlanta Orange 8 vs. LaxManiax Southwest Black 11 (Field 5)
TFG Pink 1 vs. Barefoot Purple 0 (Field 6)
LaxManiax North 12 vs. Hericanes Purple 9 (Field 7)
PTC Warriors 1 18 vs. Planet Lax Orange 3(Field 8 )

10am
PTC Warriors 2 12 vs SOFLA White 2
Barefoot Green 13 vs Hericanes White 3
PTC Warriors 1 13 vs LaxManiax Southwest Black 6
TFG Pink 8 vs LaxManaix North Black 6

MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION START TIMES:
8:30am
Barefoot 10 vs. Hericanes Yellow 5 (Field 1)
LaxManiax North-Central 8 vs. LaxManaix South 5 (Field 2)
LaxManiax North-East 14 vs. Planet Lax 3 (Field 3)
Stickbenders 15 vs. Hericanes Blue 9 (Field 4)

10:30am
TFG Black vs. Orange Crush (Field 3)

730am
TFG White 7 Eagle Stix Red 10
Hammerheads 11 KnightsLax 1 8
LaxManiax SC 9 Hericanes White 10
Wild Wahane 5 SOFLA White 4
LaxManiax SW Pink 9 KnightsLax 2 8
Eagle Stix White 2 Southern Rage Green 7
LaxManiax North Elite 5 Barefoot Purple 4
Hotlanta Orange 10 Planet Lax Orange 5

8am
TFG Black MS 13 Hericanes Blue MS 8
Eagle Stix Silver MS 12 Orange Crush MS 8
Stickbenders MS 12 Hotlanta MS 9
LaxManiax North-Central MS 7 Barefoot MS 9
LaxManiax South MS 7 LaxManiax North-East MS 11
Hericanes Yellow MS 8 Eagle Stix Pink MS 10
LaxManiax Southeast 13 Coweta 8
LM Lax 10 Hotlanta Yellow 7

830am
TFG Pink 10 TIE PTC Warriors 1 10
LaxManiax Southwest Black 10 Hericanes Purple 4
Southern Rage Red 6 Hotlanta Red 9
Eagle Stix Blue 7 Stickbenders Green 6
Stickbenders White 2 SOFLA Blue 16
TFG Black 17 Hotlanta White 9
LaxManiax North Pink 5 Planet Lax Blue 2
PTC Warriors 2 12 Barefoot Green 11

9am
TFG Black MS 11 Orange Crush MS 3
Hericanes Blue MS 4 Eagle Stix Silver MS 10
Junior Titans MS 12 Hotlanta MS 13
Barefoot MS 16 Planet Lax MS 4
LaxManiax South MS 17 Hericanes Yellow MS 9
LaxManiax North-East MS 9 Eagle Stix Pink MS 10
Southwest Alumz 9 OT Gators 10 (Women’s)
SOFLA Blue 12 SE Lacrosse Club 10

930am
TFG White 9 Hammerheads 11
Knightslax 1 7 Eagle Stix Red 10
LaxManiax SC 9 SOFLA White 8
Hericanes White 13 Wild Wahane 12
LaxManiax SW Pink 7 Southern Rage Green 6
KnightsLax 2 8 Eagle Stix White 6
LaxManiax North Elite 3 Planet Lax Orange 1
Barefoot Purple 11 Hotlanta Orange 9

10am
Gators 10 Jaxlando Cougars 9
Eagle Stix Blue 11 SE Lacrosse Club 7
TFG Black MS 11 Eagle Stix Silver MS 7
Orange Crush MS 11 Hericanes Blue MS 7
Stickbenders MS 12 Junior Titans MS 7
LaxManiax North-Central MS 22 Planet Lax MS 1
LaxManiax South MS 3 Eagle Stix Pink MS 3
LaxManiax North-East MS 15 Hericanes Yellow MS 12

1030am
TFG Pink 9 Hericanes Purple 6
LaxManiax Southwest Black 7 PTC Warriors 1 13
Southern Rage Red 9 Stickbenders Green 15
Hotlanta Red 11 Eagle Stix Blue 9
TFG Black 11 Stickbenders White 1
SOFLA Blue 8 Hotlanta White 7
LaxManiax Southeast 4 Hotlanta Yellow 12
Coweta 6 LM Lax 11

11am
Jaxlando Cougars 10 Southwest Alumnz 7 (women’s)
Hotlanta MS 14 Barefoot MS 16
LaxManiax SC 16 Wild Wahane 14
SOFLA White 7 Hericanes White 10
LaxManiax SW Pink 8 Eagle Stix White 13
Southern Rage Green 13 KnightsLax 2 6
LaxManiax North Pink 6 Barefoot Green 8
Planet Lax Blue 6 PTC Warriors 2 18

1130am
TFG White 4 KnightsLax 1 14
Eagle Stix Red 12 Hammerheads 9
LaxManiax North Elite 9 Hotlanta Orange 10
Planet Lax Orange 5 Barefoot Purple 9
Junior Titans MS 8 LaxManiax North-Central MS 6
Stickbenders MS 15 Planet Lax MS 0
LaxManiax Southeast 8 LM Lax 12
Hotlanta Yellow 8 Coweta 6

12pm
Southwestern Alumz 10 SE Lacrosse Club 14
Jaxlando Cougars 8 Gators 6 (women’s)

3-v-3 Finals Results
High School Champions: Hotlanta Red
Middle School Champions: TFG LaxManiax Black

Braveheart Finals Results
High School Champions: Eagle Stix Blue
MIddle School Champions: Barefoot

Equally exciting to the 7-v-7 tournament are the sudden victory 3-v-3 Iron Woman and Braveheart championships. The 3-v-3 pits three field players against each other with the first goal winning the game. Games can be as short as five seconds, with the record game going as long as three minutes, hence the term ‘Iron Woman’. The Braveheart pits an all-star from each team in a 1-v-1 mortal combat from the draw control. It’s the ultimate lacrosse showdown and brings out more cheers than any other part of the game.

The weather is anticipated in the upper 80′s to low 90′s this weekend, which is actually lower than the temps this weekend in the midatlantic states. But don’t let the temps fool you, the heat index may be as high as 10 degrees over the posted temperature. Fortunately none of the games are played on field turf, which can drive the temperatures up 20 or even 30 degrees. Thunderstorms are not anticipated being a problem, but we are always aware of the constant threat of summer weather in the southeastern U.S.

Good – Good – Good – Good HYDRATIONNNNN!

The tournament recommends hydrating for 48-hours prior to the event as well as during the event to protect each athlete. Ultimately, diet and nutrition are the responsibility of each athlete and athlete’s family and coaching staff, but the tournament nonetheless insists that athletes continually hydrate starting NOW!

Bring the sun tan lotion, and lots of good hearted energy and let’s have another great Heatwave Lacrosse Championship this weekend!

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida - The 2010 Heatwave lacrosse Championships are coming up in just over a week and this year’s tournament has become the largest tournament in the history of southeastern lacrosse in terms of team participation. 36 high school aged teams, 14 middle school, and four adult teams will be competing, 54 in all, in what promises a great weekend for lacrosse.

It’s been a year of ‘largest tournaments’ in the southeastern U.S. beginning with the 44-team Southern Alliance Tournament. The full-field event approached the 1,000 athlete mark. While the Heatwave will not have as many participants (close to 600), the fact that so many club teams are attending is a great sign of the sport’s health and growth in the south region.

Here is a run down of the final list of club programs and how many teams are attending this year.
Grad Years 2011-2014:
Barefoot (2 Teams)
Coweta Elite (1 Team)
Eagle Stix (3 Teams)
Hammerhead (1 Team)
Hericanes (2 Teams)
Hotlanta Lacrosse (4 Teams)
Knights Lax (2 Teams)
LM Lax (1 Team)
LaxManiax Elite (6 Teams)
Planet Lax (2 Teams)
SOFLA (2 Teams)
Southern Rage (2 Teams)
Stickbenders (2 Teams)
TFG (3 Teams)
PTC Warriors (2 Teams)
Wild Wahane (1 Team)

Middle School (2015-2017) and Adult Teams:
Barefoot (1 Team)
Eagle Stix (2 Teams)
Hericanes (2 Teams)
Hotlanta (1 Team)
Junior Titans (1 Team)
LaxManiax (4 Teams)
Orange Crush (1 Team)
Planet Lax (1 Team)
Stickbenders (1 Team)
Gators (1 Team)
Southwest Lax (2 Teams)
Jaxlando Cougars (1 Team)

Landrum Lacrosse Park has limited parking on-site. Therefore, teams are encouraged to car-pool to the park to avoid long walks to the fields.

Landrum has a great venue for lacrosse action. The state’s only recognized lacrosse park, Landrum has four full-sized lacrosse fields which are maintained at a high standard by the St. Johns County Recreation and Parks. Alan Wages oversees the park and its daily operations and Betsy Clarkson directs the counties operations for all parks. St. Johns County has superior lodging facilities and a number of great parks, allowing tournaments like the Heatwave to go on with relative ease.

Facts about the schedule:
* Pool games will begin EARLY in the morning on Saturday to avoid the hottest hours of the day. Expect to play early and often on Saturday morning!
* 3-v-3 championships begin immediately following the conclusion of Pool play games.
* Braveheart championships begin immediately following the conclusion of the 3-v-3.
* Single Elimination tournament play begins on Sunday morning.
* Make-up games will take place at anytime on Saturday afternoon weather permitting.

Sponsors of the event include Stickhead Lacrosse of Florida and Underthere.biz, two locally owned lacrosse businesses that have been supporting the growth of the sport on the grass roots level over the past three years. Winners of the 3-v-3 and Braveheart will receive gift vouchers for the two lax stores.

The Living Crosse Foundation will be running the Hardest Shot competition on Sunday. The winner of the competition will receive a new deBeer Defy head. Tickets are 6 shots for $5, or $1 per shot and all proceeds benefit non-profit area youth lacrosse programs. The Living Crosse Foundation is a 501-(c)-3 dedicated to supporting the growth of lacrosse across the state and the needs of the Florida lacrosse community.

For questions regarding the schedule, please contact your club coach for more information or visit the website beginning next week to view the final schedule of events. We thank you and look forward to a great weekend of southern lacrosse!

Hotlanta Lacrosse is one of the major southern clubs attending the Heatwave Championships.

Ponte Vedra Beach, FL - The South’s top club programs are coming to the mid-summer Lax Classic, the 4th annual Heatwave Lacrosse Championships. Club teams LaxManiax Elite, Stickbenders, Eagles Stix, Hotlanta Lacrosse, LM Lax, Southern Rage, Planet Lax, Barefoot Lacrosse, Hericanes, Peachtree Warriors, and Coweta Southside have all reserved teams for the 2010 Heatwave Championships and space is filling up quickly for the 2010 event. Rave reviews from 2008, and 2009′s Sun-fest have spurred the growth of this awesome tournament! Only a few team spots remain for the 2010 event – don’t be the team that wishes they were registered for the tournament! Register today by CLICKING HERE!

24 High School, 7 Middle School, and 3 Women’s teams competed in the 2009 Heatwave Championships. The total of 34 teams nearly doubled the number from 2008 (19 teams) and almost tripled the teams from 2007′s first-year (12 teams). The lacrosse growth in the southeast on the ladies side is truly booming!

The Venue - The ONLY lacrosse park in the south is Landrum Lax Park in Ponte Vedra Beach. It has perfect fields, and is 1 nautical mile from the beach. Its strategic fencing (for lacrosse) and layout provide a great team tent environment and atmosphere.

The Teams – With 34 teams attending and multiple ability brackets, the competitive levels were better than ever and the teams improved as the games were played. Seven middle school and three women’s teams rounded out the field. There is something for everyone there.

The Format - 7-v-7 on a small field (35 yards by 60 yards) with ‘instant clears’ in a tournament format. Plus, this year’s 3-v-3 Championship (sudden victory; single elimination) and the 2nd Annual Braveheart Championship (sudden victory; single elimination), added to the hysteria.

The Location – Ponte Vedra Beach is at a cross-roads. 5 1/2 hours from Atlanta, 4 1/2 hours from Miami, 5 hours from Naples, 2 hours from Orlando, 7 hours from Charlotte. It’s a great place to meet for a weekend tournament and with planning, teams can drive to town or catch a cheapee flight into JAX.

The Intensity - There are a lot of club programs who attended. The sheer intensity of the Maniax playing each other for their own ‘in-house’ bragging rights and the other club programs raising their intensity in that spirit makes the event more ‘college-like’ than other tournaments intensity-wise. Plus having women’s teams there is a big help in showing people ‘how’ to play the game.

Club programs who attended the event included: LaxManiax Elite (4th year club), HOTlanta Lacrosse (3rd year club), SOFLA (4th year club), Team Trident (2nd year club), and Beaches, Planet Lax, Eagles Stix, Copperheads, and LM Lax, all first-year clubs. It was an excellent showing for the teams who made the trip. Other than a 30-minute lightening delay during pool play, the weather cooperated. Scheduling a tournament like this in the morning is key in Florida this time of year.

The tournament was everything it was supposed to be – a lot of competitive action and excitement for players, fans and officials alike.

Middle school teams played well too. The Championship game in the Sawgrass MS bracket was won on a braveheart tie-breaker by CFL 2014. The win avenged CFL ’14′s only loss of the tournament, a 13-10 loss in pool play to Maniax South-Central.

The Atlantic Championship was taken by the Maniax Southeast, after not winning a game in pool play on day #1. The Southeastern FLA girls rallied for two in a row on Sunday and a Championship award!

4-4 Titles were claimed by TFG 11-12 State (Maddy Blakeman, Olivia DiCarlantonio, Taylor McCord – all 15-year olds), and Maniax South-Central (Brenna Pinneke, Ali Williams,  Mari Grace Gabrovic) at the Middle School level. Poetic justice for these teams whose championship runs were cut short in the 7-v-7.

Amy Leonard cools off at the HEATwave.

Braveheart titles were won by Emotion Silvestri (Mustangs Lax 2010), and Olivia Blakeman (Maniax South-Central). Silvestri, who plays for the LaxManiax 2010 White team during the summer/fall, chose to put together a team of players from her high school to enter the Heatwave Championships. It was the first major tournament that girls from Mandarin High School, FHSAA District 1 runners up in 2009, had ever participated in.

One of the interesting stats of the event is the goals for vs. goals surrendered number. This is often a great way to show the competitiveness of a tournament. The Heatwave’s winners averaged 11 goals for and losing teams 6.5 goals for. This tells me two things: the games are very competitive and that defense determines who wins them. 6.5 goals on that small of a field over 24 minutes is not very many.

Winning is mostly due to defense, goal keeping and clock management. Less about attack.

The scores were slightly higher on the middle school side, with the point spread closer to 5-goals between the teams on average.

When polled, most members and coaches of other clubs enjoyed the 4-v-4, and Braveheart, Championships and the excitement they brought to the event. Plus, even if your team is not ‘on’, you can still ‘win’ something. Everyone likes to have a chance to win something at the Heatwave!

And they do!

Emotion Silvestri and her goal keeper Amber celebrate her win in the Braveheart Championship.

And the RESULTS:

High School Aged Champions/Runner Ups:

Sawgrass Championship -

Maniax Team Florida Girls 2010 Black
Maniax Team Florida Girls ’11-’12 CFL

Atlantic Championship -

Team Trident Zebra
Maniax Team Florida Girls 2010 White

St. Johns Championship -

Copperheads 2010
Eagles Stix Red

Middle School Aged Champions/Runners Up:

Sawgrass Championship – LaxManiax Central ’14/LaxManiax South-Central

Atlantic Championship – LaxManiax Southeast/Eagles Stix White

All-HEATWAVE Team Selections: Renete Woolsey (TFG 10 Black), Morgan Derner (TFG 10 Black), Madeliene Laschenez (TFG 10 Black), Isabella Franca (SOFLA), Katya Ruszczyk (SOFLA), Katie Kastner (TFG 11-12 Central), Anna Lanpher (TFG 11-12 Central), Haley Bolt (TFG 11-12 Central), Taylor Figura (TFG 10 White),  Kaitlin Rooney (TFG 10 White), Ally Williams (South-Central Middle School LaxManiax), Ya Ferucci (South-Central Middle School LaxManiax), Mary Kate O’Sulliva (Southwest Florida Maniax Humid), Kendyl Davidson (Southwest Florida Maniax Humid), Sarah Ragland (North Middle School LaxManiax), Julianne  Hanrahan (North Middle Schoo LaxManiax), Mary Umana (Southwest Florida Maniax Heat), Tori Krupa (Southwest Florida Maniax Heat), Margaret Franklin (Southeast Maniax Elite), Jasey Sanders (Southeast Maniax Elite),  and more coming soon! Check back as they come in – we will post!

Listed below are the seedings for tomorrow’s CHAMPIONSHIPS. The schedule is at www.heatwavelax.com and is listed as “Championship Sunday” – it is a PDF file. If you want to be safe, just arrive at the fields assuming you have either an 8am or 8:30am game, just in case. Some people like to read schedules and others just get confused by them – either way, we got you covered!

2010-2013 Brackets (THREE Championship Brackets for Sunday!)

2014-2017 (TWO Championship Brackets for Sunday!) 

** We will attempt to conduct the 3-v-3 Championships as well tomorrow. MIDDLE SCHOOL ages at approximately 10:30am; High School ages at approximately 11am. 

** PLEASE check your schedule based on the SEEDINGS listed above by checking the HEATWAVELAX.COM website schedule for CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY!

Get ready for some great games tomorrow!

Early favorites for the Sawgrass Championship (the highest of the three championship brackets for the 2010-2013 age group) are Team Florida Girls 10 Black, Hotlanta FIRE, Copperheads 2010, and one of the two TFG 2011-12 teams. The wild part about this tournament is that there are three tournament champions for the high school level, a 3-v-3 championship team, and a Braveheart champion to boot. There will also be a winner in the HOT SHOT competition, a timed shooting-accuracy test that will test the mettle of the best sharp-shooters of the event.

Without Liz Connelly, what will happen to defending champion, Skull Crushers this year!? New uni's??

The Middle School tourney will be a shootout with seven young teams gunning it out on the plush fields of Landrum Lax Park! The competitive level of the young ones is always astounding. Three years ago we did not have enough teams for a middle school division, so the middle school kids had to play at least one high school game. They were competitive back then! Now, many of the 2014′s are competing in their final Heatwave Championship as middle schoolers! That will make this event even more special for a lot of this year’s participants as nearly half are 2014′s at the MS level.

Adult teams are always a challenge. Trying to nail down women’s teams is like trying to nail jello to a wall and getting it to stick. It looks like we will have three women’s teams with the Cougars, the Skull Crushers, and the Dolphins all bringing a contingency. Maybe as JU grows their program we will develop a nice mix of players and continue to bring back the alums! There should be four or five womens teams attending the Heatwave, enjoying the beach, and having fun at night catching up with each other. The Cougars are early favorites for the tourney. We will see! I am excited because I get to officiate and Trina (a National official) may get to play! Hey T! Watch yo Shooting space! ahaahaaa!!

Weather is supposed to be perfect. 75 degrees at the start of each day and 85 degrees at the end. Scattered T-storms are possible more towards the late afternoon and early evening, so the participants should get a great look at the beach as well.

The Heatwave is a celebration. Can’t wait for it! Get psyched!