Shadow Ridge High School may soon add a new sport to its athletic program, as school staff and coaches explore the possibility of creating the school’s first lacrosse team.
With the sport growing in popularity across the country and in Las Vegas, the potential addition could give students another opportunity to compete and be involved in athletics.
Teachers and coaches at Shadow Ridge believe that bringing lacrosse to campus could create excitement among students and add something new to the school’s athletic culture.
Baseball coach and teacher Billy McCall said that while he may not be very familiar with the sport yet, he supports the idea of expanding athletic opportunities for students.
“I think any new sports addition would be awesome,” McCall said. “I don’t know a lot about lacrosse, but I would love to learn.”
According to McCall, adding another sport can benefit the entire school community by allowing more students to experience being part of a team.
School athletics often provide students with opportunities to build friendships, develop leadership skills, and stay active outside the classroom.
“Any chance to give more kids an opportunity to be a part of a team is always beneficial,” McCall said.
Teacher, Drew Dubois, who is the coach for the boys and girls teams, believes the sport could be a great fit for the type of athletes already at Shadow Ridge.
“Lacrosse would be a good addition to Shadow because of the excitement around something new,” Dubois said. “I think lacrosse is a fun, fast-paced game that is pretty new to everyone. For Shadow personally, I think it lends to the sport with the athletes that we have with how fast and physical we are.”
While the idea of a new team is exciting, both coaches recognize that starting a program from scratch comes with challenges.
One of the biggest obstacles will be finding enough students who are interested in trying out for a sport that many of them may not have played before.
“Finding people to try out and learn a new sport is going to be tough,” McCall said. “Competing with teams who have played for years will be even tougher.”
Dubois agrees that experience may be one of the biggest hurdles early on. However, he believes the team can overcome this by focusing on learning and maintaining a positive mindset.
“I think one of the biggest challenges will be the mental side of the game,” Dubois said. “It is a new game for most of our athletes and some of the other schools have teams and players who are more experienced.”
Despite the challenges, Dubois believes the opportunity to start something new could motivate many students to join. He hopes that students will see the value in being part of the first lacrosse team in school history.
“It’s new for everyone,” Dubois said. “We’re going to have fun learning and growing together and be able to be a part of school history being the first to do it.”
Before the team can officially become part of Shadow Ridge athletics, several steps must be completed. Approval from the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA), the school district, and the school itself is required.
According to Dubois, the program has already taken an important step forward.
“The first step is the process through the NIAA to become an official varsity sport, and that step has already been done and approved,” Dubois said.
Now the focus is on generating interest among students. If enough athletes sign up, the program can move forward with funding, coaching, and scheduling games.
As lacrosse continues to grow in popularity nationwide, especially with the sport set to appear in the 2028 Olympics, Shadow Ridge may soon become part of that growth.
If enough students are willing to take on the challenge, the school could see its first lacrosse team take the field as soon as next year.
