Wauwatosa lacrosse team to play in spring

The Wauwatosa East and West athletes who used to play on a Brookfield lacrosse team will now be able to stay home and play this spring.

The Red Raiders and Trojans - under the direction of West Athletic Director Jeff Gabrielson - have combined to offer varsity and JV boys lacrosse teams in the spring of 2012.

The team will be called the Wauwatosa Blazers and they will play in the Classic 8 Lacrosse League.

There are currently around 40 student-athletes committed to spring registration. At this time the sport is not school funded but is supported with private funds.

Lacrosse is growing in the state and it will fit into the spring athletic season. The season will begin March 12 with 18 playing dates.

The Classic Eight will be a high school-only league serving the southeast portion of the state.

They will use an infrastructure already in place with local high school athletic directors for administering to all the existing high school teams that had been a part of the Milwaukee Area Youth Lacrosse Association.

MAYLA will continue to administer youth lacrosse in southeast Wisconsin. Any future high school teams in the area will be invited to join the C8.

"They approached us," Gabrielson said of the local group. "We did some homework. It might eventually be approved as a WIAA sport and this would make the transition easier. Having it under the supervision of the high schools would also help the possible move.

One of Gabrielson's major jobs will be to make sure, through the head coaches, that everyone is eligible just like a WIAA sport.

"They have the fundraising in place, so nothing will change there," Gabrielson said. "But there is a significant youth program in lacrosse."