Lacrosse Showdown in S.B.
Eighty Teams from Around the U.S. Compete at Carp Polo Fields
Eighty lacrosse teams are descending on Santa Barbara this weekend to compete in the inaugural Santa Barbara Showdown held at the polo fields in Carpinteria. “This is a great event for youth lacrosse in Santa Barbara County to be hosting with local organizers,” said co-director Paul Ramsey. “Anyone who is interested in watching entertaining lacrosse should come out and see these quality teams play against one another.”
More than 3,500 athletes and family members will arrive in the general area for the three-day tournament. “Our goal is to give the people of the area an opportunity to play lacrosse in their own backyard. With this in mind, we wanted to put Santa Barbara on the map as a place that is growing lacrosse,” reflected Rick Lehman, president of Santa Barbara Lacrosse.
In the boys divisions, there will be 40 teams competing for championships across seven divisions, with five of those teams representing Santa Barbara–the U-9, U-11, U-13, U-15, and U-17 SB Elite teams coached by Lehman.
The S.B. Elite’s U-17 team is led by Will Beithtol, a defenseman from Santa Barbara High. Beithtol made the West Coast Stars Sectional team during the summer. On the U-15 team, look out for the outstanding play of attackman Justin Lehman. The impact player was selected for the West Coast Stars National Team over the summer. For the U-13 team, make note of Jackson Peters, an attackman/midfielder who has improved his skill with virtually every aspect of the game. Lastly, Miles Sedlin is a game-changing midfielder for the SB Elite’s U-11 team.
The headlining teams in the girls tournament include BearLax from Northern California, the Pacific Falcons from San Diego, and the Akwesasne Attack from upstate New York. There will be two teams representing Santa Barbara–15/16 and 16/17 UCSB Recruit Teams, which are made up of Gauchos’ recruiting prospects from across the nation. There are several local prospects on the 16/17 Gauchos’ recruit team, including Sofia Tate and Sophia Dephlippo from Santa Barbara High; and Kellen Peddicord and Allison Bliss from San Marcos. “By the end of this weekend, the girls will know whether they like the style of our coaching,” added Ramsey. “I’m hoping that the players gain an experience from this tournament that will swing them closer to coming to our program.”
The Showdown opens Friday, October 17, at 3 p.m., with an afternoon exhibition game, a Chumash blessing of the field, and a second exhibition game. Regular tournament play starts Saturday morning and continues into Sunday’s championship games.
For the full story, see presidiosports.com
