Program Vision:
Ann Arbor Huron Men’s Lacrosse aspires to be a consistently winning top 25 program that competes at the highest level and graduates accountable young men of high character and performance, ready for the next step of their lives.
Core Values: Honesty, Integrity, and Sportsmanship
Mission and Standards: Set by the team each season.
Non-negotiable coaches standards are the following:
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Only do things that are good for you. If it’s good for you, it’s probably good for us.
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Attend everything and show up early. If practice starts at 15:42, that’s when we start. You need to arrive early to pad up and be ready to go.
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Always be part of the team. If you have an issue, address it. Do the things you’re supposed to do and be fully on board. No language.
School: Ann Arbor Huron
Mascot: River Rats
Home Field: Riverbank Stadium (Turf)
2727 Fuller Rd Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Admission: $5
Conference: Southeastern (SEC)
League: MHSAA | Rule Book PDF
All-American Info (Field and Academic)
Athletic Director: Tony Whiren
Coaches:
Timothy Fox (Head Coach)
Charlie Jackson (Assist Coach)
JJ Jackson (Assist Coach)
Athletic Attendance Policy (PDF)
Eligibility and Transfer Rules
FAQ’s
What is lacrosse?
In short, lacrosse is the fastest game on turf: https://youtu.be/ENtRHRp6Peg
Originally created by Native Americans, America’s first team sport is now the fastest growing in the nation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacrosse
The strategy of the game is similar to basketball, with the physical play and goalie found in ice hockey. There is a lot of end to end action with teams using screens, seals, and passing to get high percentage shots.
NFHS high school rule books and updates: http://www.nfhs.org/activities-sports/lacrosse-boys/
What about at Huron?
Huron Lacrosse recently celebrated its 25th season, established in 1991.
Why play lacrosse?
If you are looking for a true team that wins together, come out and join us. Our guys are a tight group that support each other on and off the field. The lacrosse community as a whole collectively supports each other as well. The game provides lifelong friends, job and social opportunities well beyond high school. For the lucky few who work hard enough and elevate their skill level, lacrosse is played at the finest universities in the world. Playing on our team will teach you leadership, teamwork, and accountability, cornerstones of success and great items to address in college applications. Most importantly, you’ll have fun!
What if I have never played?
Great! There is no experience necessary to join our team. The first week or so of practice serves as a varsity tryout period to determine who is ready to play at the upper level.
What is practice like?
We run fast paced college style practices, probably unlike any other high school sport you have played. It's 90 minutes to get away from everything else in your life and have some fun. Trust us, you'll enjoy it.
How do I get on varsity?
For varsity level players, we are looking for guys that arrive in shape and ready to contribute at the highest level, crisp ball handling ability with both hands, and the necessary knowledge of the game and field awareness. Anyone can address the first two by working out hard, hitting the wall, and practicing dodging, ground balls, and defensive positioning on their own.
Who is the coach?
Head Coach Timothy Fox joined the Huron High School coaching staff for the 2023 season.
Who does the team play?
We are in the SEC along with the rest of Huron athletics and regularly play conference opponents as well as other teams in the region such as Gabriel Richard, Greenhills, and Belleville. We occasionally play teams as far away as Grand Rapids, Lansing, Oakland County, and Ohio.
What is the typical schedule?
Lacrosse is a spring sport. Practice begins in mid-March and we practice every weekday after school from
5:30-7:30pm. After school if you don't have an 8th hour, the front turf may be unlocked so you can pass the ball around with teammates before practice starts. You can also go to the library - it's a good opportunity to knock out some homework early. Once games begin, we usually play 2-3 games per week with the regular season ending in mid-May, followed by playoffs that can run through the state championship in June. Typical home games have a 5:30 start time. During spring break, we offer voluntary practices and do not play games. During the offseason we offer opportunities to play in the summer followed by open fields in the fall. There is strength and conditioning available all year and we encourage our guys to play multiple sports. Time management skills are essential for your success with our program and in life.
Where does the team play?
We practice on the lower turf field in front of Huron and play games in the stadium. If the field is still covered in snow we may begin the season practicing in the lower gym. When in the gym, we have no contact, no ground balls, and use tennis balls, so we always prefer to be outside!
What kind of gear do I get from the team?
School-owned equipment each player is issued include reversible practice pinnies, and home and away uniforms.
What gear do I need to purchase?
First, if you have financial hardship, you don't need to purchase anything. We have limited free gear available from the team through our equipment bank. To play, you’ll need lacrosse specific NFHS compliant: stick (we recommend having a backup too in case one breaks), gloves, shoulder pads, arm pads, mouthguard (not clear or white), and cup. Attackmen and midfielders play with a short stick (approx 3.5 feet) and defense plays with a long stick (approx 6 feet). Goalies use a special stick, goalie gloves, throat protector (comes with helmet), chest protector, mouthguard (not clear or white), and cup. We also recommend that goalies wear padded undershorts. http://lax.com http://lacrossemonkey.com and http://sportstop.com are all sites that often run good deals for gear.
Everyone has to wear our team helmet. This season, helmets are available for purchase or lease from the team. You are also welcome to purchase one through regular retail channels, but it will cost closer to $320.
Helmets are also available at no cost under our confidential need based aid program described below. To get your helmet or check out gear from the equipment bank. We will set up a couple times to get gear in advance of our first practice. Everyone is responsible for maintaining their helmet and making sure they understand the warning that is printed on it.
Checks to the team should be made out to: "Huron Booster Club" with Boy's Lacrosse in the memo field.
Finally, everyone must wear proper fitting mouthguard and cup. Mouthguards can be any color besides clear and white.
What should I do to get ready for the season?
Play catch with the wall as much as possible and get in shape if you aren’t already.
Wall Ball Challenge and videos: http://www.onestoplacrosse.com/lacrosse-wall-ball-drills/
We will have strength and conditioning sessions leading up to the season.
There are also plenty of external resources available to get you ready to go:
- Offseason training from PLG and Coalition: http://www.premierlacrossegroup.com and http://www.coalitionlax.com
- Speed training, AA Track Club Tues night workouts: http://aatrackclub.org/tuesday-night-workouts/
Finally, Michigan typically has a good home schedule and ESPN has extensive college lacrosse coverage starting in February. You should watch and learn from high level play as much as possible.
What else do I need to do during the season besides practices and games?
We have several team fundraisers that are critical to our success. Everyone is expected to participate in Drive for your School, a car wash, our mulch sale fundraiser, and any other team events. We also have a series of team dinners and social events.
Parents
Parents, you are crucial to our success! There is no support staff for our team so our operations don’t “just happen.” We need help from every parent to make things go. Areas where you can help include equipment management, gameday support (announcer, photography, on-field, statistics, and officials table), other event support, meals, and marketing and PR help. Help us make this a fantastic experience for your kids! Please contact Alfhildur Kristjansdottir to help.
Financials
In an age of constant budget cuts, lacrosse is 100% self funded in Ann Arbor.
A New Revenue Model
We're breaking the mold and going to a smarter revenue model that can carry us into the future.
Our goal is to become the first self funded team in Ann Arbor to have everyone pay nothing out of pocket!
Thinking longer term about the survival of the program and with costs constantly on the rise, we need to establish a norm of significant fundraising, using technology to work smarter, not harder.
Need Based Aid - Money is not a barrier to playing lacrosse!
If guys put forth a good faith effort towards our fundraising and we still have to take a fee payment, confidential scholarships are available to cover up to 100% of the cost. Please see or contact Coach Alex privately for details.
This all sounds great, I'm ready to Join the Team!