FRISCO - A successful high school spring sport has arrived in Summit County - lacrosse.

In only its first year of existence, the Summit Lacrosse high school club team is continually proving it can compete every time it steps on the field. Saturday at Summit Middle School in Frisco, the proof was there for all to see.

In a four team jamboree, the first ever of its kind at the high school level in the county, Summit beat club teams from Vail, Eagle and Glenwood Springs to go 3-0 on the day and improve to 7-2 overall. The Tigers lost to Denver South's varsity team 4-0 on Friday.

Summit won 5-2 over Vail, 5-3 over Eagle and 4-2 over Glenwood Springs. In the jamboree, each game included two 20-minute halves with a running clock.

Freshman Braxton Campbell led Summit offensively by scoring five goals on the day, including a hat trick in the second game against Eagle.

"He has a god given natural talent to know where he needs to be on the field," Summit coach Jeff Echols said. "And a great vision for the net."

Jimmy Keeling and Jake Weidert each scored two goals overall. Other Tiger scorers included Jon Walsh, Jeff Montepare, Michael Dudick, Tyler Reinking and Jan McSparin.

"Two months of practice before any games has paid off," co-captain Dudick said. "A 7-2 record shows that."

But sometimes the team's inexperience showed. With the time winding down in the final game against Glenwood Springs, holding on to a 4-2 lead, the co-captain Keeling made a turnover by illegally stepping out of the box after entering it with less than two minutes - a rule that only affects the leading team.

Keeling, in his first year of lacrosse, came off the field during the next line switch to greet Echols, who asked, "do you know about that rule?"

The freshman responded, "I do now!"

"It's my first year ever playing, so I'm still getting used to all the rules," Keeling said. "But I love this sport. I'm going to play it the rest of my life."

Summit's loss at South on Friday was only their second loss of the season. Echols said the loss may have been a crucial moment in the team's short history.

"Even though we lost, I told the guys after that game, there's no team they should ever be intimidated by again," he said. "That game was the fire that drove them today."

Fans filled the bleachers to see the unique event. For a team hoping to make the transition from club level to high school varsity, the exposure was important to the cause.

"There were parents and fans out there that have never seen a high school lacrosse game," Echols said.

The Tigers' sixth and seventh-grade team shut out Edwards 7-0 Saturday, while the eighth-grade team lost 4-0 to Edwards.

Summit plays again this weekend in Avon in a tournament featuring teams from Telluride, Aspen, Durango, Vail, Eagle and Glenwood Springs.



Andy Frame can be reached at (970) 668-3998, ext. 236, or at aframe@summitdaily.com.