WEST BEVERLY — Beverly Lacrosse will crown a champion Sunday in its third- and fourth-grade house league at Beverly Park.
Known as "Championship Sunday," the three-game tournament begins at 10:30 a.m. and brings hundreds of friends and family to the park at 2460 W. 102nd St. in West Beverly, said Dennis Foley, who founded the neighborhood lacrosse organization in 2009.
The Mohawk, Sauk, Illini and Seminole squads play in the single-round elimination tourney, and everyone walks away with a trophy. The names of the teams are a nod to the native tribes that once played lacrosse ahead of going into battle, said Foley, who coaches a team of 11-year-olds in addition to running the group.
Foley, a Beverly resident, said Beverly Lacrosse now consists of 125 players from third grade to eighth grade. Players from fifth grade on up play in the Southland United Lacrosse League, which includes teams from Lemont, Orland Park and other south suburbs.
Beverly Lacrosse plays its home games in this league at St. Laurence High School in Burbank.
But the in-house league for younger players strictly plays at Beverly Park. About 11 kids are on these teams, compared to 20 kids per team at the older levels, Foley said.
"The kids that play really enjoy it," said Foley, who will also serve as a referee for the final games of the Sunday tourney.
Foley started the league when his youngest son showed interest in lacrosse but the nearest youth teams were the North Side. At the same time, nearby high schools such as Brother Rice High School in Mount Greenwood and St. Rita High School in Ashburn were introducing teams.
In an effort to bring a youth team to the Far Southwest Side, Foley convinced Lacrosse America to host a camp in Beverly. About 75 kids came out for the camp, but the organization opted against forming a team.
So, Foley decided to do it himself. And at this point, 10 of the boys Foley introduced to the game have gone on to play at the collegiate level. Even more have advanced to play for area high schools, he said.
"It's been good seeing kids coming out of Beverly and going into area high schools," he said.
The game seems to appeal to boys interested in a contact sport with plenty of scoring. That said, injuries are less likely than in other contact sports such as football and hockey, Foley said.
To keep lacrosse affordable, Foley bought 75 sets of equipment early on. He rents the gear for $25 for younger kids and $45 for older kids, which tend to put more wear and tear on the sticks, helmets and pads. The rental option also appeals to parents who aren't sure if their sons will stick with the sport, Foley said.
Actually, many kids have fallen in love with the game as a result of the neighborhood league. In fact, Beverly Lacrosse sometimes has to turn away players at certain levels as a result of too few coaches and limited practice space.
There's plenty of room in the house league though, and Foley encourages those curious about the sport to check out the homegrown youth tourney.
"The park will be a lot of fun on Sunday. If you get a chance, stop up," he said.
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