History of the South Carolina Lacrosse League SCLL

The South Carolina Chapter of US Lacrosse Board of Directors established the SCLL in the fall of 2001. The purpose was to provide an opportunity for the boys and girls high school lacrosse teams to compete in a league where a year end state champion would be recognized. The first SCLL Tournament was held in Myrtle Beach in May of 2002 for the Boys Division and at Ridgeview High School, in Columbia, for the Girls Division. Four boys and four girls teams competed. The Hilton Head Girls and Boys teams won the first South Carolina High School Lacrosse Championships. The four boys teams were: Hilton Head; Heathwood Hall; Camden Military Academy; and Myrtle Beach Lacrosse Club. The four girls teams were Hilton Head, Heathwood Hall; Ridgeview; and Myrtle Beach Lacrosse Club.

The year 2003 saw a very successful SCLL Tournament held in Hilton Head and once again the Hilton Head High School Boys and Girls walked away with the title after a very competitive struggle. There were eight teams competing that year.

The SCLL tournament in 2004 was held at Presbyterian College, in Clinton, S.C. Growth of lacrosse in South Carolina was put on display as there were 16 teams competing. One of the newest boys high school teams, Greenville High, made it to the championship game eventually losing out to Hilton Head in a three-peat performance.

The 2005 SCLL tournament was held at Bluffton High School on April 30th and May 1st. 2005. Due to the new and ever increasing number of teams and the establishment of a Western and Eastern Division, a playoff system was used to determine the 8 girls and the 8 boys high school teams to qualify for the championship weekend. Hilton Head boys, once again, took home state championship honors but had to fight off a vastly improved and talented Greenville High School team for a 12 to 8 victory. Mauldin girls knocked off the defending champion Hilton Head team in the first round and Ridgeview met Bluffton in the championship game. Ridgeview copped the 2005 girl's state lacrosse championship by a convincing 9 to 3 score.

The SCLL held it's first All Star games at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School on May 7th. 2005. The competition was remarkable as the girls All Star team from the West prevailed over the East by 2 goals. The middle school boys and high school boy's games both went into overtime with the South's middle school team winning. In the boys high school game the West prevailed over the East.

The chapter board, in May 2006, established an SCLL Executive Committee headed by Rich Thomas, as commissioner and boys and girls representatives for both the Eastern and Western Divisions..

The 2006 season had 18 boy's high school teams and 15 girl's high school teams competing for the state championship.

The 2006 SCLL championship tournament had divisional playoffs on April 26th and 29th. Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, in Columbia, hosted the semi-finals on Friday May 5th and the boy's and girl's championship games on Saturday May 6th. The level of lacrosse was quite evident as two teams from the Western Division copped both boys and girls championships for the first time. Greenville boys upset Heathwood Hall 16 to 13 and the JL Mann girl's team outlasted Eastside in a thrilling game 11 to 10. The SCLL All Star game was held at Presbyterian College, in Clinton, on Saturday May 13th with the Western Division boys and girls teams being victorious.

More boys and girls teams came on board in the Charleston area (Mt. Pleasant) in 2007 with the formation of the Charleston Warriors. Also Woodmont High School, in the Greenville area, had both boys and girls teams join the SCLL for the 2007 season. The SCLL, in 2007, had 17 girl's high school teams and 20 boy's high school teams.

The 2007 SCLL tournament was held in Greenville on may 4th and 5th.The the Greenville High boys beat Wando in overtime and the J.L.Mann girls defeated Eastside to repeat as state champions.

Heathwood Hall was host for the 2007 SCLL All Star Games on Saturday May 12th. The West boys and girls high school teams prevailed, once again while the boys middle school game ended in a tie.

The 2008 SCLL Championship weekend was held at Heathwood Hall and saw Greenville boys crowned as champions for a three-peat. The Riverside girls team captured their first state championship.

2008 All Star games were held at White Knoll on May 10th with the West girls prevailing over the East, by 2 goals, and the East boys crushing the west 15 to 6. The Middle school boys East team put a 6 to 0 licking on the West.

The 2009 Championship tournament's championship weekend was held at White Knoll School on April 24th and 25th. The Greenville boys team won it's fourth consecutive championship while the Blythewood Girls took home their first state title.

The SCLL 2009 All Star Games were also held at White Knoll School on Saturday May 2nd with the West Boys and Girls High School Teams handily defeating the East. The boys Middle School Game had the East coming out on top of the West.

The 2009 Championship Tournament was the last one to be run by the SCLL as lacrosse has been sanctioned by the SCHSL who will run boys and girls Open State Championships in 2010.

The Chapter Board changed the name of the SCLL to the SCILL (South Carolina Independent Lacrosse League) in 2010 to accommodate all of the Non SCHSL schools and will continue to promote the development of private school and youth programs.

A DECADE OF GROWTH AND BEYOND

Just fourteen years ago, at the turn of the century, the South Carolina Chapter of US Lacrosse was founded by four lacrosse enthusiasts whose desire was to give the kids in South Carolina the opportunity to enjoy the thrill of competing in the fastest growing sport in America. Hilton Head High School had just completed their first year of boys and girls lacrosse as the only high school lacrosse teams in the state, and Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, in Columbia, was forming a boys team to compete in 2000. Our Chapter, in 2000, formed the MBLC (Myrtle Beach Lacrosse Club) which later became the Socastee High School boys and girls lacrosse teams. Our Chapter established the SCLL (South Carolina lacrosse League) and crowned State Champions from 2002 through 2009. After considerable effort our foremost goal was achieved in 2008 when the SCHSL (South Carolina High School League) voted unanimously to SANCTION Lacrosse as an interscholastic sport beginning in 2010.

As we enter the 2014 year we are proud of the fact that we have over 25 youth and recreation lacrosse programs; over 25 college and club lacrosse programs; and over 65 boys and girls high school varsity lacrosse teams as well as quite a few junior varsity teams. Our chapter membership in US Lacrosse has gone from a couple of hundred to over 1400. There are over 750 men and women playing lacrosse in South Carolina’s Colleges and there are over 3500 kids participating in the youth and high school programs. All in all we think that is pretty good growth in a state where lacrosse was virtually unknown 14 years ago and one in which we had to confront some negative attitudes. We feel it particularly interesting to note that more than 55 kids in the high school programs, in the last 6 years have received lacrosse scholarships to college and numerous others have received increased consideration because they have played lacrosse.

An old cliché goes: “Great Oaks from Little Acorns Grow” Well, the little “Acorn” of a few people, in 2000, grew into a cadre of hundreds who volunteered with enthusiasm and dedication to provide the opportunity for kids of all ages to enjoy the exciting and fun filled game of lacrosse. Although we are grateful to all who have been part of our “crusade” we must give special thanks to all of our coaches, both past and present, who are on the front lines with our kids. They are the ones who are responsible for instilling the principles of good sportsmanship along with the X’s and O’s as all of us strive to “HONOR THE GAME”.

We are excited to contemplate future growth as we continue to work to provide the lacrosse opportunity to all of the kids in South Carolina.

Hal Ness for the South Carolina Chapter of US Lacrosse (2014)

TEE SHIRT MEMORIES

We are looking forward to the excitement of the fifth lacrosse season of the SCHSL sponsoring the lacrosse high school state championships in 2014. Recently we came across a tee shirt that was on sale at our first SCLL Tournament in 2002. It jogged up some memories and caused us to pause and reflect on how far we have come in the last fourteen years. Those first years were “heady”, to say the least, as we spread our gospel throughout the state. Thanks to the efforts and dedication of many our goal of sanctioning by the state came to fruition. There were four boys teams and four girls teams vying for the first state lacrosse championship in 2002. The boys SCLL Tournament was held in Myrtle Beach with Camden Military Academy; Hilton Head; Heathwood Hall; and Myrtle Beach Lacrosse Club (see tee shirt). The girls SCLL Tournament was held in Columbia at Ridgeview High and included Hilton Head; Heathwood Hall; Myrtle Beach Lacrosse Club and Ridgeview. There is something very exciting about starting a “movement” and seeing it become successful. All of those who have been involved can take great pride in knowing that they have given the lacrosse opportunity to thousands of kids. It is very rewarding to note that there are over 65 high school teams competing for the State Championship in 2014.     

Reference: US Lacrosse SC Chapter by Hal Ness