SCLA HISTORY
The Southlake Carroll Lacrosse Association was founded in October 2000 by Kelli Riley.
Mrs. Riley was simply looking for a team for her son Luke, who had first started playing the sport in Orchard Park,New York During Luke’s fourth grade year, he played for Coppell in the spring of 2000. The Coppell coaches asked if Mrs. Riley would recruit a few more players for their club program. Some small ads were placed in local newspapers. Within a few short weeks, about 60 Southlake players of all ages had responded. The Coppell club program told Mrs. Riley, “Congratulations, you have started an association!”
Following some very generic guidelines Coppell provided, over the next several months and long hours, Mrs. Riley met with City Council members, the Parks and Recreation Board, CISD Superintendent and Athletic Director. Coming along with Mrs. Riley to visit the Superintendent was 10 high school athletes and Luke. Nelsy Fleps joined Kelli in the visitation with Bob Ledbetter, then Athletic Director. Coach Ledbetter gave permission to use the CIS field (an old softball field), complete with condemned bleachers and 4 old lights, not all of which pointed in the same direction-but the SCLA was so grateful for the land availability in Southlake!
On that field and the outfields, the 2001 first teams practiced-1 grades 5/6 boys team, 1 grades 7/8 boys team, 1 girls varsity grades 7-12 and 1 boys varsity grades 9-12. The charter member total for that first year was 114 players. With the cooperation with CISD, all home games were played on the Carroll Middle School field - not Old Dragon but the field behind it.
The first year records were: Boys 5/6-9-3, 7/8 Boys 1-8 (defeating Highland Park “B”), varsity boys: 7-4 and Girls 0-8.
From the generic lacrosse ads that were placed, the first coach who responded was, David Smith. David took on all field issues while Kelli handled all the administration. David dedicatedly worked with the all volunteer coaching staff-only 2 had children playing. The rest of the coaches simply had the passion for the sport.
Entering into league play that first season, the volunteers simply did the best they could. The SCLA was so fortunate for donations for reducing costs and fundraising t-shirts to reduce the fees needed to pay CISD for the fields.
Founding Board of Directors: Kelli Riley, David Smith, Janet Knipp, Barrie Maher, Susan Ansley and Mary Goodman.
Founding coaches: David Smith, Rich Coccaro, and Tom Tough-Varsity Boys, Michelle Reynolds and Kathy Bryan-Girls Varsity, Dan Ambrose and John Fleps-Boys 7/8 and Mike Henjum and Chris Knipp-Boys 5/6.
The fall of 2001 allowed participation of the varsity girls and boys in the Richardson Halloween Tournament. At this tournament, the girls won their first game.
The second season proved to be staggering in many ways. Spring membership climbed to 225 players! Now-2 5/6 grade boys teams, 3 7/8 grade boys teams, Boys JV and Varsity and Girls JV and Varsity. Qualified coaches came forward but some teams still had to heavily rely on parents to get the players on the field.
Club records: 5/6 boys black-5-5, 5/6 green-6-5, 7/8 white-7-2, black 9-0 and green 9-0, girls varsity 10-11 5th in district, Varsity boys 9-1 co-district champions.
As the SCLA grew, the parks department and CISD recognized the impact this group was making. In the winter of 2001-2002, CIS became the designated lacrosse field with joint cooperation between the CISD and Parks department. Some $150,000 was found in the city budget for state of the art lights! The CISD expedited the tear down of the condemned bleachers as well as installed irrigation on the field and provided the sod. Home games for varsity players were now being played at Old Dragon stadium as well as youth games a CMS.
Several key people during this time stepped forward to help this young association: Bobby Rawls, Mayor Rick Stacy, Coach Bob Ledbetter, Tom Stephens, Jim Lites the SPDC Board, the City Council, the Parks and Recreation and numerous more businesses.
During 2002, the non-profit and tax exempt status. The first major fundraiser, chaired by Barrie Maher and supported by Park Place Lexus raised a staggering amount of money-$30,000! Plus, Park Place sold 3 Lexus’ as a result! What a wonderful evening! This kind of community support further ensured the financial success and solvency of the SCLA.
Girl’s Varsity Player, Shannon Kelly became the first lacrosse scholarship recipient $40,000 to Moravian University in Pennsylvania Tom Wong also received $40,000 to BabsonUniversity in Massachusetts.
During the summer of 2002, 1st -4th grade fiddlesticks girls and boys clinic was initiated by volunteers. Some 75 participants learned soft stick lacrosse instructed by Jorey Fleps and Andrew Vance.
The fall 2002 program allowed some 175 5-12 graders the opportunity to keep their hands on their sticks. Not only did they participate in the Richardson Halloween Tournament, but a youth Plano tournament as well.
This fall of 2002, the SCLA watched the construction of their new CIS field. With matching funds from the city, the initial work began. During this time too, Mrs. Riley negotiated with the CISD to utilize all the CISD lighted fields as well as the indoor workout facility. Utilizing a donation to the CISD that years field rental costs were defrayed. Two games were even granted to play in the New Dragon Stadium—1 boys varsity and 1 girls varsity.
The spring of 2003 enrollment had 270 players-11 teams-2 5/6 boys, 3 7/8 boys, 2 Boys JV, 1 Boys Varsity, Girls JV and Varsity. The spring preseason had the girls winning 4 th at the Texas A&M tournament. In 2003 the Girls Varsity came in 2nd and the Girls JV winning the Shreveport Lax 'n on the Red tournament.
During 2004, the Division I Boys and Girls State Championships were hosted by the SCLA at the state of the art New Dragon Stadium. The media was in full attendance and estimated the maximum crowd at about 3,000 people.
This was the first year the youth boys and girls “All Stars” participated in the tournament from grades 5-8. A large number of the young Dragon players were chosen to participate in the event.
The DI semi finals and finals as well as the DI All State games were played.
The CISD was hugely supportive in the endeavor with concessions and maintenance staff always on the ready. Mr. Bob Smith and maintenance crew and Mrs. Mary with her concession workers were fantastic.
The SCLA had a large contingency of volunteers with Doug Pemberton, John Franznick and Kelli Riley leading the charge. John Romney was in charge of the referees and security. Joan McGaffigan headed up the volunteers assigned to the teams to ensure all felt welcomed at the venue. David Smith and many other coaches were on the ready to facilitate all the field needs. Bob Beauvais at REB photo put many hours into the program.
Currently some 50 SCLA players have or are playing lacrosse at the college level.
SCLA President's Awards for Volunteerism
2001-Barrie Maher and David Smith
2002 David Evans and Kathy Bryant
2003 Jim Lites and Cindy Kelley
2004 Leslie Arnold
2005 Jim Lehane
2006 None given
2007 Julie Luchsinger
$1000 Scholarship Recipients Awarded to Lacrosse Scholars who plan on playing lacrosse in College 1 per graduating boy/ 1 per graduating girl
2003 Haley Robinson
2004 Kelli Boulter and Blaine McGaffigan
2005
Holly Robinson and
Kyle Lamb
2006 Bryce Jones and Lauren Van Son
(incomplete list)
To date, approximately $500,000 in scholarship monies have been awarded to SCLA athletes playing Lacrosse in college
Shannon Kelly
Tom Wong
Danny McNamara
Bryan Metzger
Sam Nunez
Kelsey Lawler
Greg Lehane
Sam Stevenson
Stephen Knipp
(incomplete list)
2006 All Americans—Girls Varsity Kelsey Lawler, Kelsey Ferguson
Academic All Americans
2003 Beth Arnold, Sam Ansley, Haley Robison
2004 Beth
Arnold, Kelli Boulter
2005 Lauren Van Son
2006 Catherine
Calvert, Kelsey Lawler, Lindsay Duckworth
All American
2007 Sam Stevenson
