Saturday night FAU’s stadium served not only as the site of a thrilling Florida Launch come from behind 15-14 win over the The New York Lizards, but also as the host for this year’s South Florida Chapter of US Lacrosse awards banquet.  As far as I am concerned, every chapter in the state should try to replicate this great way to celebrate its season, whether locally or better yet, coordinated with a trip to Boca Raton for the night when the Launch is in town.  The staff at the Launch, headed by Brian and Don Clinton, Michael Zeff and others put on a terrific evening and are doing a ton of community outreach (check out the photos at the bottom of this article to see an example).  The Launch management is building a great franchise.Thank you to everyone, including emcees Joe Chiarella, Eileen Pliske and Beth Donovan.  The hard work you and others put in made for a special evening for those in attendance.As I have written before it is fantastic to see the friendly interaction between rival coaches and players and the good which is the byproduct of this evening.  In addition, it was a pleasure to hear about these fantastic young women and men.  Honored were all-americans, academic all-americans who finished as valedictorians, salutatorians and top ten (not percent, but the actual number) of substantially sized schools, coaches of the year and the Bob Scott and Jackie Pitts recipients which highlighted the best of our Florida young lacrosse players who gave back generously to the community.  I was incredibly impressed, and I know these achievers are representative of many players throughout the state.   A few familiar faces were missing due to scheduling conflicts, but quite frankly the “pinch hitting” by assistant coaches, and in some cases opposing coaches, to present the players honored,  was special in its own right.One editorial note:  St. Thomas Aquinas Coach of the Year Samantha Maccurdy is one of our own, having played at Vero Beach before a career at Presbyterian College.  Our growth as a state is taking on a new level and it’s only upward and onward from here!

 The full list of honorees, congratulations to all:GirlsSouth Atlantic North RegionAll- AmericanKristen Zenor – 2018 – American Heritage Boca DelrayCaitlyn Wurzburger – 2020 – American Heritage Boca DelrayKylie Kempe – 2018 – The Benjamin SchoolKaitlyn Trainor – 2019 – Saint John Paul II AcademyLauren Mazzamaro – 2018 – Spanish River HSAll- AcademicEmma Braden – St. Andrew’s SchoolLizzie Lynch – Spanish River HSCarolyn Rose –  The Benjamin SchoolCaeley Reever – Boca Raton High SchoolNina Houri –  The Benjamin SchoolJackie Pitts Award: Tammy Hutchison – 2017- Cardinal Newman HSCoach of the year: Beth Donovan – Cardinal Newman HSSouth Atlantic Region:All-AmericanTara Shecter – Pine Crest SchoolErin Bakes – Ransom EvergladesMorgan Lusk – St. Thomas AquinasAli Beekhuizen – St. Thomas AquinasCarley Steinlauf – St. Thomas AquinasAll-AcademicMorgan Lusk – St. Thomas AquinasKasey Geddis – St. Thomas AquinasGabriela Ramsey – St. Thomas AquinasSofia Caro – Pine Crest SchoolAbby Wolk – Stoneman Douglas HSJackie Pitts AwardKasey Geddis – St. Thomas AquinasCoach of the YearSamantha Maccurdy – St. Thomas AquinasBoysAll-AmericanGriffin Bowie – 2017 – BenjaminTerrell Seabrooks – 2017 – OxbridgeJimmy Harrington – 2017 – St. Thomas AquinasJoey Guglielmo – 2017 – St. Thomas AquinasKevin Crowley – 2017 – St. Thomas AquinasChristian Tomei – 2019 – OxbridgeChritan Cropp – 2017 – BenjaminMax Buckner – 2017 – Stoneman DouglasNick Iznaga – 2017 – St. Andrew’sZach Frey – 2017 – Boca RatonMichael Dean – 2017 – Jupiter Academic All-AmericanOwen Bezick – 2017 – St. Andrew’sMark Heatzig – 2017 – St. Andrew’sStephen Brower – 2018 – Saint John Paul IIRyan Haag – 2018 – Saint John Paul IISpencer Dobkin – 2017 – Boca RatonRyan Fiedler – 2017 – Pine CrestAdres Soto – 2017 – Pine CrestRyan Finvarb – 2017- Miami Country DayReid Quattlebaum – 2017 – William T DwyerWill Ross – 2017 – Martin CountyJoseph Weisberg – 2017 – American Heritage PlantationFinishing up about the Florida Launch, two club teams, Extreme and Ninja Lax, played a spirited half-time game and I enjoyed a front row seat.  You, too, can arrange for your young players to play on the same field as the pros.