Utahns delight at chance to improve lacrosse skills

"It's the game with the sticks."

That is the response given often by Alta junior lacrosse player and team captain Cort Wright when the discussion of what sport he plays comes up in conversation.

But whether lacrosse is a mainstream high school sport in Utah or not, Wright just loves to play.

Not even really knowing what the sport was a few years ago, he agreed to accompany his older sister and friends to the state championship match, which Alta won.

From that point on, he was hooked. Even though he didn't really understand the rules, it "was still pretty cool," and he joined the freshman team at Alta. Playing football and soccer previously helped him grasp lacrosse early on.

He feels the physical aspect of football got him ready to get hit playing lacrosse and the positions are similar to soccer. "My ability to play came pretty fast after I got the basics down. I had my stick skills down before I even understood all of the rules," he says.

Now in addition to playing the school season, which runs from mid-February through May, he plays in a winter league in Park City. He hopes to one day continue playing the sport in college.

In addition to his familiar duties as a midfielder, he will also be playing some attack.

While he is excited about the increased playing time, he still enjoys midfield. "I get both aspects of the game — offense and defense — and I'm involved the whole time playing middle. I love the fast pace of the sport and the coordination it takes," Wright said. Teammate and fellow captain Garrett Cotterell added, "It's more about athleticism than size." Both agree lacrosse is best described as a cross between hockey and soccer.

Unlike Wright, Cotterell has the sport in his blood. He picked it up from older brothers who played in high school and at BYU. The junior has been a part of the Alta varsity squad since he was in ninth grade and is striving to play at the college level.

Both are excited about this season and feel good about Alta's chances. The team travels to other parts of the country each preseason, including Florida, Virginia and Colorado, and Wright feels like that will be a big help this year.

"Whoever wants state the most will take it, but we are definitely capable of it," he said.

Cotterell agrees. "We should do well this season. We have a good chance. We don't have a bunch of all-stars, but we do go out and work hard every day."

The fact that lacrosse is not an official school sport but a club sport and that not many people know much about it doesn't seem to bother either of them.

They think about more important things, like having fun and beating rival Jordan.