The men’s and women’s lacrosse teams have become a varsity sport, heading into the 2017 seasons becoming an Ohio High School Athletics Association (OHSAA) sport.

Head men’s lacrosse coach Nick Papas has returned for his sixth year of coaching at Revere. He believes that the sport becoming state-recognized will benefit the team. He explained the source of the new gear awarded to his athletes.

“The boys team will be receiving all new gear this upcoming season. This is mostly due to the fact that the team is now funded by the state as well as the school,” Papas said.

The women’s lacrosse team has hired a Revere graduate as their new head coach this year, Emma Harding. This is her first year as the team’s head coach, but she worked previously as the team’s assistant coach. She explained that while the sport is now state funded, both the men’s and women’s teams will play roughly the same number of games and, for the most part, the same teams.

“Both the men’s and the women’s lacrosse teams will continue to be a part of the Suburban League,” Harding said.

Playoffs will be held differently than in the past now that lacrosse is a state sponsored sport. The playoffs will function as they do in other sports: the teams will first play to win the district competition, then the regional competition, and then the state competition of that school. The men’s lacrosse team will compete for the state championship at the Division 2 level; the women’s lacrosse team will compete in Division 3.

Tom McKinnon, Athletic Director for Revere, agrees that lacrosse becoming a state-sponsored sport was a necessary measure needed to improve the quality of the school sport.

“The high school sport of lacrosse has been forever changed for the better because of this. I am glad that the sport has finally been recognized,” McKinnon said.

The women’s team will kickoff its season on March 17 at Stow-Monroe High School against Stow. The men’s lacrosse team will kickoff its season five days later on March 22 at home against Brecksville-Broadview Heights.