Latest news with #lacrosse
CBC
6 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Lacrosse roots run deep in Haudenosaunee Nationals team heading to South Korea
In some communities lacrosse sticks are placed next to newborn babies by fathers who learned the game from their fathers, to pass on the tradition; players on this year's Haudenosaunee Nationals team are no exception. Ranked third in the world, the team is heading to South Korea for the World Lacrosse Men's U20 Championship in field lacrosse in August. The roster was announced earlier this month. The Haudenosaunee — a confederacy of the Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk), Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora Nations — invented lacrosse and the Haudenosaunee Nationals teams represent the confederacy in international tournaments. It will be defenseman Rarihwenote Maracle's first time wearing the Nationals' jersey on an international stage. His brother Oneniotekowa Maracle and his father, Brent Maracle, also played for the Nationals. "I don't feel pressure, but I feel an obligation," said Rarihwenote, who is Kanien'kehá:ka from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. The 19-year-old said growing up his two biggest teachers were his older brother and his father. He said his father taught him to play defensively, "how to protect the house." He said his brother, who plays offence, "tells me what annoys him the most ... what drives an offensive player crazy," to give him an edge over his opponents. Both brothers agreed the most important skills that their father taught them are to have a strong body, strong mind, and strong unity with their team. Rarihwenote said a lot of his game is patience. "I don't have to react, I just have to wear you down," he said. "As a lighter player, I'm not going to be able to bully you, but I can stop you from getting to the net by staying in front of you and pushing on your hips." The Onondaga term for lacrosse is Deyhontsigwa'ehs, which roughly translates to "they bump hips." Backyard lacrosse Rarihwenote's older brother, Oneniotekowa, 23, has played on the Nationals development team. He said he's proud of his younger brother and that they played backyard lacrosse growing up with their father and younger brothers. Their dad played for the Nationals from 1990-1995 and he also helped to start the development teams program. "It's not just a game to us," he said. "It was passed down to us not just from our fathers, but from our great-grandfathers and our great-great-grandfathers." He pointed out that they're the smallest of all of the populations that are participating in international lacrosse yet consistently rank within the top three. Nationals alumnus Marty Ward, a member of the Cherokee Nation, is the head coach of the men's U20 team. He lives in Florida and is head coach of the Florida Southern College men's lacrosse team in Division 2 NCAA. He said team cohesion is vital. "We have the strongest group that's committed to go and compete for a gold medal," Ward said. He said Rarihwenote's a versatile player who does a good job communicating with his teammates — so much so he wanted to recruit him to Florida Southern. Ward also played with Brett Bucktooth and Ron Cogan for the Nationals, and their sons, Brett Bucktooth Jr. and Chace Cogan have also been named to the U20 roster. General manager Delby Powless, from Six Nations of the Grand River, first suited up for the Nationals back in 1999 and has since seen the game grow across Haudenosaunee communities and internationally. He said it's going to be a tough tournament and in order to win, they're going to have to upset the United States and Canada who hold the first and the second spots, while Australia, England and Japan are strong contenders as well. "I think this tournament is going to be really competitive just because of the growth of lacrosse."
Fox News
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Outnumbered - Wednesday, July 9
All times eastern The Evening Edit with Elizabeth Macdonald FOX News Radio Live Channel Coverage WATCH LIVE: Raul Valle's murder trial for killing of Connecticut prep school lacrosse player
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Preppy Connecticut town torn apart by violent murder at private school house party
A wealthy Connecticut suburb has been rocked by the killing of a private school lacrosse star stabbed to death at a house party. Raul Elias Valle, now 20, is accused of killing 17-year-old James McGrath at a home on Laurel Glen Drive in Shelton, a ritzy town 15 miles west of New Haven, after a fight over stolen beer. Prosecutors say that on the night of May 14, 2022, Valle used a pocketknife to stab four teenagers, including McGrath, following a feud between groups of boys from rival schools at an earlier party. At the time, Valle was a 16-year-old student at St Joseph High School, where tuition costs $19,000 a year, while McGrath was a standout athlete at the nearby $25,000-a-year Fairfield College Prep. Despite being charged with murder, Valle was released on a $2 million bond posted by his parents. He has pleaded not guilty and turned down a plea deal, opting to go to trial. He now faces up to 60 years in prison if found guilty. His case began unfolding at Connecticut Superior Court in Milford on June 17, 2025, and so far jurors have heard testimony from a sobbing Valle, along with several students who were at the party in 2022. During questioning, Valle admitted that he stabbed four people a collective nine times. Besides McGrath, those injured were named as Faison Teele, Ryan Heinz, and Thomas Connery. When asked if he was responsible for the stab wounds, Valle said: 'I don't know. I guess so. Yes.' He added that he didn't remember sinking the knife into the teens. Valle attorney has framed the stabbings as self-defense, saying his client was swarmed by teenagers during an 'attack' by other partygoers. Speaking in court, Valle told the court that a huge group of teens attacked him and 'everything went black.' 'I started waving and just stabbing in every direction, just flailing my arm around,' he said during the tearful testimony. Valle said his trio were confronted by 'about 30 people spread out in a line' which he described as a 'wall' of teenagers. Another high schooler at the party, Taylor Capela, witnessed the deadly fight, and said she heard one of the alleged victims shout 'he has a knife, he has a knife'. Moments later, Valle lunged at McGrath, Capela said. Capela said McGrath was not fighting anyone and was simply observing the chaos when Valle plunged the blade into his chest. She watched in horror as blood seeped through his white clothing. Capela also recalled seeing Teele and Connery covered in blood from their wounds. Capela broke down in the courtroom as she recalled the horror, saying she now suffers with nightmares and anxiety. Witnesses detailed how the fight which ended McGrath's life was sparked by an earlier disagreement at another house party. Valle's friend Jack Snyder, who gave him the knife, testified under an immunity agreement shielding him from prosecution linked to the crime. Snyder admitted going to a house party around two miles away earlier in the night and stealing beer from one of the stabbing victims, Ryan Heinz. Snyder said this triggered a minor dispute with a group from another local school, Shelton High. The rival groups then began insulting each other on a group chat that had originally been set up to organize basketball pick-up games. Snyder admitted that he and Valle left the first party when tensions were high, but planned to confront the other students later. They drove to the party on Laurel Glen Drive later that night, where Valle said the car was mobbed by the boys from the rival school. Snyder said he gave Valle a pocket-knife he had in the car, claiming that his friend 'aggressively' asked for it. Their friend Tyler DaSilva was also in the car. He added that he, DaSilva and Valle intended to resolve the fight peacefully because DaSilva 'knew some of their families', but he said one Shelton High student punched Valle, and the situation escalated from there. Meanwhile, Snyder remained in the car. He said that when Valle returned he was visibly disturbed. He said Valle told him 'I think I just stabbed four people'. Snyder said Valle tossed the knife into the woods as they left the scene - something the defendant denies. Snyder also admitted writing 'enjoy the hospital' in the basketball pick-up group chat, but told the court he did not understand the seriousness of the situation when he sent the message. One of the victims, Heinz, recalled the horrific moment he was stabbed. He said he did not initially realize, until a friend pointed out blood soaking through his clothes and he heard a gurgling noise coming from his collapsed lung. Disturbing footage of the fight was shown to jurors. Valle said it was Snyder who tossed him the knife unprompted, and that he was confused about why he handed him the weapon, but pocketed it anyway. Synder has denied this version of events, saying that Valle asked him for the knife. Prosecutors have charged Valle with murder and multiple counts of assault. He is being tried as an adult despite being a minor at the time of the alleged crimes. The trial is set to continue for several more weeks at Connecticut Superior Court.
CBS News
01-07-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Less invasive knee procedure uses patient's own cells to repair cartilage damage
Teenagers and young adults are increasingly suffering knee injuries, often causing damage to the cartilage. But there's a less invasive procedure called MACI Arthro that's now being used to repair that damage with the patient's own cells. Zachary Kesbia was 17 when he tore his ACL playing lacrosse. He had surgery and rehab, but two years later, he felt sudden pain in the same knee while running. "It kind of felt similar to like what happened with the ACL, just not as painful," he said. When teenagers and young adults injure their knee, like an ACL tear or a dislocated kneecap, they can develop cartilage problems down the road. Dr. Joseph Czarnecki, an orthopedic surgeon at Winchester Hospital, says the cartilage becomes rough, or a piece can get knocked off. "Almost like having a pothole in the road," he said. "So when you're on that road, or you're going over the rough surface, and it causes pain, it causes inflammation - inflammation can lead to swelling." MACI Arthro knee procedure A cutting-edge procedure called MACI Arthro, approved by the Food & Drug Administration in 2024, has made repairing the damage much easier. Surgeons harvest healthy cartilage cells from a patient, send them to a lab where they're grown on a cartilage membrane. The membrane is then cut to size in the operating room and glued into the cartilage defects, using small instruments through small incisions. "What I've seen in our patients is that there's less pain, there's less swelling, and they hit their therapy milestones quicker," Dr. Czarnecki said. Less pain for patients Several dozen MACI Arthro procedures have been performed in the U.S. so far. Dr. Czarnecki has done among the most, including Kesbia's last November. "I didn't really experience any pain, like ever," Kesbia said. "I was very happy with the result." "We want them to get back to playing with their children, doing their sports, playing on their college athletic teams," Dr. Czarnecki said. Kesbia was so inspired, he's training to become a physical therapist. "Without him, I wouldn't have got into my PT field that I love so much, and he's helped me," Kesbia said. "I can't thank him enough." The MACI Arthro procedure is best suited to people ages 18 to 55 who don't already have underlying arthritis.
CBC
28-06-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Lacrosse team Toronto Rock returning to Hamilton, to play at newly renamed TD Coliseum
Social Sharing The Toronto Rock are officially coming back to Hamilton. The six-time National Lacrosse League champions announced this week that they'll return to the city for the 2025–26 season and play out of the newly renamed TD Coliseum — formerly FirstOntario Centre — following major renovations. "We're excited to return home to Hamilton and play in front of our fans in a venue that will deliver a world-class experience to the Rock City faithful," said Jamie Dawick, the team's owner, president and general manager, in a news release. "December can't come soon enough." The Rock first moved to Hamilton in 2021 but temporarily relocated to the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga during the overhaul. In three regular seasons at the Hamilton arena, the team posted a 21-6 home record. Despite the return to Hamilton, the team's name will remain the same, the team's director of communications Mike Hancock said Friday. Renovations prompted sports teams to leave Several other teams were also displaced by the arena's closure in late 2023. The OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs — originally the Belleville Bulls — moved to Hamilton in 2015 but temporarily relocated to the Brantford Civic Centre in early 2023. That move became permanent in January 2025, when NHL player Zach Hyman and his family purchased the team and signed a 15‑year memorandum of understanding, anchoring the Bulldogs in Brantford. There have been no public announcements suggesting a return to Hamilton. The Hamilton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League also left the city, moving to Brampton in late 2022, where they remain under new ownership. CBC Hamilton reached out to the team but did not receive a response before publication. The moves underscore how the arena's multi-million-dollar redevelopment has reshaped Hamilton's sports landscape. While the Rock's return signals renewed activity at the venue, Hamilton's basketball and junior hockey teams have since established long-term homes elsewhere. The new TD Coliseum is expected to reopen later this year and become a major entertainment hub for Hamilton. The arena will feature premium seating, improved acoustics, next-generation tech for food and beverage service, and enhanced concourses, said Oak View Group.
