Bonners Ferry Warriors back at varsity level in 2017
—Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Team Captain, Eli Smith, takes a pass away from an offensive player during practice.
—Photo by MANDI BATEMAN John Parker receives a pass during practice last Monday.
—Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Practice day: Team Captain, Will Mulvaney takes a shot at the goal.
—Photo by MANDI BATEMAN Riley Delaney (right) gets ready to take a shot on goalie, Gabe Eggy (left) during practice.
BONNERS FERRY — The Bonners Ferry non-profit lacrosse team is named the Warriors as a nod to the history of the game of lacrosse which began as “stickball,” a Native American contest that was played by tribal warriors for training, recreation and religious purposes.
This season finds the Warriors as a varsity team for the first time in four years, let by head coach Travis Delaney and assistant coach Greg Lennex. There are 20 players on the team, including students from Bonners Ferry High School, Northwest Academy, Schrom Boy’s Home, and homeschool students. “They all work well together and get along good,” says coach Delaney, “It’s a good mix.”
The team captains are Eli Smith and Will Mulvaney, both of whom attend Northwest Academy. Delany describes them as exceptionally good players, although he points out that this is a very strong team this year, saying that many of the players are good enough to be captains.
This is Delaney’s second season coaching the Warriors. Although he had a background coaching other sports, he got into lacrosse because of his boys. They liked the game and when Delaney was asked to help with the coaching, he jumped in. Last year he was the defensive coach and then moved up to head coach this year. “I like it,” remarked Delaney about lacrosse, “It’s like hockey and football put together… and a little bit of soccer. It’s crazy!”
Their first league game took place on April 11 against Sandpoint, a team that had given the Warriors stiff competition in the past. The Warriors came out ahead, winning 8-2.
Being a non profit team has its struggles, but there are many local sponsors around town that help support the Warriors. It is a pay-to-play, but despite that, costs for players remains quite low compared to other teams. That is something that Delaney is proud of considering the high cost of equipment for lacrosse.
The next home game is Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and will be played at the high school soccer field. People are encouraged to come watch the game and cheer on our Bonners Ferry Warriors.