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For Prince George’s County lacrosse, what a difference a year makes
It's not all private schools in Baltimore anymore.
For Prince George’s County lacrosse, what a difference a year makes
By Mark Giannotto
May 23 at 10:29 PM
Delirium set in once the final horn sounded at Wise High and, like the rest of his teammates, Bowie senior Hamzah Abdus-Salaam instinctively tossed his gloves, lacrosse stick and helmet into the air for a celebratory dog pile. ... The Bulldogs had just secured a thrilling 12-11 win over Eleanor Roosevelt in the first Prince George’s County boys’ lacrosse championship game, and the significance of it all was already sinking in.
“We’re in the history books now,” said Abdus-Salaam, and he might know better than anyone how big Monday night could be for the Washington area lacrosse scene.
....
It was only last year that Abdus-Salaam, who played soccer and golf when he was younger, took a liking to lacrosse even though his parents knew nothing about the sport. He went to Bowie’s administration and asked to start a team. The soft-spoken defenseman then recruited a coach and canvassed the hallways for players. Before long, the Bulldogs’ dormant club program returned to the field.
Then came news this past fall that Prince George’s County Public Schools would officially fund lacrosse as a varsity sport after years of grassroots efforts. Nobody benefited more than Abdus-Salaam. Last month, he signed a national letter of intent to play Division I lacrosse at Hampton, largely because of the film he accumulated as a varsity player this spring.
By Mark Giannotto
May 23 at 10:29 PM
Delirium set in once the final horn sounded at Wise High and, like the rest of his teammates, Bowie senior Hamzah Abdus-Salaam instinctively tossed his gloves, lacrosse stick and helmet into the air for a celebratory dog pile. ... The Bulldogs had just secured a thrilling 12-11 win over Eleanor Roosevelt in the first Prince George’s County boys’ lacrosse championship game, and the significance of it all was already sinking in.
“We’re in the history books now,” said Abdus-Salaam, and he might know better than anyone how big Monday night could be for the Washington area lacrosse scene.
....
It was only last year that Abdus-Salaam, who played soccer and golf when he was younger, took a liking to lacrosse even though his parents knew nothing about the sport. He went to Bowie’s administration and asked to start a team. The soft-spoken defenseman then recruited a coach and canvassed the hallways for players. Before long, the Bulldogs’ dormant club program returned to the field.
Then came news this past fall that Prince George’s County Public Schools would officially fund lacrosse as a varsity sport after years of grassroots efforts. Nobody benefited more than Abdus-Salaam. Last month, he signed a national letter of intent to play Division I lacrosse at Hampton, largely because of the film he accumulated as a varsity player this spring.
