Druid Hills High May Need to Raise $15K for Lacrosse

is getting on the stick when it comes to fielding a GHSA-sanctioned boys team next spring, now that the school board has given the go-ahead for sanctioned teams to form.

Athletic Director Trey Palmer said at the Druid Hills High School Athletic Foundation board meeting earlier this month the team and its boosters may have to raise as much as $15,000 to get the boys team running because the school board opted to fund only transportation and a school coach stipend for the sport at all schools.

The Druid Hills club team, which drew players from several area schools, was very successful in its third year, finishing second in the club team regional tournament.

"In the [club regional] semifinals, we upset Milton High School's club team. That was an upset, and then we played Alpharetta Stars, a private club, on Sunday afternoon for the championship game. They've been around for a decade, but we did come in second in the tournament,which they've been around. It was really quite a thrill for a third-year club team from downtown Atlanta," said team parent and organizer Susan Bauer.

DeKalb is the last county in the surrounding five counties not to have a lacrosse program, Palmer said.

“If we want [lacrosse] as a school, we need to pay for it,” Palmer said. “Finances are the hurdle, but we are committed to developing players.”

Palmer said two assistant coaches have been secured, including Rick Fulcher, a former college player at Howard University who has worked with the Druid Hills team for the past two years as a club coach.

The program will begin with a boys’ program, but Palmer said he hopes a girls’ team will follow. Most of the games will be played at stadiums.

With Druid Hills’ team now sanctioned, parent David Cherry predicted the club team would move to and take with it many players from a variety of schools that had joined in Druid Hills’ club team. Lacrosse became a GHSA sanctioned sport in 2002.

In other news at the meeting, Palmer reported that Druid Hills Middle School will have a boys fall soccer season and a girls one in the spring and will likely play some games at the field at Druid Hills High.

In addition, PlayON! Sports will be launched this year to improve coverage of Druid Hills athletics and allow students the opportunity to learn sports broadcasting.

The board approved its budget for the year, focusing on fundraising and finding ways to expand sponsorships to the newly incorporated Avondale Estates area. Druid Hills High School was redistricted with the closure of Avondale High School and this year to be bounded, generally, by I-85 at North Druid Hills Road, the city limits of Decatur and Atlanta, I-285 at Lawrenceville Highway and Avondale Estates and the surrounding area on a line westward along Memorial Drive.

Foundation President Preston Marshall set out goals to the board including more income to continue giving grants to teams, improved marketing and communications and building a “template” to aid future leaders of the group, which was formed in 2007.