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Step-by-step, Baltimores Cristo Rey Jesuit High School is establishing a Do-It-Yourself model for introducing lacrosse as both a sport and life lesson to lower-income, inner-city students
By Geoff Shannon // Photos by Geoff Shannon and Zach Babo

Lacrosse lives in its own language, and almost all of us are fluent in it. Theres the spoken language goalline extended, FOGO, shortstick middie, down-set and other terms. Theres also the silent language knowing when to slide, when to set a screen and how to clear out. Teaching this language is not easy; lacrosse can be the equivalent of learning Icelandic for many newbies. However, with the right teacher, in the right setting, with enthusiastic students, there can be breakthroughs. Consider the case study of Cristo Rey Jesuit High: All coach Matt Hanna wants is a goal. He would have liked a victory, but at this point, with the score reading Mt. Carmel a lot, Cristo Rey 0, late in the second half, a goal will do.
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Its not going to be an easy task. Hannas Hornets are only in their second year of existence. The bulk of his roster, most of whom hail from some of Baltimores toughest neighborhoods, had never touched a lacrosse stick before a few springs ago. Though the athleticism is there, stick skills are still in the development stage. Just getting to road games can be difficult, with players bumming rides from assistant coaches to make start times. After games, most of his players take multiple trips on the MTA bus line to get home. That he was able to bring a roster of 20 players to Mt. Carmel, in East Baltimore County, is a minor miracle itself. The days opponent is an MIAA Class C team and isnt among Baltimores elite hotbed programs, but the Cougars players clearly have stronger skills than the visiting Hornets.

Hannas ambition feels out of reach at this point, with the team struggling to even gain possession. Then, Cristo Rey midfielder Arthur Williams, a McDaniel College prospect, wrecks a Mt. Carmel player carrying the ball along the sidelines with a big hit. The groundball goes Cristo Reys way, and Hanna calls a timeout. Listen, you guys are running around like a Chinese fire drill out there, Hanna says in his typical forceful but enthusiastic tone. Hanna then follows: Sorry Brian, in reference to defenseman Brian Reynolds potential offense taken. Hes not Chinese, coach, hes Filipino, another player shouts. The huddle bursts into laughter, including Brian. The mood settles, and Hanna snaps his team back into attention: We have possession. I want you to get into our offense. Guys, lets get our goal. The whistle blows, and Cristo Reys offense returns to the field, setting up at the top of the box. Midfielder Jordan Birden starts with the ball. Birden is arguably the teams most dangerous weapon, with a Division I lacrosse players athleticism, and exceptional size and north-south speed. His shooting skills are still growing, however, and Mt. Carmels sliding defense has slowed him when he tries to find space for a shot. Then, after a few missed attempts, a voice rises from the thick of the offense. Jordan! screams Devonte Truesdale, a junior attackman who stands just a few inches over five-feet and is known more for his quick wit than his scoring ability. However, since joining the squad as a sophomore, hes attended every practice, understands the game better every day and, in this situation, recognizes how sliding double-teams are affecting Birden. He also recognizes how he can help free him from the trap. Near the top of the box, Truesdale sets a pick. Mt Carmels defense doesnt see the diminutive attackman, Birden runs his defender into the screen, finds space and lets go a towering shot on the run. Goal. The bench explodes. The scoreboard now reads Mt. Carmel a lot, Cristo Rey 1. Hanna gets his goal. Later, sitting on the sideline, Truesdale, tired but content, notices a camera hanging from a reporters neck. Take a picture of my mohawk, he says, pointing to his newly shorn hair. The reporter obliges, and Truesdale makes his best, proud stare. And with that, Cristo Rey demonstrates some of its first steps into lacrosse fluency. In its wake, Hanna and Cristo Rey are slowing building, D.I.Y. style, a model for other non-profit and urban lacrosse initiatives to emulate. LACROSSE AS A LANGUAGE IS TOUGH WHEN PLAYERS learn it late. Having the right type of kids, in the right type of environment helps, even with the outside distractions that urban living can bring. Located in a stately granite corner building straddling Upper Fells Point and Canton near Patterson Park is one of 24 affiliates in the Cristo Rey Network run by

Cristo Rey coach Matt Hanna (right) has leaned on his lacrosse connections with players like Kyle Harrison (below) to help build his program.

the Jesuits, a Catholic order of priests, whose mission is to provide affordable educational opportunities for students in urban areas. Cristo Rey distinguishes itself by hosting a corporate work/study program in which every student spends one day per week working at a local business, and in exchange the payment for that labor helps cover tuition and expenses. Cristo Reys Baltimore internship partners include Johns Hopkins University, Susquehanna Bank, Under Armour, Catholic Charities, Stevenson University and Merrill Lynch. Though students families pay roughly $2,500 in tuition, most of the attendance costs are covered by the

networking partnerships. The schools population is coed, and ethnically diverse, with significant percentages of white, African-American and Latino students. Cristo Rey schools also pride themselves on high college placement numbers, which hover between 94% and 98% nationally. All 78 seniors at Baltimores Cristo Rey will head to college or join the military this fall. School administrators perform their due diligence establishing their student body. Potential applicants must come from a low-income setting (averaging about $29,000 per family), and must show strong educational aptitude. The focus on education is rigorous, INSIDELACROSSE.COM/AUG201179

and students who dont take learning seriously dont survive. Sports are also a part of the student experience; the school fields nine teams total for both boys and girls, but they are not a focal point. Hanna wasnt looking to coach lacrosse again when he joined the schools faculty in 2008. The former Johns Hopkins defensive captain had already worked the sidelines during a brief stint at St. Pauls (Md.) and then with Colorado-power Regis Jesuit, before moving back to Baltimore with his wife, Tori, a marketing executive at Under Armour. Soon though, after students learned Hanna played lacrosse and had a three-year stint with the Denver Outlaws, a core group hounded him to form a team. It was the interest level of the kids that got me going, he says. Hanna gave in, and started the team as an afterschool club during the 2008-09 season, with about a dozen players regularly showing up to throw-around sessions. Cristo Rey scrimmaged internally, and Hanna, along with a handful of volunteer assistants, taught them basic skills. The group didnt wear uniforms, and
Cristo Rey players like midfielder Jordan Birden (left) and attackman Devonte Truesdale (below) have developed strong lacrosse IQs playing with the Hornets.

If I lIvEd How THEy lIvEd, I ProBaBly wouldnT SHow uP EITHEr. But Being on the field, having them there, giving them order, it helps. MaTT Hanna
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most of the equipment was borrowed or donated from charitable sources. For spring 2010, Hanna upped the ante and formed an official Cristo Rey lacrosse team. He performed locker-to-locker recruiting in school to fill out the roster. The players who started the club the previous year emerged as team leaders, providing necessary cohesion. The team played an independent schedule, winning one game. The Hornets returned even stronger for 2011, playing a much more aggressive schedule and increasing to roughly 20 players from their original dozen. Cristo Rey once again only won one game, but the growth both on and off the field was evident. Working out logistics for a team at Cristo Rey has its hurdles. Hanna made sure to keep in constant communication concerning where his players were, if they needed rides to the game, when their community work hours were, and who would be catching what bus home. Players have been enthusiastic about the program, especially the older members who have been around for three years. They wear their gear home on the bus proudly, flexing out the their new jerseys even with the occasional stare from neighborhood kids who dont get lacrosse. One of our seniors, Darius Sanders, is coaching Charm City Youth Lacrosse, the elementary school league run by [Maryland Attorney General Doug] Gansler. I love working with kids like Darius, a guy who wants to be a coach when he gets out of college, who wants to know about Xs and Os, says Hanna. Its been great mentoring him, coaching him. He fell in love with the game, and thats definitely been a great success story. These guys want to play; they want to be a team. The players have built a strong relationship with their coach over the past three years. Most members of Cristo Reys roster didnt play team sports until high school, so working with a coach who brings equal parts education and determination to the sidelines was a new experience. Consistent verbal communication is a Hanna hallmark. With his players, it goes beyond setting up offenses and defenses he has to make sure his players know where they are on the field, what theyre running, who should be up next in the rotation and more. Hes also not afraid to let loose if his players are losing focus, using his Hopkins-honed intensity to snap his players to attention. Its a fine line to walk, though. Hanna knows that too much pressure could mean players stop showing up to practice. Life can still intrude on the field. Thanks to Cristo Reys rigorous vetting process, the bulk of the student body enjoys school and gives only minimal problems to their school faculty. The bulk of the roster wants to be at home. However, problems at home, with parents, with alcoholism, with drugs, with their neighborhoods, can still affect players. James Townes, a captain his junior year, fell off the roster this spring after a string of family problems weighed him down. Another former player who has since left the team lost his brother to a street shooting two years ago.

Its amazing that they show up at all, says Hanna. If I lived how they lived, I probably wouldnt show up either. But being on the field, having them there, giving them order, it helps. Through their three seasons together, Cristo Reys seniors seem to appreciate the balance Hanna struck with them, how he understands when to drive them to be lacrosse players and when to let them work through their outside pressures. [Hes] hilarious, laughs Sanders during a postseason interview. Whenever he gets mad, it can get funny. YOURE ALL NOT HEARING ME! or even on the other end. GO OUT THERE AND HAVE SOME FUN! Other times, though, he can really be relaxed with us. That they were able to play lacrosse at all has also been much appreciated by the Hornets, especially this years seniors. I wish I could play [another season], and I wish I had started earlier. says Williams, who will attend McDaniel to play lacrosse and possibly football. And I wish I didnt play baseball. Its that pride, established in three short years, that hangs above all else, and proves a guiding force for

has attended local Division I games, and he was able to acquire new uniforms and equipment. Former teammates like Kyle Harrison have attended practice, and in April, the Colgate Red Raiders visited Patterson Park, running sprints and line drills with the Hornets. Still, Hanna found his connections could only go so far. In 2009, he learned that universities couldnt cover direct costs for underprivileged students to attend summer lacrosse camps without violating NCAA regulations. In response, Hanna created the Next One Up Foundation, a non-profit group to cover expenses for players at Cristo Rey and other qualified players in the greater Baltimore area to attend summer lacrosse camps and help with other game-related expenses.

of Cristo Rey. For Cristo Reys players, those camp experiences proved vital, helping expose them to the game on a higher level. You got to understand what to expect at the next level, Sanders says of the camps. There are a lot of experienced players there that have been playing lacrosse their whole life. A lot of the best kids around were playing in their seventh year, 10th year. You learn how much its really a sport. Team-related costs outside of the lacrosse field also fit under Next One Up, covering everything from recruiting trips to training sessions. During the season, Cristo Rey lacrosse teammates came to Hanna

I wISH I could Play anoTHEr SEaSon and I wISH I Had STarTEd EarlIEr. and i wish i didnt play BaseBall McdanIEl collEGE ProSPEcT arTHur wIllIaMS

Cristo Rey player Arthur Williams (above, left) hangs out with the Colgate lacrosse team during a spring visit to Baltimores Patterson Park.

others looking to find a similar outlet for schools like Cristo Rey. SOMETIMES, WHEN TEACHING LACROSSE AS A LANGUAGE, you have to think outside the box. After hitting a barrier, however, Hanna built a bridge that could prove a model for other non-profits and urban youth programs. Hannas connections in the lacrosse world have been an asset to Cristo Reys development. The team

In its first year, Next One Up sent three players to Johns Hopkins team lacrosse camp, and another half dozen to SummerBounce, a camp operated by Massachusetts-based non-profit MetroLacrosse that focuses directly with lower-income students. This summer, nine players will head to SummerBounce, while three others will take part in an overnight Trilogy Lacrosse camp, co-sponsored by Cornells George Boiardi Foundation. Next One Up has also spread its scope through Baltimore, receiving applications from players outside

about one of their teammates who wanted to attend prom but couldnt afford a tuxedo. Next One Up was able to help cover those expenses. Next One Up will hold another fundraiser in September, helping to grow the programs scope. Along with their strong academic backgrounds, lacrosse has also provided an extra edge for Cristo Reys college rsums. Three of the teams top athletes Sanders, Birden and Williams will try out for McDaniel Colleges lacrosse team this fall. Other Cristo Rey players have said theyll try to make teams at places like CCBC-Essex, CCBC-Catonsville, Penn College of Tech and Messiah. With 10 seniors graduating, including the core group who pushed to start the team three years ago, Cristo Reys roster will be in flux next season. That means Hanna will have to troll the halls again looking for new players. Another independent schedule is likely. Growth will be slow, even with the help of Next One Up. As long as little moments, like the goal set up by Truesdale, happen; and as long as players find a few hours of escape every day, expect to see Cristo Rey practicing at Patterson Park in downtown Baltimore. It has to be a marathon for me, says Hanna. In the back of my mind I have expectations of [one day] winning the MIAA C conference, but really my goal is to maintain. I want them to learn lacrosse as a language. When the seniors go off, when they bump into lacrosse people, they can talk about the sport. Thats what I want, plus sustain what we have now. I dont care if we win, as long as our players continue to show up every day. For more information on the Next One Up Foundation, visit nextoneup.org. INSIDELACROSSE.COM/AUG201181