 |
CRIMSON SHIELD
THE ONLINE MAGAZINE OF BROTHER MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL |
|
| March 2011 |
‹‹ Front page Next article ››
Lacrosse Coach Billy Kirkikis
|
It isn't often a man returns home and learns from his wife that he is now the coach of a sport he knows nothing about.
- That's what happened to Billy Kirkikis in 2004.
- Spurred by the interest her sons showed in lacrosse and with the encouragement of Activities Director Claire LeBlanc, Christi Kirkikis applied for a grant from U S Lacrosse to start a club team at Brother Martin.
- Required to list a coach, she put Billy's name since he had coached their sons' teams in other sports.
- The application was approved, but Katrina delayed shipment of the equipment until the spring of 2007.
|
That gave Billy time to bone up on the rules and strategies of the game since the grant didn't include training for the coach.
- He scoured Internet sites, watched videos, and read books on lacrosse. Local coaches and college players helped, answering his questions.
- Billy put up a signup sheet at school and began making phone calls to line up games.
- His recruiting was too successful. He had 38 players but only 24 sets of uniforms and equipment.
- One happy outcome of the equipment shortage was that players raced to practice at City Park to meet Billy's truck when he drove up with the gear.
That first season was a learning experience for Billy as well as the players.
- An official would call a penalty, and Billy would check his rule book and, if necessary, ask for an explanation.
- Through hard work, the team became more competitive as the season progressed.
The last game of the 2007 season provided a springboard to future success.
- The Crusaders traveled to Mississippi to play Ocean Springs, a veteran team that had defeated them earlier.
- Brother Martin came from behind to tie the game at 3. When the final whistle blew, the players celebrated as if they had won.
- The officials told Billy, "We're doing a Braveheart." His reaction was immediate: "What's a Braveheart?"
- Turns out it's a sudden death overtime in which each team puts its goalie in position and chooses one player to face off at midfield.
- The Crusaders selected Will Kirkikis to oppose the Greyhounds' all-stater. The opponent controlled the faceoff and took off toward the goal, but Will caught him and checked his shot. Freshman goalie Mitch Rogers grabbed the ball and threw to Will, who raced to the other end and missed.
- The action went back and forth several times until finally Will faked the goalie and laid in the winner.
- Pandemonium again and this time the dogpile celebrated a victory, not a tie.
The number of Crusader players has increased every year.
- The 2011 squad comprises 84 players from grades 7-12.
- 16 Louisiana schools compete under the auspices of the Louisiana Lacrosse Association.
- The top two teams in each district make the playoffs. Brother Martin recently clinched a spot for this year, their third straight trip to the post-season.
- As the club has grown, Billy has formed JV, freshmen, and junior high teams.
- Another encouraging trend is the growth of lacrosse programs in the grammar schools.
Coach Kirkikis exhorts his troops.
Billy has organized the parents to help him run the club.
- With the original practice field prone to flooding, Billy enlisted the dads to help spread dirt on ground at Marconi Meadows at Harrison Avenue to produce a better practice area.
- The team practices after school from January to May. Home games are scheduled at Farley Field.
- On game day, the parents go into action. They line and mark the field and set up the goals, sell concessions, and handle the PA announcements.
- The squad looks forward to a trip over the Mardi Gras break to play three teams in Shreveport.
A lacrosse field is slightly larger than a football field.
- The dimensions are 60 yd across and 110 yd long. The goals are 15 yd from the endlines.
- Lacrosse players substitute on the fly as in hockey. Because of the non-stop action, players rotate every couple of minutes.
Billy is a 1978 graduate of Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport where he played varsity baseball.
- He came to New Orleans to attend Tulane and never left.
- After earning a Masters Degree, Billy entered the engineering business. He married Christi in 1986.
- Three of their five sons have graduated from Brother Martin. Mark ('06) is in Pharmacy School at Ole Miss. Will ('08) is a junior at Spring Hill. Walker ('10) is a freshman at Belmont Abbey in Charlotte SC.
- Conner is a senior at Brother Martin while Cobe is a freshman.
- All the boys ran cross country in high school, and the youngest three have participated in lacrosse. In fact, Walker is the first Brother Martin lacrosse player to earn an NCAA scholarship in the sport. Other grads play on club teams at LSU and other colleges.
|
|