Christian Brothers School may be the only elementary and middle school in the New Orleans area that has an intramural lacrosse program.

By Earl Hodges, The Times-Picayune

"We are the only one that I know of," said Jones Dieth, head of the lacrosse league at Christian Brothers. "But I hope that other schools in the area will soon start lacrosse, so we can play against them."

Dieth, 32, teaches fifth- and sixth-grade math and science at Christian Brothers. He is also a member of the New Orleans Lacrosse Club, where he has played for seven seasons. Dieth is a graduate of Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va., where he played on the school's lacrosse team.

Dieth began thinking about forming a lacrosse program for Christian Brothers last year.

"I keep a lacrosse stick in my room," he said. "And one day some of the boys started asking questions about it. Soon, several of them had lacrosse sticks of their own, and we would go outside and hit the ball around."

As interest in the sport grew, Dieth said he decided to begin an intramural program this year, even though he wasn't sure how many boys would sign up to actually play on a team.

"But when I put out the sign up sheets, 60 boys in the fifth, sixth and seventh grades signed up," he said. "I was floored that so many guys wanted to play lacrosse."

Dieth divided the boys into four teams of 15 each and enlisted the help of several members of the New Orleans Lacrosse Club. The season began March 1 and will last through the first week of April. The games are played on Sunday and Monday at Falcon Field near Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans.

"The kids are loving it," he said. "They are learning a new sport and also developing some valuable physical skills."

Modern lacrosse developed from a stick-ball type of game played by the American Indians. It combines stick skills, agility, grace and endurance.

In lacrosse players use a stick with a netted racquet at the end of it to move the ball.

James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, called lacrosse "the best of all possible field sports."

Dieth agrees with that assessment.

"More than any other sport, lacrosse is an interesting mix of basketball, hockey and football," Dieth said. "Lacrosse requires a great deal of communication between teammates, and it is also a great character builder."