When Dave Moore moved his family north to Shrewsbury from Cockeysville, Md., nearly 15 years ago, he couldn’t believe the difference.
“We were five miles away from the state line, but it felt like we were 500 miles away,” Moore said.

Moore, a fourth-generation lacrosse player, was in disbelief after growing up in Maryland, where lacrosse was king.

There, lacrosse was the most popular high school spring sport, even beating out baseball. And top college programs such as Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Loyola and Towson make Maryland a national hub for the sport.

But just above the Mason-Dixon line, the game was non-existent.

Now, the Warrior Lacrosse Club — a team made up of players from the Southern York School District — has become the model for the local York County Lacrosse League (YCLL), which began its fourth year of competition this spring.

With the addition of a Biglerville team, the league consists of nine teams. All squads unofficially represent their own school districts, since the PIAA does not sanction boys’ lacrosse.

Even without official school recognition, there are more than 800 boys playing lacrosse in the YCLL, ranging in age from 8 to 18. That’s not bad for a league that morphed from a 25-player club team formed seven years ago.

The Warrior team, comprised of players from Susquehannock High School, is one of the league’s elite squads. If boys’ lacrosse ever gets PIAA recognition, the Warrior club’s success will have had a lot to do with it.

“When you ride through Shrewsbury and Glen Rock, you see kids walking down the street with lacrosse sticks,” Moore said. “I used to drive my van down (to Maryland) to buy equipment at yard sales. Sometimes it was a couple of generations of used equipment, but it let the kids play.”

The Warrior club has laid the foundation for lacrosse to grow exponentially.

Moore, the Warrior varsity team’s offensive coordinator, is one part of a four-man coaching staff. Not only is there a six-person board to oversee the operation, but Warrior also has a full varsity team (Warrior Red), a modified junior varsity team that also includes three seniors (Warrior Black), two seventh- and eighth-grade teams, a fifth- and sixth-grade team and a third- and fourth-grade team.

By comparison, just three other league clubs — Red Lion, York Suburban and Dallastown — field junior varsity teams.

As this YCLL season gets into full swing, the Warrior club is the team to beat. The club arguably boasts the league’s top two players in midfielder Travis Moore (Dave Moore’s son) and goalie Ted Oberg. Both are Maryland transplants who learned the game early.

Because of their proximity to Maryland, kids from southern York County who wanted to play lacrosse early on could do so in Maryland recreation leagues throughout Baltimore County.

Dave Moore has been coaching a winter indoor team — the Freeland Lacrosse Club — that competes in Maryland but is made up mostly of York County players.

“Some of the kids that I’ve been developing since the third or fourth grade are in the 11th grade now,” Moore said.

“The continuing migration from Maryland helps us,” added second-year Warrior head coach J.B. Bennett. “We’re the first place across the border. Families don’t want to move to Red Lion or to York. We’re definitely the beneficiary of that movement.”

Meanwhile, the rest of the YCLL is trying to keep up. Defending league champion York Suburban and Red Lion are not far behind.

As the sport grows, the talent spreads out.

“Parity is starting to fill in the league,” said Red Lion coach Dan Ruocco, whose team lost to Warrior, 9-7, last week. “Suburban won last year and Warrior the year before that, but there’s nobody who is really dominating. The wealth is starting to spread out. It could be a dogfight this year.”

Other teams, like Stewartstown Athletic Association (Kennard-Dale) are trying to find their footing. Stewartstown is now establishing a youth program, but has nowhere near the framework of a Warrior, Suburban or Red Lion program.

“A lot of those teams have enough players to have a core group of kids every year,” said David Collins, varsity coach of the Stewartstown team. “A lot of our kids are involved in other sports. Lacrosse is just their spring sport.

“They were introduced to the game at a much younger age,” Collins said of some other teams’ players. “A lot of our kids come up their freshman year and have never seen a lacrosse stick.”

Reach Eduardo A. Encina at 771-2060 or eencina@ydr.com.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Travis Moore, Warrior Lacrosse Club: The junior attacker’s speed causes a lot of problems for opposing defenses. A Maryland transplant, Moore has the ability to take over a game with his ability to find the open man cutting across the crease.

Ted Oberg, Warrior Lacrosse Club: The senior goaltender is his team’s field general. Another Maryland transplant, he has a vast knowledge of the game and possesses great leadership. One opposing coach said Oberg “may be the best goalie in the district.”

Mike Kranz, Red Lion: Just a freshman, Kranz came to York from Binghamton, N.Y., A talented attacker, Kranz scored four goals in Red Lion’s league opener against Warrior.

Serterio Ruocco, Red Lion: An active sophomore midfielder, Ruocco is a playmaker. He tallied four assists and a goal vs. Warrior.

Kevin Flanagan, York Suburban: One of just two seniors with significant playing experience, Flanagan, a midfielder, tallied 28 goals and 15 assists last year for a Suburban team that went undefeated in league play and won the county title.

Colin Burtner, York Suburban: The junior attacker scored 20 goals and added 16 assists for York Suburban last season.

Sam Merritt, York Catholic: The senior defenseman’s leadership will be crucial for the Shooting Irish, who lost eight seniors and have seven first-year players.

Phil Collins, Stewartstown: The junior midfielder is an unselfish player who makes his teammates better. Collins has excellent awareness and knows how to help his offense score.

Dylan Price, South Western: Youth is served with Price, a freshman goalie, who anchors an improving team that lost no one to graduation.

Evan Groff, Wildcat Lacrosse Club: The talented senior will lead Dallastown’s attack.