Less than 15 years ago, lacrosse in Georgia was not a high school varsity sport, played at a novice level on untended fields and coached by expatriates from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic seeking to spread their beloved game.
The last part has remained the same, but little else has. Monday, Loyola’s Scott Ratliff will provide further proof. The Walton High grad, widely considered the state’s best homegrown player, will lead the Greyhounds into the NCAA national championship game against Maryland at Gillette Stadium outside of Boston. It’s believed no player from the state has ever been a part of a Division I men’s championship team, certainly none who has been so integral to his team’s success.
“It’s just been a dream come true,” Ratliff said by phone Sunday. “It’s gone so fast, it’s almost like it’s not real.”
Ratliff, a junior long-stick midfielder who needed his high school coach’s lobbying to earn a scholarship at the Baltimore school, was named a third-team All-America, as well as the Eastern College Athletic Conference defensive player of the year and a nominee for the Tewaaraton Award, given to the national player of the year. He is a co-captain for the Greyhounds, 17-1 and the tournament’s top seed.
The tightknit lacrosse community in metro Atlanta, which has witnessed the game expand to 143 high-school varsity teams this spring and a sprinkling of college varsity programs, will be watching closely.
“I can’t put it in words,” said Michael Butkus, a Cobb County resident, a former high school coach and one of many who helped pioneer the game in metro Atlanta. He’ll join about 20 fellow lacrosse zealots at a friend’s house Monday to watch Loyola play Maryland, 1 p.m. on ESPN.
Ratliff, whose father Randy was a two-time All-America at Maryland, has taken his role as a representative of lacrosse in Georgia to heart.
“I’ve heard from a ton of people, whether it’s text messages or e-mails or on Facebook, people telling me that they’re all getting together to go to Wild Wings or wherever to watch,” Ratliff said. “Everybody’s supporting me, so it’s pretty cool.”
About the Author
