Teen lacrosse club program is growing in the South Bay

Less than a year ago, Chris Kryjewski was in the planning stages of starting a club lacrosse team for the South Bay.

He had fields, he had assistant coaches, and he had a management plan. He just needed players.

When the South Bay Vipers debuted with tryouts Nov. 1, nine players showed up. Total. You need 11 for a team.

Since Kryjewski had already scheduled a couple of tournaments, he didn’t have the time or the energy to sulk or worry.

He fielded a team in the Oceanside Challenge and then the Sandstorm in Indio.

“We had to borrow players from all over (Southern California),” said Kryjewski, whose team actually finished second in their pool in Indio, which would have been great except only the first-place team advanced to the championships.

Flash forward to now.

The South Bay Vipers have both girls and boys after offering lacrosse to only girls a year ago. With 16 players, all from the South Bay, the Vipers and University City, which had six players, combined to win the ULAX Tournament at the end of summer. They posting a 3-2 record before winning the championship game, 10-4, beating Inferno from North County.

After taking a break, he’s already looking ahead to the winter, when the South Bay team will play in four tournaments.

The team includes San Ysidro High’s Izabella Soderberg, who as a sophomore was named the South Bay League Player of the Year, and Mater Dei Catholic’s Janesa Orta, who last spring as a junior scored 56 goals.

Those who thought Kryjewski was starting a program to pump up his own team at Castle Park High didn’t understand.

“We have just two Castle Park players,” said Kryjewski, who was talked into coaching the Trojans’ field hockey team this fall. “We started the team to help the schools in the South Bay. Of course, it’s a double-edged sword as players like Izabella and Janesa can come back to beat you.”

In fact, Orta’s Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders beat Kryjewski’s Trojans for the league championship.

“But it’s not really that way,” Kryjewski said. “I’m very happy for Janesa and all the club players who do well. They busted their tails to get better.

“I don’t push my players to play club. It’s there if they want it. There are a lot of reasons why some kids can’t play club and that’s OK. Some of the lacrosse players are trying field hockey.”

Just another game with a stick.

But Kryjewski and Cynthia Perez as the girls’ coaches plus Andy Barrios and Triston Corpus for the boys all believe the program is right where they expected it be when they laid out a five year plan. The blueprint involves growing the boys and girls high school teams, then moving into the district’s 10 middle schools and after that, hopefully, the elementary schools.

The only other club program in the South Bay is Sting Lacrosse, which Kryjewski says is primarily for Eastlake High students.

“We don’t want to expand too quickly,” Kryjewski said. “It’s a five-year plan, and we’re happy with what some of the kids are bringing in. Some have experience, some don’t, but they can all bring enthusiasm for the game.

“Winning ULAX benefits the community. We teach the determination not to quit, to finish what you started. We want to bring lacrosse to a higher level down here. We’re still not respected much in the other parts of the county.”

He points to last spring’s All-CIF team.

“We should at least have had someone like Soderberg, the league Player of the Year, on the second team,” Kryjewski said. “Or Victoria Trujillo, a sophomore (from Castle Park), a goalie who allowed only 180 goals and saved 250. She saved 58 percent of her shots. That’s higher than most college players.

“A third player, Eden Hobson, the Mesa League Player of the Year from Eastlake High, was also nominated for All-CIF and should have been on the team.

“Once these players realize how much fun this game is and the college scholarships that are available, it’ll take off. But we’re pleased with our progress and this year we’ll be the one loaning players to teams that are short on numbers.”