Size no obstacle for Crusader

Matt Mountain just wanted to hit.

But while barely tipping the scale at 140 pounds, the Faith Lutheran student wasn't big enough to play for the Crusaders' football team. So he tried lacrosse as a freshman.

Four years later, the senior is an offensive leader for the Crusaders, one of nearly a dozen high school-age lacrosse teams in Las Vegas.

"I heard it was fun, through some friends, and then I wanted to try it out," Mountain said. "It was a new sport, and I couldn't really play football because I was too small."

The 5-foot-6-inch attacker is typical of many lacrosse players across Southern Nevada, according to fifth-year Crusaders coach James Gravitt.

"That's the beauty of lacrosse: You don't have to be 6 feet or weigh 230," Gravitt said. "It doesn't matter the size. Matt's a great example. He's not a very big kid, but he scores a lot, drives to the cage and has no problem going against anybody, no matter the size. That's what the game's about."

Mountain and the Crusaders are among 25 local teams at the Best of the West Lacrosse Classic at Kellogg-Zaher Park. The tournament, which boasts 1,200 athletes on 91 teams across six divisions and both genders, continues pool play at 10 a.m. today, with the quarterfinal round scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday.

In Friday's pool play, Mountain showcased his unique skills, scoring twice on end-around plays behind the net, to help the Crusaders to a 3-3 draw with Burnaby, British Columbia.

Faith Lutheran's Trace Percy bulldozed into the middle of the field with four minutes left to bounce the game-tying goal off the turf and into the upper left corner of the Devils' net.

While both are attackers, Mountain's style of play is considerably different from the larger Percy's.

"Since I'm smaller, I'm more of a cutting, dodging kind of guy," Mountain said. "I don't just run in and bulldog someone. I like to see if I can free up my hands instead of just diving in and getting a shot off."

The senior started playing lacrosse as a freshman after four years of youth football and has parlayed his love of the sport into a scholarship with Division II Grand Canyon University.

Whether at Faith Lutheran or rival schools such as Centennial or Palo Verde, who are ranked Nos. 18 and 20 nationally, players have bonded through a game once known solely as the national pastime of Canada -- but one that is becoming America's fastest-growing sport.

"There's great camaraderie," Gravitt said. "I press family all year long. When we break in the beginning or in the end, we break on family. The growth on the sport for us as a school is phenomenal."

Contact reporter Sean Walker at swalker@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430.