The video below can teach young lacrosse players two valuable lessons: 1) Never head toward the goal at any pace below full steam and, 2) Never put your head down.
Wow. Now that is a hit that can clear a young man's sinuses. According to some rather elementary sleuthing, the video above appears to have come from a game in the 7th/8th grade indoor lacrosse league at BucksMont Indoor Sports Center, a facility in suburban Philadelphia. The teams, competing in an American Indoor Lacrosse Association winter league.
That's important because only in indoor lacrosse would a penalty shot have even been possible. It was, and clearly the goalie involved was sick and tired of facing them on his own, without taking matters into his own hands.
Still, it's hard to imagine that the hit would have been nearly as devastating if the shooter had just headed in with some degree of awareness. Instead, he tried to flip-cradle the ball as he skipped toward the cage as if the goalie was chained to his cage.
[Related: Lacrosse announcer says bizarre goal call was spur of the moment]
He wasn't, and the shooter paid for it.
Then, of course, came the heartwarming part of the clip, and the aspect which quickly reminds all of us that this was a youth sports event: The two gave each other a fist bump. That's right, seconds after being laid out, the attacking player got helped up off the turf and offered up a gloved fist to his vanquisher.
That's good sportsmanship on both sides and, for one middle schooler, a valuable lacrosse lesson learned.
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