High school lacrosse: Jackson's Kyle Larsen gains All-America honors
John Seaburn
Kyle Larsen has always had a feel for lacrosse.
Larsen recently was named one of five Ohio players on the U.S. Lacrosse All-America team, becoming the first Stark County player to earn such an honor and one that can in part be traced to his ancestry.
The origin of lacrosse has long been attributed to Native Americans, and the Jackson High School senior can trace family roots to the Mohawk Akwesasne tribe of the St. Lawrence River of upstate New York.
In the mid-1700, Akwesasne — then a new Mohawk mission village — was established where the St. Regis River joins the St. Lawrence. When French settlers saw Native Americans playing a game with a ball and a stick shaped like a cross, they called the game "la crosse."
Anna Lambert, Kyle's grandmother, is a full-blooded Mohawk Akwesasne who makes her home in that region.
"I am very proud to have earned this honor," Larsen said, "and I think she would be very proud, too."
At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Larsen is one of just five Ohioans named to the team.
It's an honor well-deserved, Jackson coach Sam Carmony said
"Kyle has worked very hard and has always been a leader," Carmony said. "This is quite an honor for him."
An Ohio High School Lacrosse Association all-region first-team pick as a sophomore and junior, Larsen has 47 goals and 13 assists so far this season.
"I think I excelled mostly in the transition game," he said.
A four-year starter for Jackson, Larsen played football and lacrosse as a freshman, then concentrated solely on lacrosse since his sophomore year.
He has committed to attend Walsh University and join the Cavaliers lacrosse team, which is forming for next season.
For a list of the entire All-America team, visit:
www.laxpower.com.