KRFO AM 1390 to Broadcast Boys Lacrosse for the First Time

KRFO Radio will present live play-by-play coverage of the Owatonna boys lacrosse game against Minnehaha Academy on Thursday, May 7, at 7PM on AM 1390.

UPDATE: Thursday's game was rained out, due to resulting field conditions. Check back for details on rescheduling.

The KRFO sports department is excited to cover a lacrosse game live on the air for the first time. The OHS boys host Minnehaha Academy at Husky Stadium at OHS on Thursday night. The game will be heard on AM 1390 and krforadio.com, as well as with the free Radiopup app for your smartphone or mobile device.

Lacrosse has elements of hockey, basketball and soccer in it. Players can use their crosse, or stick, to hit their opponents to try to jar the ball free. There are limits, however, and infractions are called. Body checking is allowed. Players wear shoulder pads, gloves and helmets. Rules are different for girls games.

Lacrosse started as a club sport at the high school level in Owatonna in 2005 for boys and the following year for girls. It became a varsity sport in 2008. The state high school league held its first lacrosse tournament in 2007. But the first organized state high school tournaments go back to 1997. Last year was the first year of dividing the state into eight sections for boys and girls lacrosse. There are about 75 teams in each gender in the state.

Youth membership across the country has tripled from 1999 to now. High school participation and college team numbers have skyrocketed in recent years.

The Owatonna boys varsity roster has 34 players. There are nearly 100 players on the U9 - U15 teams. The OHS girls list 20 on the varsity roster, 19 on JV and 18 on b-squad.

KRFO Radio has a long history of covering nontraditional sports on air. Wrestling is always a popular draw. Volleyball coverage has been a hit. State soccer coverage also was welcomed with positive feedback.