LaPorte Nemesis Lacrosse is a team built on, and building, tradition. This high school varsity lacrosse team was finally founded in 2003 after numerous years of struggle and failure. Based in LaPorte, Indiana, The Nemesis was aptly named due to the resistance to its creation. In the summer of 2001, Ryan Humphrey and alumni captains Adam Christ and Mike Gonzales attempted to form the team under the flag of LaPorte High School. The Athletic Director refused the creation of the team time and time again and thus the team seemed doom. However, the IHSLA (Indiana High School Lacrosse Association) bylaws permit teams to enter the league independently, without the consent and support of their high school, and in the fall of 2003, the LaPorte Nemesis was voted into the IHSLA at the State coaches’ meeting in Kokomo, Indiana. The tradition was just beginning.
In the fall of 2003, The Nemesis acquired permission from the LaPorte Parks and Recreation Department to use a field at Kesling Park, a large, green park near a local middle school. The field proved to be smaller than required but the team began conditioning and learning the fundamentals anyway. Twenty one players came out to the original fall practices (Tuesdays and Thursdays), many would leave and many would join in their stead. As winter hit, the team had no indoor facility and remained dormant, aside from a parent meeting, most of the winter.
As spring practices rolled around the team had a few irons in the fire. Early March, the team had scheduled to play in a two-day “Icebreaker” event in Louisville, Kentucky. This would cover Saturday and Sunday pitting the team in four games, most of their “skill level”. The players had one week of outdoor practices, on a non-lined field, before this opening weekend. During that week the team roster went from sixteen to nineteen with the additions of football player and defenseman Ben Rogowski, hard-nosed attacker Alex Rook, and skilled midfielder Brian Crum. The team attempted to learn a few plays but really mastered one: Stampede. This simple play would prove quite valuable as the team began a car caravan for Kentucky that Saturday morning.
Kentucky proved to be another tradition setting weekend for the team. Few parents were in tow but the Fara Family as well as goalie Eric Quadlin’s parents were strong supporters on an otherwise barren sideline. The team opened on Saturday, quite nervous and wet, to a quick loss. Much was learned and proved however when the team came back game two to a tie. They learned the hard way there is no overtime at the Louisville event. Saturday night, exhausted, the team crashed at their hotel. They had no clue what the next day had in store.
Day two, Sunday, was poised to be historic. The Nemesis took the field to another early tie, and, frustrated, found their schedule had them facing Ballard for their final game. Ballard, a high school known in Kentucky, acquired the title of State Runners-Up the previous year. Ballard was going to put up a fight. Ballard had no idea what was coming.
The game took an early physical turn. Ballard had a player ejected, penalties were piling up on both sides, and LaPorte had a lead off of a couple fast goals. The game came close but LaPorte took their first victory home from that game and the energy was unparalleled. The Thrill of Victory was theirs to embrace.
With a great weekend under their belts, LaPorte was ready for regular season games. With only a few home games on their schedule, the team was ready to hit the road and did so against Snider for their season opener, losing 4-1. Unfortunately, the varsity losses kept piling up. While being able to claim they went undefeated against junior varsity teams, their varsity record ended up 1-13, with a win against first year program Bloomington.
LaPorte Nemesis tradition has quickly grown. In the second year, they added a middle school team feeding from the two LaPorte middle schools. In year two they fielded a 24 man varsity team and 14 man (13 men and 1 girl) middle school team. The commitment level and dedication this team shows is simply amazing and the tradition will continue to grow from that one, first, hard year.
Season One
Opponent and Score (us-them)
Snider 1-8
Concord 7-14
Bloomington 9-4
West Lafayette 5-13
Park Tudor 4-11
Culver Military Academy 1-9
Brebeuf Jesuit 0-18
West Lafayette 9-10
Culver Military Academy 1-11
Bishop Chatard 1-11
North Central 0-23
St. Joseph 1-14
Pike 3-7
Team MVP Jesse Kousen
Attacker MVP Adam Christ
Midfield MVP Brian Crum
Defensive MVP Mike Thielen
Head Coach Ryan Humphrey
Assistant Coach Tim Gropp