Lacrosse season begins with Tri-City jamboree

Though the weather may not look it, spring sports are starting up around the area, and the Tri-Cities is ready to kick off the lacrosse season.

Fifteen teams from around the state — mostly from the east side — will make their way to Columbia Park on Saturday for Columbia Crush, a season-opening lacrosse jamboree.

All three Tri-City teams will compete at the event, with clubs representing Southridge, Richland and Chiawana high schools participating. Richland is the host school.

Each team will play three games at the event, with a new game starting every hour on the hour at all three of the Kennewick park’s fields. The first games start at 9 a.m., and the last ones begin at 5 p.m.

With jam-packed action taking place throughout the day in a highly visible setting, the jamboree serves as a great advertisement for the burgeoning sport as much as it provides an opportunity for players to see some live action before the season starts, Southridge assistant coach Evan Smith said.

“We get a lot of exposure because it is at Columbia Park, and people see it going on from the highway,” Smith said. “Down at the park there’s booths and silent auctions and all that kind of stuff for the fan experience.”

The jamboree will be a day-long festival for existing fans of the game, but Smith said it will also be a great opportunity for kids interested in getting involved.

“If you’re interested in playing lacrosse or have always been curious about how it’s played, this would be a great event to come check out,” he said.

Southridge and Chiawana play their games at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m., and Richland plays at 10 a.m., noon and 4 p.m. A full schedule for the jamboree can be found at richlandlacrosse.com under the “Columbia Crush 2017” tab.

This story was originally published March 10, 2017 at 6:29 PM with the headline "Lacrosse season begins with Tri-City jamboree."