High School Lacrosse Rules

Basic High School Lacrosse Rules

High school lacrosse rules are created by the US Lacrosse Youth Council (USLYC). Youth players aged 15 and below can participate in USLYC youth lacrosse tournaments. However, there are conditions before joining the league. They are the following below:

1.) Player should still be 14 years old in the preceding year of the USLYC lacrosse tournament.

2.) The player has not joined any varsity team.

High school lacrosse rules state that leagues may or should be organized by age or levels. Also, physical development should be considered when grouping players. The following below is the grouping of players stated in high school lacrosse rules:

* For High School Senior Division – 15th /8th grade and below (players are grouped depending on the skill)

* For High School Junior Division – 13th/6th grade and below (players are grouped depending on the skill)

The lacrosse game is played by two teams composed of ten players each. If coaches agree, as few as seven players per team are allowed. However, USLYC high school lacrosse rules states that ten players per team should play the game.

For the size of the field, players and coaches can agree on the size of the playing field. But for USLYC, the size of the field should be the standard 110 yards long and between 53 1/3 and 60 yards wide. High school lacrosse rules also require players to use protective gears like shoulder pads, arm pads, knee pads, shoes, gloves and jerseys. The use of rib pads is highly recommended.

For the lacrosse stick, the length should be 40 to 42 inches or 52 to 72 inches. For the goalkeeper, the length may be 72 inches or less.

The game should last for 40 minutes with four 10-minute periods with two timeouts allowed per half. If the game ends with a tie score, two 4-minute overtimes will be utilized. If the two 4-minute overtimes are used and the score is still tied, overtime will be added until a winner is determined. However, it will depend on the agreement of the coaches.

The game normally starts with a draw between two center players. At the referee’s whistle, the two will battle for possession. High school lacrosse rules permit stick checking for stealing or dislodging the ball from the opponent but body contact is not allowed. For a loose ball, the player closest to the ball will be awarded possession.

There are two types of fouls, personal and technical. These fouls are charged against players or coaches with unsportsmanlike conducts. They are normally given warnings from 1st to 2nd offenses. Game officials have the power to eject players and coaches due to flagrant acts of unsportsmanlike behavior.