LAXFU Lacrosse News Blog

A different take on Friday Fights this week…

Billerica High lacrosse coach Chris Burns, inset, during a boxing match with a student athlete in this frame grab from a cell phone video taken in a locker room.

Billerica, MA – A very successful high school coach decided to have a boxing match with one of his players in the locker room, and ended up losing his coaching job over it.

The Lowell Times newspaper reports that Chris Burns, 33, graduated from Billerica High in 1994, where he played football, basketball and lacrosse. He became the school’s varsity lacrosse coach in 2003, and led the program to one of the most successful records in the state.  Burns was named MVC Coach of the Year in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008. He was also named Eastern Mass. Div. 1 Coach of the Year, an award voted on by the state’s other lacrosse coaches, in 2008.

There are varying accounts of what took place, but reports indicate that the coach and player agreed to have a sparing match with helmets and gloves on, while other members of the team in the locker room watched.   Some players report that it was all in good fun, but someone took a cell phone video of the event that got in the hands of some parents, and then the school administrators.

The video is available on the Boston Herald website by clicking here.

It’s difficult to see what is going on, but sources say that the player had his face painted like Mel Gibson’s in “Braveheart,” and was waiting to take on Burns in the locker room.

Brian Roche, a 2009 graduate of Billerica Memorial High School, was present for the incident. He said the team had convinced the coach to engage in an impromptu boxing match with helmets and gloves as a way to bond and become motivated for an upcoming game.

“It wasn’t a big deal,” said Roche, who has been coached by Burns throughout his four years at Billerica high school. “It was a fun thing we did and it brought the team together.”

An online petition has been started to help the coach retain his job and has already received over 600 signatures, although it doesn’t appear that it will matter.  It was reported that Burns will keep his teaching job, but will no longer be coaching at the school.

The Empire State Games always served as a major recruiting tool for college coaches to get a glimpse of New York’s top lacrosse talent.  After the the games were canceled this year (for the first time since 1978) due to budgetary problems, Tom Hall, the Chair of New York State Lacrosse, decided that the show must go on.

Hall got together with coaches from around the state, and Joe Taylor from Nike Lacrosse, to put together a showcase of high school lacrosse talent and named it the “New York State Shootout“.

While the Empires historically featured six regional teams, the Shootout brought in eight teams, including: Buffalo, Albany and St. Lawrence, Rochester, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Central, Hudson Valley and the Southern Tier.

The format was a 1-day tournament that started at 10am, and wrapped up around 6pm.  Since each team would only play three games, they opted not to crown a champion, unlike the Empire Games, which granted medals at the end.

Each team held tryouts among players that were nominated via coaches’ recommendations.  Nike Lacrosse outfitted the teams and coaches with the Six Nations uniforms that Hopkins, Virginia, North Carolina and Syracuse wear.

The Central team seemed to be the dominant team, even though having one of the most difficult schedules.  They went 3-0 after come-from-behind wins against  two Long Island teams, Suffolk (Central won 12-8) and Nassau County (Central won 13-9), and pulled off a 9-7 victory over Rochester.

Other Shootout scores:

Suffolk 8, Rochester 7
Southern Tier 10, Hudson Valley 4
Rochester 9, Nassau 7
Hudson Valley 8, North Country 3
Buffalo 7, Southern Tier 6
Buffalo 10, North Country 0
Nassau 9, Suffolk 6
Buffalo 8, Hudson Valley 4
Southern Tier 12, North Country 3

More on the New York State Shootout can be found at: http://www.syracuse.com/today/index.ssf/2009/07/central_new_tork_lacrosse_team.html

The Empire State Games always served as a major recruiting tool for college coaches to get a glimpse of New York’s top lacrosse talent.  After the the games were canceled this year (for the first time since 1978) due to budgetary problems, Tom Hall, the Chair of New York State Lacrosse, decided that the show must go on.

Hall got together with coaches from around the state, and Joe Taylor from Nike Lacrosse, to put together a showcase of high school lacrosse talent and named it the “New York State Shootout“.

While the Empires historically featured six regional teams, the Shootout brought in eight teams, including: Buffalo, Albany and St. Lawrence, Rochester, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Central, Hudson Valley and the Southern Tier.

The format was a 1-day tournament that started at 10am, and wrapped up around 6pm.  Since each team would only play three games, they opted not to crown a champion, unlike the Empire Games, which granted medals at the end.

Each team held tryouts among players that were nominated via coaches’ recommendations.  Nike Lacrosse outfitted the teams and coaches with the Six Nations uniforms that Hopkins, Virginia, North Carolina and Syracuse wear.

The Central team seemed to be the dominant team, even though having one of the most difficult schedules.  They went 3-0 after come-from-behind wins against  two Long Island teams, Suffolk (Central won 12-8) and Nassau County (Central won 13-9), and pulled off a 9-7 victory over Rochester.

Other Shootout scores:

Suffolk 8, Rochester 7
Southern Tier 10, Hudson Valley 4
Rochester 9, Nassau 7
Hudson Valley 8, North Country 3
Buffalo 7, Southern Tier 6
Buffalo 10, North Country 0
Nassau 9, Suffolk 6
Buffalo 8, Hudson Valley 4
Southern Tier 12, North Country 3

More on the New York State Shootout can be found at: http://www.syracuse.com/today/index.ssf/2009/07/central_new_tork_lacrosse_team.html

The Empire State Games always served as a major recruiting tool for college coaches to get a glimpse of New York’s top lacrosse talent.  After the the games were canceled this year (for the first time since 1978) due to budgetary problems, Tom Hall, the Chair of New York State Lacrosse, decided that the show must go on.

Hall got together with coaches from around the state, and Joe Taylor from Nike Lacrosse, to put together a showcase of high school lacrosse talent and named it the “New York State Shootout“.

While the Empires historically featured six regional teams, the Shootout brought in eight teams, including: Buffalo, Albany and St. Lawrence, Rochester, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Central, Hudson Valley and the Southern Tier.

The format was a 1-day tournament that started at 10am, and wrapped up around 6pm.  Since each team would only play three games, they opted not to crown a champion, unlike the Empire Games, which granted medals at the end.

Each team held tryouts among players that were nominated via coaches’ recommendations.  Nike Lacrosse outfitted the teams and coaches with the Six Nations uniforms that Hopkins, Virginia, North Carolina and Syracuse wear.

The Central team seemed to be the dominant team, even though having one of the most difficult schedules.  They went 3-0 after come-from-behind wins against  two Long Island teams, Suffolk (Central won 12-8) and Nassau County (Central won 13-9), and pulled off a 9-7 victory over Rochester.

Other Shootout scores:

Suffolk 8, Rochester 7
Southern Tier 10, Hudson Valley 4
Rochester 9, Nassau 7
Hudson Valley 8, North Country 3
Buffalo 7, Southern Tier 6
Buffalo 10, North Country 0
Nassau 9, Suffolk 6
Buffalo 8, Hudson Valley 4
Southern Tier 12, North Country 3

More on the New York State Shootout can be found at: http://www.syracuse.com/today/index.ssf/2009/07/central_new_tork_lacrosse_team.html