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the orland park prairie | August 8, 2019 | 43
GIRLS LACROSSE
High five! D230 sectional stars started with Bulldogs
JONATHAN BARLAS
Freelance Reporter
Jade Hamilton has been a defensive force for the
District 230 girls lacrosse team. PHOTOS BY JEFF
VORVA/22ND CENTURY MEDIA
Maya Brouette (right) scored 51 goals for D230 this
season.
When District 230 co-op
sophomore-to-be lacrosse
player Becca Hallman and
senior-to-be Jade Hamilton
recall their time playing
for the Tinley Park
Bulldogs youth lacrosse
team, both Eagles were not
remiss to mention the coincidence
of their Illinois
High School Association
All Sectional honors, May
21.
“I was surprised at first
that I was picked,” Hamilton
said. “Then, [when I
saw] that all the girls were
picked that used to play
[on the] Bulldogs together,
it was nice to see how
we’ve all grown and still
play together.”
Hallman, who scored a
second-best 34 goals as a
freshman for the Eagles
this past season, mimicked
Hamilton’s words, not believing
she would be chosen
only after one season.
“I didn’t realize freshman
could be selected to
the all-sectional team,”
Hallman said. “Honestly, I
didn’t even know it was an
option for me to be nominated.
I just went out there,
tried to play my best every
game and help my team
score goals.”
In lacrosse, remaining
aware is only half the battle.
As an up-and-coming
sport, it has more recently
found its way into the
hearts of public programming.
The IHSA has outwardly
adopted the proverbial
secondary sport into
its annual funding, moving
from district-based clubs
to school spirit-clad teams.
The Tinley Park Bulldogs
announced its inaugural
youth boys’ league
in 2013, with girls’ programming
following in
2015 where both Hallman
and Hamilton both played.
Hallman’s father, Ron, is
a founder of the program
and an assistant coach for
D-230, which features
athletes from Sandburg,
Andrew and Stagg and is
based at Sandburg.
Sandburg touts five
IHSA All Sectional nods
in Maya and Skyler Brouette,
Hallman, Hamilton,
and Nicole Sendera and all
played for the Bulldogs.
All five were underclassmen
and figure to be back
in the spring.
The Brouettes were a
force to be reckoned with
on the field. Slotted as
the top two goal scorers
for the squad, both Maya
(51 goals) and Skyler (33
goals) proved to be the dynamic
duo pertinent to the
district’s success. Sendera
was fourth on the team in
scoring with 28 goals as
the team finished the 2019
season 9-8.
After suffering a torn
ACL late in her her sophomore
season, Hamilton’s
seen it all heading into her
senior year. With years of
experience on the field,
the changes she’s seen
within the sport coincide
with her resiliency to keep
getting better – earning
the title as Sandburg’s defensive
captain a year after
her injury.
“This was my first season
back after my knee
injury and I was [happy
to be] playing again,” she
said “The sport has definitively
become more
of a fast pace and a tough
contact sport. [We] pretty
much play year round with
travel and high school,
but when I am off, I have
a rebounder to throw and
catch with and I do training
at Athletic Republic
in Orland a couple days a
week.”
Honing her craft away
from the season, Hamilton
is thankful to be a part of
something bigger than herself.
“The sport of lacrosse
is a welcoming environment,”
Hamilton said.
“[It’s] somewhere you can
meet long-time friends,
somewhere to grow as a
person and learn how to
work with others as a great
team.”
Hallman’s knack for lacrosse
comes in the form
of a family matter, as her
brother also named Ron,
plays on the D230 boys
squad hosted by Andrew.
She said a bit of sibling rivalry
comes into play. The
boys finished 18-3 overall.
“[Lacrosse] has helped
shaped me into the person
that I am today. I have
made so many new friends
through it,” Hallman said.
“I am very thankful for all
of my coaches that I have
had throughout the years
Attacker Nicole Sendera was on of five all-sectional
players on D230’s co-op team who played for the Tinley
Park Bulldogs.
Skyler Brouette (right) scored 33 goals for D230.
and I also love that the
game of lacrosse brings
my family together. My
parents are the ones that
introduced us to the sport
we love. I thank them for
being our coaches and our
biggest fans.”
With each all-sectional
player returning next season,
Hallman is not only
excited to get back on the
field and play, but also
gives credit to the team
that helped her realize her
full potential.
“Thanks to the Tinley
Park Bulldogs lacrosse
program,” Hallman said.
“The sport of lacrosse
has grown so much over
the past seven years in
the south suburbs. I love
that the competition has
increased and the sport is
becoming more popular.
I feel that there is a certain
level of respect that is
shown to lacrosse players
that didn’t once exist. We
play in the rain, we play
in the snow, we play in
the cold. We are pretty
tough.”