BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN —
At the age of 5, Graham Young was strolling through his neighborhood in Auburn when he noticed someone playing catch in a way he’d never seen before.
It immediately caught his attention, and he and his father stopped to ask what they were playing with. It was a lacrosse stick, something the boy had never heard of, but was fascinated by it. That Saturday, his father got him registered to play in a lacrosse league.
Now, Young is a multisport athlete at Auburn High School. He has also played football and basketball since kindergarten, but sitting in the gym alongside two football players as a senior, he signed his college letter of intent for a sport not sanctioned by the AHSAA.
“Lacrosse has always been my best and favorite sport,” Young said. “When I was younger, I was always asked [Why lacrosse?], and my answer has always been the same, lacrosse is where my heart lies.”
Young has played with the Atlanta-based Deep South Lacrosse league and the AU Club lacrosse team throughout high school. Over the years, he has seen firsthand the rapid growth of the sport across Alabama, but work is still in order for lacrosse to become an officially-recognized sport by the AHSAA. Young said he is hopeful that will change in the near future.
Lacrosse has grown to the point where finding competition was no struggle for Young, but in order to be recognized and have a better opportunity to play at the next level, he said that traveling was necessary. While he acknowledged the “rapid growth in popularity” of lacrosse in Alabama, the top-level talent is outside of the state.
“During the summer, depending on how much you want to get yourself exposed, is when traveling is very important,” Young said. “While lacrosse is growing in the South, most of the better competition and opportunities to play in front of college coaches are up North. The way to grow the sport (in Alabama) is to make it available and known to more kids, the younger the better.”
As a result of playing lacrosse, Young has paved the way forward for himself. He signed last week to play college lacrosse and study engineering at the University of Alabama at Huntsville.
His father, Mark Young, raved about how the sport has helped his son develop as an athlete but also as a man. He credited Graham’s coaches, Ben Hunt and JJ Armino, for playing a huge role in his athletic development.
That is a sentiment that Graham saw in himself as a result of the life lessons lacrosse has taught him. And none of this would’ve been possible if the Youngs didn’t discover a new way to play catch while walking through their neighborhood. “Lacrosse has taught me how to win and to lose, to step up as a leader when needed and to sit back and play my role,” Young explained. “I’ve met some of my best friends and some of my greatest mentors (through lacrosse). I’m very thankful for this game and the things it has given me.”