For the second year in a row, the Humboldt State lacrosse alumni were able to secure a slim — if not shady — victory over the young guys during the Hogs alumni game.

In 2015, questionable clock keeping allowed the Old Growth to slip in one more goal before the final whistle; this year, a nearby lightning storm brought a hasty end to a rain-soaked and wind-swept match in the Redwood Bowl.

“It was a great game. Wind, rain, flying shade covers, power outages, blood,” HOF player and coach Judge Taylor said, who helped officiate the game. “The fans were awesome, the coaches sucked and the reffing was fantastic.”

Down 5-3 at one point, the alumni eventually grabbed at 7-6 lead and were soon petitioning for the game to be called due to inclement weather. The officials eventually agreed and stopped play, much to the dismay of the HSU squad.

“Well, we gotta keep their confidence going so they keep coming back right?,” team captain and two-time all-academic goalie Dillon Sheedy said. “It was a good game though, hard fought in the pouring rain just like Humboldt lacrosse should be.”

This year’s Hogs Memorial Alumni lacrosse game was played on Oct. 15 in memory of Joe Knarr. Taylor said the weekend was a time to reflect and enjoy lacrosse.

“Best of all, it’s a time for alumni to reconnect with old friends and to make new friends with the college boys,” he said.

Anthony Silvaggio and Dylan Rode pose after being inducted into the Humboldt State Men’s Lacrosse Hall of Fame on Oct. 3, 2015.

At a quiet, intimate gathering during Alumni Weekend, the Humboldt State men’s lacrosse team inducted its two newest members into the Hogs Hall of Fame.

“There’s a legacy here from 1983 and on of Humboldt lacrosse and we’re just part of that legacy,” 2015 Hogs Hall of Fame coach Tony Silvaggio

The night’s initial inductee was Dylan Rode, Humboldt State lacrosse’s first MCLA All-American. Rode, a Humboldt County native, had never picked up a lacrosse stick before college and attributed much of his success to the Hogs’ second inductee — HSU head coach Tony Silvaggio.

“This is a huge honor,” Rode said after the ceremony. “And the thing is, I couldn’t have done it without Tony. I came in with no skills, (and Tony) kind of groomed me in a way and pushed me into long pole and I loved it. It was a blast.”

Silvaggio, who briefly played at HSU in the 1990s while earning his masters in sociology, has been the head coach since 2007. Since then, he has taken a loose group of club players and shaped them into a team, helping produce three MCLA All-Americans along the way.

Hall of Fame player, coach and team founder James Kircher and 1993 Hogs Hall of Fame attack and co-founder John Mahoney made the announcement after the 2015 HSU alumni game on Oct. 3. This year’s game was played as a memorial to former HSU coach and Hogs alum Mark Doodah, who passed away in October 2014.

“There’s a legacy here from 1983 and on of Humboldt lacrosse and we’re just part of that legacy,” Silvaggio said. “And it’s an honor to be inducted with Dylan. Dylan is the true definition of what an All-American is.”

Despite being home to a college club for more than 30 years, lacrosse has made no real inroads in Central Coast California. Since last year however, Humboldt State alum Ty Ulrey and some dedicated lacrosse moms and dads have worked hard to develop San Luis Obispo County’s first recreational youth YMCA lacrosse league.

With the help of former SLO coach Marc Lea, Ulrey said, the next steps are to get players into the high schools and eventually field a traveling club team.

“I’m happy to announce that we’ve met one of those goals and recently traveled to Salinas for the first time as 805 Lacrosse for the BraveHeart Lacrosse 7-on-7 tourney,” Ulrey said. “If any of you are interested in helping our club get off the ground, or if you or someone you know lives in the Central Coast and would like to be involved in any capacity, please let me know.”

Tyler Ulrey (left) poses with the 805 Lacrosse Under-15 team at the 2015 Braveheart 7-on-7 Tournament in Pacific Grove, California.

The 805 Lacrosse club — named after the region’s area code — currently has a boys U15, U13 and U11 team. They also have a girls team with about 12 players registered, but are happy to add more.

Ulrey played every sport but lacrosse growing up in Oroville, California. In high school he was on the baseball, basketball and track team, but it was football that drew him to Humboldt State. After deciding to change things up, Ulrey said he was thinking about joining the rugby team before coming across the lacrosse booth on the Quad during Club Week.

“I liked the contact and the speed. Football has a lot of contact obviously, but I like lacrosse because you use your feet. There’s lots of footwork like there is in basketball,” Ulrey said. “That’s why I became a defenseman. I liked the slides and teamwork on defense like there is in basketball.”

Ulrey, who graduated in 2013 with a psychology degree, said he was “really debating” attending the alumni game on Oct. 3 — which seemed surprising for someone so connected to the sport. But then Ulrey revealed he’s still on the mend from knee surgery. It’s not that he doesn’t want to go, he’s not sure if he should.

“I can’t sit on the sidelines,” he said, which makes a lot more sense.

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