The Suffolk Spartans brought lacrosse to athletes from Nansemond River, King’s Fork and Lakeland last spring with their inaugural season in the Hampton Roads Lacrosse club league.

Many of the returning Spartans have been working throughout the offseason and the Spartans are looking for new players, with lacrosse experience or not, in time for the start of official practices in February and the new HRLax season from March-May.

Two new co-head coaches took over everything on the field for the Spartans starting in October. Virginia Wesleyan teammates Jed Lynch and Stu White have been running workouts four afternoons a week.

“We have a core group of players from last year who obviously enjoyed it and they’re coming out all the time,” Lynch said.

Monogram Park, a couple miles from Nansemond River High School on Sleepy Hole Road, is the club’s home field. The Spartans have been practicing Tuesday-Thursday afternoons and on Sundays from 2-4 p.m.

Lynch came to lacrosse relatively late, being introduced to it in a middle school league similar to Hampton Roads Lacrosse in Salem.

Hampton Roads Lacrosse brings club teams from Williamsburg to the Outer Banks together for a well-organized, competitive league for players who go to schools without varsity lacrosse squads. Many Virginia Beach and Peninsula schools have clubs, as well as Great Bridge, Grassfield and Hickory in Chesapeake.

More information about Hampton Roads Lacrosse can be found at hrlax.com. HRLax offers free clinics designed just for rookies to the sport.

“I fell in love with it and it can be sort of an addiction once you start playing,” he said. “There are so many elements from other sports that translate into what makes lacrosse great. There’s hockey, soccer, basketball and other sports where those skills cross over.”

For more information, call Lynch at (540) 529-9621 or White at (410) 322-7496 or send an e-mail to Suffolklax@verizon.net.