The Florida High School Athletic Association sanctions competitions in lacrosse at the high school level. All players who participate in high school lacrosse in Florida must wear protective equipment and must understand the rules of the game. That includes the limitations that attacking and defensive players have when it comes to where they may go on the field.
Field of Play
The lacrosse field is 110 yards long and 60 yards wide. There are 10 players on each team. Those players include three attack players, three midfielders, three defenders and one goaltender. The attack players cannot go deep onto the defensive side of the field, while the defensive players cannot go deep on the offensive side of the field. Attack players may use sticks that are 40 to 42 inches long. Midfielders can have sticks that are up to 52 inches, while defensive players can have 52- to 72-inch sticks.
Length of Game
The FHSAA lacrosse game is divided into four quarters. Each quarter is 12 minutes long. There is a two-minute break after the first and third quarters. There is a 12-minute break after the second quarter that comprises halftime. The object of the game is to hurl a lacrosse ball into a goal that is protected by the goaltender. The team that scores the most goals wins the game. If the game is tied at the end of four quarters, a sudden-death overtime period is played. The first team to score wins the game.
Penalties
Referees in lacrosse call penalties for violations of the rules. Those violations can result in a team losing a man and playing shorthanded or the opposing team getting possession of the ball. Penalties are called for slashing, tripping, cross-checking, unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct. These penalties will result in the offending team losing a player for one to three minutes. If a team loses possession of the ball by throwing it out of bounds, the other team gets possession.
Member Comments