Knipe to play lacrosse at Ole Miss

SANDPOINT — In a sure sign that lacrosse has officially arrived in Sandpoint, former SHS player Will Knipe plans to continue playing the emerging sport this fall at the University of Mississippi, whose campus in Oxford boasts more than 17,000 students.

Knipe, who was one of the founding members of lacrosse in Sandpoint, was a freshman on the first-ever team at SHS four years ago. He’s played every year since, helping the spring sport grow in both numbers and popularity.

The Ole Miss coaches contacted Knipe earlier this year, and he took a recruiting visit in March. While lacrosse is still a club sport at the school, the Southeastern Athletic Conference is close to joining the Division 1 ranks, following the trend of numerous other big conferences fielding teams in the burgeoning sport.

Lacrosse was invented hundreds of years ago by Native Americans, who played on huge fields, using balls made out of deerskin, clay, stone and even wood. It was introduced in the U.S. in the early 1900s, but was mostly confined to Northeastern prep schools and small colleges.

About 20 years ago the sport began migrating west, hitting North Idaho more than a decade ago when two teams formed in Coeur d’Alene. Now numerous area high schools field teams, and many are hoping it becomes a sanctioned high school sport.

Knipe grew up in Boston, Mass., where the sport has been mainstream for decades.

“On Thanksgiving, instead of throwing the football, we threw lacrosse,” says Knipe, explaining what he loves most about the full-contact sport. “There are so many facets; the physicality of football, the endurance of soccer, just the combination of all that.”

Knipe is one of 25 new recruits from all over the U.S., and will join an Ole Miss team which features 35 players on the current roster. As a club sport, players are required to pay for all of their travel and equipment expenses.

“I’m excited about it,” says Knipe, noting he’s not too worried about the intense heat and humidity he’s about to encounter. “I won’t have to deal with 15 feet of snow.”