via the Miami Herald, by Walter Villa, photo by Jack Rubenstein

Excerpt:

Cody Miller had his Bar mitzvah at the Wailing Wall on his first trip to Israel. This May 24-27 – nearly two years later – Miller is set to enjoy another life-altering experience as he and two of his North Broward Prep lacrosse teammates will compete for Israel in the Heritage Cup in Philadelphia. 

As part of the Heritage Cup, all participants are invited to watch the NCAA lacrosse Final Four, which is also set for Philadelphia that same weekend.

“It’s going to be a great experience, representing Israel,” Miller said. “Getting to watch the Final Four will be another one of the highlights. It will be helpful to learn what the best of the best are doing so I can get better.” 

The Heritage Cup, a multi-tiered lacrosse tournament which started in 2002, is expected to have at least 15 teams represented in each age group this year.

Miller, 15, and Chase Rosenstrauch, 14, will compete in the 15-and-under tournament. Both of them are freshmen at North Broward Prep. In addition, 17-year-old junior Chandler Ripps – who owns a perfect surname for lacrosse – will play in the 19-Under tournament. 

All three of the aforementioned players are Jewish. Lacrosse, which hasn’t been in the Olympics since 1948, when it was a demonstration sport, is growing in popularity. 

In fact, the 2028 Olympics, held in Los Angeles, will include lacrosse. Locally, the Florida High School Activities Association has included lacrosse as a championship sport since 2008. 

Boca Raton St. Andrew’s has been a dominant boys’ team, and Vero Beach has accomplished the same on the girls’ side.

As for North Broward Prep, coach Josh Blumenthal took over the team last year and led the Eagles to a 7-5 season, their first winning record since 2017. 

The Eagles, who play an independent schedule, have more than 40 lacrosse players in their varsity program. 

Read the rest HERE (Paywall)