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Tokyo’s Iwakura High School Set To Play in 5th Annual Summer Face Off This Weekend

Written by Lee Roggenburg on . Posted in .
Iwakura High School is coming to Florida for a week of international lacrosse.  Twenty players along with coaches, translators, and chaperones are landing in Orlando this week to participate in the Summer Face Off Classic at Austin Tindall Regional Park in Kissimmee. This exchange, which hopes to see a Jacksonville team head to Japan next year, is facilitated by current Paxon head coach, Randy Evans.  Evans coached at Iwakura for two seasons as an assistant to Coach Hirakisan.  Hirakisan is also an assistant coach for Japan’s national team.  Only five high schools in Tokyo have lacrosse as it is primarily a college sport in Japan. Randy Evans said, “These are really good energetic kids who love to learn. they are fun to coach because they listen and work hard to practice what a coach instructs them to do. They have made trips to nearby Korea and Hosted both Korean and Taiwan teams in Tokyo.  This would be the FIRST Japanese HS exchange to the United States.” Evans is Chairman of Lighthouse Lacrosse Foundation in Jacksonville Florida.  He played  defense at Princeton from 1966-’69 and was captain of 1969 team. Lighthouse Lacrosse has been the beneficiary of several US Lacrosse grants for growing the game in non-traditional neighborhoods. After shaking off the jet lag from crossing 13 time zones they take on Freedom Lacrosse Club at 3:30 on Saturday.  After the tournament concludes on Sunday the group heads to Jacksonville for four more days of lacrosse and fun.  The group is going to stay with Jacksonville area lacrosse families and enjoy some beach lacrosse, a cookout on the beach, and enjoy some lacrosse with area clubs including DVLP, Episcopal, and Ponte Vedra. The group is also set to enjoy a tour of the Jacksonville Jaguars facility, the Jacksonville Federal Courthouse and some good old American shopping. We are looking forward to seeing these guys play this weekend and will certaily be sure to catch them at the tournament.  Try to check them out yourself if you can and show these guys some great Florida Lacrosse Hospitality!    

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