Our Bulldog Lacrosse Story
It is believed that in 1987 Judge Memorial Catholic, The Waterford School, and Highland HS were the
only 3 schools to have boys lacrosse clubs in their respective high schools. It would take 2 years before
one of those teams was recognized with a picture in their yearbook and 7 more years until the first Boys
Utah State Champion was crowned.
In the fall of 1994, the Utah Lacrosse Association (ULA) was founded and conducted the inaugural
season for the Utah High School Lacrosse League. The league consisted of 5 teams: Alta, Park City, Provo
(Orem and Timpview), Sunnyside LC (Judge Memorial Catholic, Roland Hall, East, and Brighton), and The
Waterford School. Sunnyside LC coached by Mark Ethridge (HC), Dave Allen, Brett Backman, and Scott
Clarke defeated The Waterford School in a fall championship game, riding the backs of 10 Judge students,
and captured the 1 st recognized State Championship. 6 months later in 1995, in the spring, the league
would hold a 2 nd championship in the more traditional season for lacrosse. 6 teams participated: Alta,
Judge, Park City, Provo (Orem and Timpview), Salt Lake North (Highland and Rolland Hall), South Sandy
(Brighton, Waterford and West Jordan). The newly formed Judge team won the championship 9-7 over
Alta as Judge’s Drew Searl took home the MVP for the game and the leagues MVOP for the season. In
1995, Judge Memorial Catholic also formed the first and only girls’ team in the state.
Alta and Park City are the only programs to participate in every season organized lacrosse has been
played in the state of Utah. Judge Memorial Catholic formed their own stand-alone team in the Spring of
1995 with Coach Dave Allen being the first Head Coach in school history after being an Assistant Coach
on the 1994 Fall State Champion Sunnyside LC team. In 1996, Judge also fielded the first JV team in the
state of Utah due to the sport’s popularity in the school.
In the 2019-2020 school year Judge joined 28 other programs from the state of Utah in the first year of
sanctioned lacrosse under the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA). Unfortunately, the
season was cut short due to COVID-19 after playing only 2 games, and the team missed out on their
chance to compete for back-to-back state championships. By the start of the 2021-2022 season, the state
of Utah had grown to 58 sanctioned Varsity teams, due to low enrollment numbers and the large
graduating class of 2021 (13 student athletes), Judge was unable to field its own team for the first time
since the initial fall season of 1994. Thankfully, East HS gave some dedicated Bulldogs a home for the
season.
The 2022-2023 season saw the rebirth of Bulldog lacrosse as a strong Freshman class moved up the
ranks through the now thriving-again youth program that some dedicated Judge parents took it upon
themselves to rebuild. The school produced 34 enthusiastic student athletes (3 Seniors, 3 Juniors, 10
Sophomores, 18 Freshman) and fielded both a JV and Varsity team. Of the 34, only 4 had ever played in a
High School lacrosse game. The young and inexperienced Varsity team made it all the way to the 4A State
Semifinals after winning the 4A South Region, shocking the state but not the coaches.
In only the second year back, the 2023-2024 Judge Bulldogs not only improved on the previous year but
smashed all expectations from around the state and captured another Region Title. They also
accomplished the ultimate goal of “Ending the Year in a Pile” with a 4A State Championship. The program
also had 3 teams for the first time since 2013: Varsity, JV, and JV2. In 2024-2025 the program reached
another milestone with over 60 student athletes coming out to play, another Region Title and State
Championship #7 for their beloved school.
The 2025-2026 season is one of high possibilities and greater expectations as the popularity of the sport
continues to explode in the halls of the school. The Coaches and Administration has decided to move up in
classification to compete with the best teams in the state at the 5A level and your Bulldogs have the same
goal as we continue to “Keep Building”, and “End The Year In A Pile, A Bulldog Pile, Again” !!!
From 1994 to 2025, in 31 seasons the Varsity program has amassed a 296-162 record (.646
winning percentage). In the 30 years of competing in the State Playoffs, Judge has 7 State
Championship in 11 Finals appearances, 16 Semi-Finals appearances, and 23 Quarter-Final
appearances.