Local lacrosse prodigy Dakota Hollister has returned home from a high-level tournament in the U.S. where his team beat out five others to claim the championship.
Hollister, along with the rest of the Adrenaline Tropics, defeated the Maryland Roughriders 9-6 to take the tournament crown, redeeming themselves by beating the only team they fell to in round-robin action.
It was an ideal location for a lacrosse tourney, as Naples, FL., hosted the event, which featured many teams in different divisions, however, Hollister and the Tropics competed at the highest level.
Hollister, who has committed his lacrosse skills to Bellarmine University in Kentucky, played alongside other athletes who had signed on to post-secondary lacrosse squads for the 2013 academic year.
The Tropics dropped an overtime decision to the Roughriders during round-robin action, but blew through the other four teams to finish at the top of their pool.
They beat Carolina Lite, out of North Carolina in the semi-final, to earn their berth in the championship game.
Right after the tournament, his coach invited him to another tournament in Arizona this weekend, in another tournament showcasing top-level high school talent from across the U.S.
It’s been the first high-level lacrosse Hollister has played since September, as the young 17-year-old has been recovering from a car accident, which gave him a concussion.
“I haven’t played in a while, so I needed to start playing again, because I can’t just go to college all rusty,” said Hollister. “So I wanted to get back into that high level, just to get used to it again.
“It was fun, I was rusty for the first few games, but then it all came back pretty quick.”
