LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - The Trinity High School and Sacred Heart Academy lacrosse teams joined forces for a charity game with a twist on Thursday night.
It was boys against girls for the 8th annual Rock the Heart event. This year, the schools chose to support Centerstone, a local mental health services center, because it has unfortunately become something that has brought them all together as a family.
All the proceeds from the game are going to Centerstone.
The game was played with girls' rules and equipment and, as always, it got a little competitive.
It’s not only for bragging rights, however. The topic of suicide has affected everyone on both teams.
“Both coach (Pete) Schroeder at Trinity and myself are both (military) veterans and we know that there’s a major issue with our veterans today committing suicide,” SHA coach Dennis Truman said.
The topic has also resonated with the players.
“If we don’t raise awareness, sometimes it can go unnoticed and that could be a tragedy,” Trinity senior Will Warner said.
Tragedy was a reality for the young teams last year. A Ballard lacrosse player took her own life.
“I played lacrosse with her and she’s a very sweet girl,” SHA senior Anna Laveck said. “It made a big impact on the whole lacrosse community, so I think it brought the whole lacrosse community together as a whole, and it made our team realize how much closer we have to come and how lucky we are to have each other.”
So, the donation to Centerstone was a no-brainer.
“It’s imperative we’re bringing this up among high-school-age kids,” Schroeder said. “It’s up to us to look out for the marginalized and reach out to them and make them feel inclusive and the more people that can do that I think we can hopefully make a dent in it.”
Trinity beat SHA, 14-13.
The proceeds will go toward a film screening Centerstone will be having on Nov. 11 -- Veterans Day -- at the Kentucky Science Center. They will be showing a film about a man who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge in a suicide attempt and lived.
Click here for more information on the documentary screening.
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