When Gavin Vahl was in seventh grade, he faced a tough choice: attend Marist High School for its established, credible lacrosse program, or enroll at Carl Sandburg High School, where the team was part of a districtwide cooperative spanning three schools. The chance to play alongside students from across Orland High School District 230 ultimately won him over. Now a senior, Vahl credits that experience with shaping him into a better player and teaching him discipline and hard work alongside a tight-knit group of teammates.

But that era is coming to an end. Next fall, the cooperative lacrosse team—one of several in the district—will be disbanded due to a new Illinois High School Association policy. The ruling disqualifies large cooperative teams from competing at the state level, forcing District 230 to restructure its program. According to Superintendent Robert Nolting, the lacrosse team will split into individual school teams at Carl Sandburg and Victor J. Andrew High School, with no junior varsity option. Amos Alonzo Stagg High School will lose its lacrosse team entirely.

For Vahl, the change feels like a step backward. He’s watched more players gravitate toward Catholic high schools as lacrosse gains popularity, and worries the sport at public schools will lose its momentum. “Without that District 230 platform, there’s going to be no desire,” he said. “It just doesn’t have that hook—that ‘hey, we’re legit, you should come play for us’—like other schools have.” He fears the move could “cripple lacrosse in the area,” not in terms of the sport itself, but in participation and enthusiasm.

Nolting explained that the decision followed feedback from the district’s athletic departments after the IHSA policy was approved in December. The district also chose to split the girls wrestling co-op team into an independent program at Andrew High School, with a cooperative team remaining at other schools. As the lacrosse community adjusts, players like Vahl are left hoping the sport’s growth won’t be derailed by the very rules meant to level the playing field.