Robbinsville’s Dan Donoghue defends against his opponent. (Photos courtesy of Mike Langford.)

Cole Hildebrand evades attack and looks to pass to an open teammate. (Photos courtesy of Mike Langford.)

John Cavolo makes a breakaway run toward the goal. (Photo courtesy of Mike Langford.)

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Interest in lacrosse has been growing in schools and towns throughout Mercer County. Now, Robbinsville is ready to devote an entire day to the celebration of the players, coaches and the sport itself.

The unofficially named Lacrosse Day is scheduled to be an all-day tournament between the youth lacrosse leagues in Robbinsville, Allentown and Lawrence, culminating in the Robbinsville High School boys’ lacrosse team’s first-ever night game.

Lacrosse Day is scheduled for Saturday, April 16. The youth lacrosse games will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 3 p.m., when the action will move to the Robbinsville High School turf field for the JV game at 5 p.m. and the varsity game, which will be played under the lights, at 7 p.m. The second, third and fourth grade Robbinsville and Allentown teams will play a mini-game during halftime at the varsity game.

The idea belongs to Mike Langford, president of the Robbinsville Lacrosse Association, who hopes the day will provide an opportunity for community members to recognize the players and learn more about the game of lacrosse.

“It’s a way to introduce this sport that is just exploding in growth, all around the country and right here in our backyard,” Langford said. “And it would be a great opportunity for them to explore a little bit further what that’s all about.”

The day will also have another exciting factor. Robbinsville’s rivalry with Allentown stretches back for a number of years and can be seen in other sports, too.

Robbinsville boys’ lacrosse head coach Chris Penna said the rivalry is a friendly one; many of the kids have participated in the same clubs and summer activities. The townships have also both developed strong youth and high school lacrosse programs of similar caliber.

“It’s almost like we’ve mirrored each other, and the fact that we’re only miles apart, it’s almost just a natural rivalry,” Penna said.

The crowds at the games now are sparse, usually around 30 or 40 people, Langford said. But he expects that the growth of the sport and the emphasis Lacrosse Day will direct toward it will attract the attention he feels the sport deserves.

“We believe it’s grown so much already that we can draw a Friday night lights crowd for this lacrosse game at this level,” Langford said.

He anticipates the event drawing in between 300 to 400 spectators.

RLA board member Bob Hackel said an important part of the day will be to help bridge the gap between the youth program and the high school program. The youth teams will be able to attend the high school games and develop a sense of what it will be like to reach that level of play. The hope is also to sync the programs in order for the youth players to make an easy transition to the high school level, Hackel said.

Penna agreed that the youth players’ exposure to the high school level of the sport would better prepare and motivate the kids as they grow closer and closer to one day reaching that level.

“When you play youth sports, you aspire to go as far as you can and as long as you can,” Penna said. “As a kid, you always think about stepping on the high school court or field, wearing that jersey, and this is all part of it.”

Though the focus will be largely devoted to lacrosse, the day is also meant to be a celebration of the community.

The youth games will be played at Blakely Park, where friends, families, players, coaches and parents will all be welcome to enjoy a day at the park and recognize the kids’ hard work. The success of the programs is something the town of Robbinsville can really center around and be proud of, Penna said.

Langford’s hope is for the day to become a spring tradition, he said. Next year, the day would take place in Allentown.

“It’s a perfect way to reinforce to the youth program and high school program what this is all about: teaching the kids a great sport, being competitive and carrying that legacy from youth to high school.”

Langford has been highly involved in the youth lacrosse program since its inception in 2002. One of the first in the area, the Robbinsville youth lacrosse program attracted the interest of only about 30 kids, including Langford’s own son, now a junior on the high school team. Today, the program has more than 200 participants.