Two of the fastest growing sports in the nation at the prep level—field hockey and lacrosse—are coming to San Benito High School.
The last time the school added a sport was in the late 1990s with girls water polo.
“Any time you can create more opportunities for students to get involved in an extracurricular activity, it’s a win-win,” said John Perales, the San Benito High School District superintendent.
“When I came on board (in April), part of the learning curve was looking at everything we have and how the district operates. I immediately noticed we didn’t have girls field hockey. It’s a huge sport and creates wonderful opportunities for female students, especially when it comes to possibly getting a scholarship for college.”
San Benito will start playing field hockey—which is a girls-only sport at the high school level on the West Coast—in the fall of 2015. The Haybalers will start playing lacrosse in the upcoming 2015 spring sports season.
Depending on the number of students who show up for tryouts, San Benito could field a boys, girls or co-ed team, Perales said.
“We may have to start real slow with lacrosse,” Perales said.
Perales said he’s already received a huge response to the school adding girls field hockey, from students and parents alike.
“My driving mentality is to make sure our kids have the same opportunities as other kids,” Perales said. “Twenty miles down the road in Gilroy, they have an amazing field hockey program. So I’m excited about adding two new sports to San Benito.”
Perales, who was the Founding Principal of Christopher High, also oversaw the addition of lacrosse at the Gilroy school, crediting former Christopher Athletic Director Darren Yafai in launching the program.
Having seen both sports gain a foothold at Christopher and with field hockey thriving at Gilroy, Perales was driven to add the sports to San Benito.
“I see this as a huge win for our kids,” Perales said. “Obviously academics come first but as a comprehensive high school, we have several facets to our program, from ASB (Associated Student Body) to choir to other activities.
“Sports add another layer to that because it gives kids more opportunities to participate in a positive activity. I’m a proponent of academics and obviously we never lose focus on academics, but I also know sports play a huge role in our kids’ lives.”
