Illinois Lacrosse Team Headed To National Tournament

CHICAGO (CBS)--A team of young lacrosse players in the Chicago suburbs are practicing hard to make their dreams come true in the "World Series."

It's not the traditional baseball "World Series" that come to mind, however.

Lacrosse coach Joe Edell is working his team of about 20 pre-teenage athletes hard in preparation for the "Warrior World Series of Youth Lacrosse" tournament July 2-4 in Denver.

"It's more like basketball than anything else—it's strategically like soccer but with the physicality of hockey," Edell said while taking a break from a rigorous practice held Tuesday afternoon.

Edell's team of junior high athletes will be the first-ever team in Illinois to compete in the tournament, he says.

The coach admits the game can be physically rough, and players are susceptible to injury—even while they're fully decked out in protective gear.

Player Nate Switzenberg knows the physical risks posed by the sport all too well.

"Last year I broke three bones," Switzenberg said. "Luckily I was able to play through some of those injuries."

The weather was not too hot and not too cold on what seemed the perfect summer day for a practice on June 26.

The young athletes ran around a field with their lacrosse sticks in hand, bumping into each other vigorously as they vied for goals in a scrimmage.

Most of the players will be starting the eighth grade in the fall, but for now their focus is not on academics, but on bringing home the championship title for Illinois.

"It feels good when you save the shots," Ryan Dua said. "After a game or practice, I just have a lot of bruises on my legs and arms."

The Illinois team is ranked fifth going into the tournament. The Championship Game will be played at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on July 4th. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.