Black Banana Lacrosse Club (1998 – Present)

Established in the summer of 1998, Black Banana LC was started as a summer tournament team. The founders of the team were the LA Riptide's Hamilton Pollard (Penn State), Bryan Griffin (Widener), Stephen Digennaro (Delaware), and current Yale Head Coach Andy Shay. The team was formed to play in the 1998 Lake Placid Lacrosse Tournament, where the team played in the Men's Elite Division against some very stiff competition. The team finished 2-2 at the prestigious New York Tournament. Black Banana entered legendary teams in the Bump-n-Grind Lacrosse Tournament held in Marlton , NJ over a four year stretch. The team dominated the competition and won the tournament title in 1998, 1999 and 2000, and was knocked out in the semifinals in the 2001 tournament in overtime. The team featured many Division I and III All-Americans and several past and present Team USA members and Pro players including Hamilton Pollard, Kyle Sweeney, Jake Bergey, Josh Bergey, Jim Bruder , Chris Schiller, Bobby Horsey, Mike Busza, John Christmas, John Brasko, Dave Dipaulo, Tom Slate, and Todd Schriener. The team compiled a four year record of 17 and 3. After the summer of 2001, the Black Banana team vanished from the lacrosse scene, but left a lasting memory on the club lacrosse circuit.

In the summer of 2005, Black Banana was reborn. A strong team was fielded at the Bump-n-Grind tournament in July, the team had a very good showing. After losing a 1 goal game in the first round, the team rebounded and won the final three games by huge margins, repeating the dominance Black Banana once displayed at this tournament. The team finished with a 3–1 record.

In October, the team competed at the Laxtoberfest Tournament in Annapolis , MD. Again Black Banana fielded a stacked roster with many former Div I and III All-American players and included several current or former members of the MLL Philadelphia Barrage (Pro Outdoor Team). The Banana won its first three games handily and lost its last game on a goal with 10 seconds left on the clock. The team finished with a 3 - 1 record and has plans to return next fall to take home the trophy.

American Lacrosse League History

Black Banana Lacrosse Club (2006 - Present)

In order to raise the level of play and regain some of the swagger and dominance that was displayed by the Black Banana teams of the past, the New Castle LC has decided to retire the team and take a core group of the roster to form a new era of Black Banana Lacrosse. The new team will include a few original members of the Black Banana Tournament team and will again compete at summer and fall tournaments. The team will also field a spring team in the American Lacrosse League as it has the past 5 years.

New Castle Lacrosse Club (2001 – 2005)

In 2001, New Castle lacrosse club was founded by Steven Penoza, Bryan Griffin, Damien McGovern and Kevin Penoza after taking over the remants of the SR Computers LC. The club competed as the New Castle LC for 5 seasons. The club fielded some talented and competitive teams from 2001 to 2004, losing some very close games along the way. The club finished with a 17 win, 17 loss record over that four year span.

In 2005, the New Castle LC went out with a bang, finishing 2 nd in the Philadelphia Division and earning a post-season berth. A first round loss to a very experienced Lacrosse Unlimited LC on Long Island ended the season, but it was a first for the club since it's inception in 2001.

Pre-New Castle LC History

The club can date back to the First State Lacrosse Club and has played as Varsity Grille LC, Lone Star LC, Blue Hen LC, and SR Computers before the New Castle LC was established in 2001.