After a hard-fought 1–4 weekend earlier in June in Stayner, the Soo U13 Spartans returned to action from June 20–22 at the 2025 Rockhound Lacrosse Tournament in Sudbury, Ontario. The event brought together competitive teams from across the province, including the Nepean Knights, Whitby Warriors, Kawartha Lakes Fury, and the host, Sudbury Rockhounds.

The weekend opened with an exhibition matchup against the host Sudbury Rockhounds at noon on Friday. The Spartans dropped the opener 13–2 in a contest that helped the team settle into the pace of the tournament. Later that afternoon, in their first round-robin game, the Spartans faced a skilled Kawartha Lakes Fury team, falling 7–3 despite a solid effort from the Soo squad.

Saturday featured two more round-robin games. At noon, the Spartans had a rematch with Sudbury but were unable to slow down the Rockhounds, suffering a 16–1 defeat. Later that evening, the Soo met a strong Whitby Warriors club and lost 8–1, closing out a tough day of play.

The Spartans showed resilience and heart in their final game of the weekend on Sunday morning, taking the Nepean Knights to overtime in an exciting back-and-forth battle. The Knights ultimately edged out the win, 7–6, in what was the Spartans’ most complete and competitive effort of the tournament.

Spartan coach Tyler Stewart told Saultsports that “the only team we played in our division was our last game and we played great, came out strong early and just had to adapt our offense better to the physical play. We are a first year rep team who came together in early May playing against teams that have been at this for a few years. You can see noticeable improvement every game from the team and you can see them really starting to come together and understanding the team game. We are looking to provincials as we will be playing teams in our division and we are ready to compete in the Ontario Lacrosse Festival.”

“We have lots of room for improvement and feel like we are starting to hit our stride. The kids came in raw with lots to learn and they have been adapting to the game well. Very proud of the effort and improvement, added coach Stewart.

While the results didn’t fall in the Spartans’ favour, the experience gained against high-caliber opponents will serve the young team well as they prepare for their next major challenge — the Ontario Lacrosse Championships.

The Soo U13 Spartans will be among 430 teams from across the province competing from August 1–10 in five communities at the Ontario Lacrosse Championships. With nine divisions, 34 provincial titles up for grabs, and over 820 games scheduled at 16 different arenas, the Spartans are ready to represent the Sault on the biggest stage of the season.