Triad Sports Weekly
   A Premier Sports Publication

Sam Haus Follows A Proud Lacrosse Legacy

From Sam Haus’ earliest memories there was always a lacrosse stick nearby. Haus, a junior at R.J. Reynolds High, was a key member of the Demons’ 2010 team that recently concluded its season ranked among the top teams in North Carolina. Haus, a midfielder, was one of the top players at his position in the state and helped lead the Demons to a 14-2 record.

            The Demons’ record was the best in team history and ranked among the best in the state. In fact, Reynolds is currently ranked No. 7 among public schools in North Carolina. However, their 14-10 loss last Friday to Greensboro Grimsley left Haus and his teammates disappointed.

            “We thought we were going to go a lot farther,” Haus said. “This year was the comeback year for me because I only got to play the last five games of the season last year as a sophomore. I thought we would go further into the playoffs.”

            Although the Demons didn’t get past the first round of the playoffs, they still had much to be proud of this past season. They won their conference championship and went undefeated against Forsyth County teams.

            Haus, 6-0, 170 pounds, was one of Reynolds’ leading scorers this season. He said his stick skills were the key to him scoring a lot of goals from his position.

            “I’ve been playing for a long time and I guess I have picked up the stick skills,” he said. “I’ve been around lacrosse my whole life.”

            Haus’ dad, Tom, was an outstanding collegiate lacrosse player at the University of North Carolina. While there, he played on a national championship team.

            His dad is a native of Towson, Md. He attended Loyola High, a hotbed for high school lacrosse players. Tom Haus, an accountant, also is an assistant coach. Jim O’Neill, the team’s head coach is the Forsyth County District Attornery.

            “I think he’s a great coach,” Haus said. “It’s awesome having so many coaches with the background in playing college lacrosse. We have coaches who have played at the top programs in the country and that helps them give us great insight.”

            After coming to Reynolds as a sophomore from Summit School during the 2008-2009 school year, Haus had to watch the Demons in action for most of the season. He injured his shoulder during the previous summer and surgery didn’t go the way he would have liked. It was followed by a second surgery during the school year that hampered his progress n joining the Demons program.

             During the fall Haus enjoys playing on the Demons soccer team. Other than most  of his time is spent playing lacrosse.

            Haus said he enjoys carrying on the family lacrosse tradition. In addition to his dad, Haus had two uncles who also played lacrosse at the University of North Carolina.

            “I’ve been playing since I was in the first grade,” he said. “I was the youngest kid out there (in Triad Youth Lacrosse League, TYLA). They didn’t have a team for my age, so I had to play against bigger kids.”

            Haus is hoping that all of his lacrosse playing will pay off for him. Right now, it is still a little early to tell. He has received interest from several small schools but not any Division I programs so far. He said he this summer will be important. He’ll be playing once again for Team Carolina, a club hockey program, based out of Charlotte, that plays for two months during the summer.