In a lacrosse-loving town like New Canaan, Conn., kids pick up the game early. Sticks are in hands, groundballs are being scooped, and shooting is being taught to kindergarten and first-graders by the dozens.
There is no shortage of elite coaches nor parents who played top-level college lacrosse, which has resulted in a robust youth program that feeds one of the most competitive public high schools in the country.
Bryce Lyden missed all that.
Lyden grew up in Stamford, moving to New Canaan in middle school. A gifted hockey player, he didn’t begin playing defense until middle school.