The inaugural Ocean State Challenge saw two Rhode Island All-Star teams face off against a pair of top Massachusetts town select programs in a round-robin exhibition series at Faxon Farm in Rehoboth on Sunday, Aug. 16.

RI-White and RI-Blue, assembled from the 2026 Girls 7/8 Rhode Island Youth Lacrosse League All-Star game rosters, welcomed King Phillip Select and Hingham Select from Massachusetts Youth Lacrosse for a half day of competitive games. RI-Blue defeated King Phillip 11-7 and Hingham 8-6, and RI-White battled King Phillip to a 14-14 tie before falling to Hingham, 13-7.

Seven East Bay Lacrosse players suited up for Team RI: Mila Aguirre, Avery Blanco, Vivian Davignon, and Sydney Oswalt for RI-Blue, and Ellie Glass, Adele Marchal, and Maggie Porter for RI-White. All players graduate high school in 2030 or 2031, and the RI roster represented 12 different town lacrosse programs.

The event gave these RI all-stars, who typically cross paths as town lacrosse rivals, the opportunity to represent their home state and compete together against very talented Massachusetts teams

Event organizer Greg Blanco, who is from Barrington, said the idea grew out of a gap he and Scott Sunaz-Lods, head RIYLL Girls Official, saw in the local lacrosse scene. 

"The vision was to fill a void in the local youth lacrosse landscape that is more town-oriented than club lacrosse, but more competitive than town,” Blanco said. “These phenomenal players right here in Rhode Island are spread out across five programs in our region. We wanted to provide the opportunity for them to compete together, raising the bar beyond what's typically available in town-league play."

Sunaz-Lods added, "What a great day for Rhode Island youth lacrosse! Players from all over the state putting town pride aside to represent Rhode Island as one unit, showcasing their talent and sportsmanship against our neighbors from the north. I'm excited to see this event grow in the future. What a great opportunity for the players here in the Ocean State!"

Both Rhode Island teams were coached by Haley McCusker O'Keefe (Revolution Lacrosse), Jess O'Neill (Rhode Island College/RI Bulldogs), and Anje Altebrando (Barrington High School/Revolution Lacrosse).

Blanco and Sunaz-Lods plan to organize more events like this to help grow Rhode Island lacrosse and incorporate more Massachusetts programs into the Ocean State Challenge.

For more information about the Ocean State Challenge, contact: greg@eastbaylax.org