AZ Hot Sauce Defends 'Home Turf' at Phoenix Rise
AZ Hot Sauce Lacrosse defended it's "home turf" for the first time ever at the inaugural Phoenix
Rise tournament, January 22-23. Hosted by Adrenaline Lacrosse, Phoenix Rise was the first national lacrosse tournament to be played at Bell Bank Park, powered by Legacy Sports.
Phoenix Rise was the final tournament of the 2021/2022 campaign for Hot Sauce, which fielded three teams. Playing in the 2022 division, Reapers (2023/2024) went 2-3 on the weekend, while the Scorpions (2025) team went 3-2, taking 3rd place in 2024 division. The Ghosts (2026) squad fielded mainly first-time Hot Sauce players and went 2-3 on the weekend, upsetting Chaos 2026 in the playoff bracket for a bid to the championship game, where they dropped to RC Blues to take 2nd place overall.
"A really great weekend, overall," said program director Dan Lannon. "I'm incredibly proud of their efforts. Thanks to all that made the weekend a success!"
"Our teams performed on the field, coaches were positive and insightful, parents were enthusiastic and the players enjoyed themselves on and off the field," added 2023 head coach Frank Ferrantelli. "Wins all around!"
While the Hot Sauce coaching staff was proud of their teams' performances over the weekend, their sights are already set on the 2022/2023 campaign, which begins with team tryouts on February 13 at the Tempe Sports Complex.
In the weeks ahead, Hot Sauce will be announcing its full summer tournament schedule, having already announced that all middle school and youth teams will be heading to the Santa Barbara Summer Showdown, June 18-19, and the Tribz California Showcase, July 23-24.
"We are excited for the opportunity to showcase the talent of the Valley," said Ghosts coach Ryan Berns. "These tournaments give us an opportunity to stretch ourselves and become even better versions of ourselves. We know the talent of the West Coast will be a strong test. We also know iron sharpens iron. This is a summer of growth, perseverance, and lacrosse. We love our AZ lacrosse family!"
Players entering grades K through 12 are invited to attend the upcoming "Evaluation Camp." Following the tryouts, coaches will invite players to join Hot Sauce travel teams or local summer leagues. Registration is at https://www.azhotsaucelax.com/tryouts.