When James Palmieri played lacrosse at Palmetto, the love of the game had to suffice as a reward for success.

“I remember you would hear other teams at the school would get announced on the speaker if they won a big game, or you’d see an article in the school paper,” said Palmieri, who played from 1997 to 2001. “But we’d never hear anything about lacrosse. Our games and practices weren’t even on campus.”

For a new generation of Palmetto lacrosse players that is changing this season.

Palmetto is one of a handful of Miami-Dade County public schools that earned permission from the Dade School Board this past summer to participate in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s state series.

A group of parents of students who play lacrosse on club teams at Palmetto, Columbus, Killian and Coral Reef banded together over the summer to petition the board to allow the schools to play as part of the school’s athletic programs.

The schools, all members of the Greater Miami Athletic Conference, were unable to participate in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s state-sanctioned series due to a rule requiring 26 of the 39 public high schools to play a sport for it to be governed by the GMAC.

However, the board made an exception on the condition participating schools would raise funds to support their teams, something teams were already doing according to Palmieri. Before this season, Columbus and the other three Dade public schools competed in an independent club league — Interscholastic Associates.

“Instead of playing the same two or three teams over and over, this will allow the kids to play the kids they’ve known from the neighborhood and compete for a true state championship,” Palmieri said.

A boys’ lacrosse club team in one form or another with Palmetto students has existed for nearly 30 years.

The Florida High School Association’s state lacrosse season now has 138 schools fielding boys’ programs statewide this season. There are also 114 schools that will have girls’ lacrosse teams.

The sum grew by a substantial amount from the 89 total boys’ teams and 81 total girls’ teams there were last season.

“It’s up for grabs for anybody this year,” Gulliver coach James Piggott said. “Both [Gulliver] and Ransom have nice veteran teams, and Columbus is in same boat. It’s great for the sport because it brings more exposure and more kids wanting to play. It should open up rivalries more.”

No Miami-Dade County team has advanced to the state final four yet in the four years since the FHSAA recognized the sport. Gulliver has had the most success among boys’ teams in the state series. The Raiders reached the state quarterfinals in 2010, but lost in the round of 16 last year to Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas.

Gulliver and Ransom Everglades appear to be strong again this season, but will be challenged by the county’s new participants.

Columbus, which is one of the schools joining the state series after a successful run as an independent, is expected to contend with Gulliver and Ransom Everglades for the District 29 boys’ title. The Explorers return a mostly junior-laden squad that went 13-6 last year.

While Columbus and Belen, longtime rivals, are expecting crowds in the range of 4,000 spectators for their two meetings this season. Gulliver and Ransom will face each other as part of the Orange Bowl Lacrosse Classic on March 3rd at Sun Life Stadium.

GIRLS’ TEAMS

Broward County has had a few schools with girls’ lacrosse programs since the FHSAA state series began. In Dade, Palmer Trinity already fielded a girls’ team last year that qualified for the district playoffs.

This season, Palmetto, Killian and Coral Reef, which had girls’ club teams already, will also join the state series. Palmetto and Killian will play in District 25 along with Palmer Trinity and Tavernier Coral Shores. Coral Reef and Central, which was planning to have a girls’ team as well according to the FHSAA, will be state-sanctioned independents.