NATCHEZ &8212; &8220;First&8221; is a relative term.

Saturday, high school teams from out of town gathered at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians to play the area&8217;s first game of lacrosse.

Modern day first, that is.

Centuries ago, the French watched the Natchez Indians play a fierce game of stickball in the same location.

Saturday&8217;s version was an adaptation of the Native American game.

When the Natchez played rival villages, the game would take place in a secret location so no hexes could be put on the field, event organizer Tom Scarborough said

Lacrosse, an intensely physical game, requires players to pick up a small rubber ball with a net on the end of a stick and fling it, eventually scoring by throwing the ball into a goal.

Jesuit High School from New Orleans won the first game, 8-5 against St. Thomas More High School of Lafayette. St. Thomas More won the second against the Ocean Springs Lacrosse Club, 10-7.

The game is popular in other areas but hasn&8217;t really gained widespread popularity in Mississippi or Louisiana, Scarborough said. He said in the future he might try to start a youth team in Natchez.

&8220;This is one of the last parts of the country where it has not really made strong inroads,&8221; Scarborough said. &8220;I really want to make this an annual thing, and maybe get the Choctaw team to play before the game.&8221;

In the 1980s, Choctaw players put on exhibition stickball games at the Grand Village, but this was the first lacrosse game, he said.

Cynthia Render-Leach and Frank Leach traveled from Ocean Springs to see their son, Ian, play.

&8220;This is his third year,&8221; Frank Leach said. &8220;We try to make every game. The problem is, there are not too many games because there are not too many teams across the area.&8221;

Debbie Richard&8217;s son, Blake, plays on the St. Thomas More team. He went to an exhibition game, thought it looked cool and joined a team, Richard said.

&8220;He&8217;s played soccer since he was little,&8221; she said. &8220;He calls (lacrosse) soccer on steroids.&8221;

Natchez resident Paul Burns and his son, Harrison, watch lacrosse on television, and when they had the opportunity to see a live game, they jumped on it.

&8220;I think it&8217;s a good thing to get new sports out here&8221;, Paul Burns said.

He said he thought it was interesting to watch a modern game played on the same field its ancient predecessor was played.

&8220;It&8217;s kind of neat to think about,&8221; he said. &8220;Although it&8217;s the first time lacrosse has been played in Natchez, it really isn&8217;t.&8221;