Waves of burnt orange and maroon packed the stadium on a warm Saturday afternoon. Fans passionately cheered as the Longhorns routed the Aggies, 21-8.

But this wasn't football.

"Honestly, this is the biggest crowd we've ever played in front of," said Texas club lacrosse player Will Anderson. "The support definitely gave us a little incentive to play harder."

Lacrosse stood front and center this past weekend at St. Stephen's, with the LXM Pro Tour in town. Texas' club team typically is buried in the grandiosity of other sports on campus, and a lack of scholarships has added to its lack of a substantial fan base. The Longhorns play lacrosse on a small budget. Players have to pay dues .

"Lacrosse players in Texas understand that there's no glory involved," said Texas coach Noah Fink. "But we have a tight squad, and everyone wants to be here to play lacrosse."

Fink estimates that Austin had about 80 youth players when he moved to Texas from the lacrosse-rich northeast 10 years ago. That number has exploded to more than 2,000 participants this year, he said.

"It's been a fight, but once you put a stick in a kid's hands, they're hooked," Fink said. "Before you know it, it'll be a state sport in Texas."

The Westlake area has grown into one of the city's main lacrosse havens. The Westlake Lacrosse Association has doubled in size each of the past three years, youth coach John Webster said, and now faces a problem that few could have predicted a decade ago.

"We used to have trouble getting the kids to play," Webster said. "But now we're maxed out on field space, and we're trying to find more room for them to play."

On Saturday, as part of the LXM Pro Tour, pro players held an instructional clinic for youth players from Westlake, Round Rock and other leagues.

Austin was one of five cities the tour will visit over the next nine months. Tour stops include a college showcase game and an exhibition between some of the nation's top professional players.

"It's the best sport in the world, and I get to travel with some pretty phenomenal players," said clinic participant and actor Peter Dante, who played lacrosse at Hofstra University before acting in supporting roles in movies, including "The Wedding Singer" and "50 First Dates."

"Right now, we're loving the Austin community, and we're here to show Texans how to play lacrosse," Dante said.

By Jordan Godwin, Austin Statesmen