Author: Ira Huff

Ira Thorpe Huff is Seneca, Hawk Clan, and was raised on the Tonawanda Seneca Nation near Buffalo, New York. He is a writer of short fiction and poetry, and when he isn’t writing, he coaches lacrosse. Specifically, he coaches for Earth Lacrosse, a program founded on the ideal of bringing the game back to its Haudenosaunee roots through nature awareness, cultural awareness and cultural expression. He received his BA in English & Textual Studies from Syracuse University and his MFA in Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts. He resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Support Earth Lacrosse, Support Indigenous Communities

Nya:weh sge:no, I am thankful you are well. The name I was given in the Longhouse is Songuyes and my English name is Ira. I was raised on the Tonawanda Seneca Nation near Buffalo, NY and I am the Cultural Director for Earth Lacrosse Programs, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that was founded with one main goal […]

Buffalo Sits Atop NLL Power Rankings for Week 17

Welcome to the NLL Power Rankings for Week 17. There were four games this past weekend, evenly split across the coasts with two games out West and two in the East. Although most went according to plan (i.e. Saskatchewan’s 12-9 win over Vancouver at home), the most surprising result of the weekend might have been […]

NLL Power Rankings: Week 16

This week’s NLL Power Rankings sees Buffalo as the unanimous No. 1 after downing No. 4 – and East Division rival – Toronto 8-6 on Saturday night at KeyBank Center. No. 2 Georgia also made some noise in our rankings by cutting Toronto down a notch on Friday, 14-5. No. 3 San Diego won a […]

NLL Power Rankings: Week 14

After an up-and-down weekend that saw the Buffalo beat Philadelphia 12-11 in dramatic fashion and lose to Georgia at home 14-9, the Bandits retain the No. 1 spot in this week’s NLL Power Rankings by a slim margin, as Georgia jumped No. 3 Toronto to come in at No. 2. New England, who came in […]

Colorado Mammoth Home Stretch — Breaking Down

For the Colorado Mammoth (3-7), where does two straight weeks of losing efforts land you? Well, they’re fourth in the West and clinging to the last playoff spot by half a game. Vancouver (3-8) is right on their heels, and like many have been saying this season, the Warriors’ record is deceiving. Vancouver is a […]

Ryan Benesch, Cory Vitarelli Trade — Breaking Down

So the Ryan Benesch saga in Colorado lasted less than two full seasons, as the Mammoth shipped the thirteen-year veteran to Rochester for fellow lefty Cory Vitarelli on Wednesday afternoon. Benesch is no stranger to being traded, with Rochester now being his sixth team, but he joins a Knighthawks squad that is firmly on the […]

NLL Power Rankings: Week 13

For the second week in a row, the Buffalo Bandits stay at No. 1 in the NLL Power Rankings in a unanimous vote amongst Lacrosse All Stars contributors, while Toronto remains a close No. 2. Both squads had the weekend off. Rounding out the top 5 in this week’s NLL Power Rankings, No. 3 Georgia […]

NLL Power Rankings: Week 12

We have a new (but not surprising) No. 1 this week in the NLL Power Rankings, as Buffalo unanimously claims the throne after a 16-9 trouncing of Rochester. Toronto dips back to the No. 2 spot after losing to New England 13-11 at Mohegan Sun on Sunday afternoon. Rounding out the top 5 in our […]

Breaking Down the Colorado Mammoth: Rising Son, Rush Hour

Today we’re taking another deep-dive into the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League. The Mammoth face-off against the Saskatchewan Rush this Friday. 10 Was The Magic Number So last week, I said that the Mammoth (3-5) needed to start scoring at least 12 goals a game to make a legitimate run at the playoffs, […]

NLL Power Rankings: Week 11

After a few weeks of waiting in the wings in the No. 2 spot, the Rock finally scale the mountain and claim the No. 1 spot outright after taking down the Seals 12-11 at Scotiabank Arena last Friday night. Buffalo slips to No. 2, but not for lack of effort, making an impressive fourth quarter […]

NLL Power Rankings: Week 10

This weekend’s action resulted in the Bandits jumping up from the No. 3 slot and tying with the Rock for first overall in this week’s NLL Power Rankings. Buffalo demolished the Swarm on Saturday, 19-9, a statement win that every other team in the league should definitely heed; the Rock had the weekend off, but […]

Breaking Down: Mammoth v. Philadelphia

This ‘Breaking Down’ NLL article features the Colorado Mammoth’s performance against the Philadelphia Wings. Getting Over The Hump The Mammoth (2-5) took their talents to Philadelphia this past weekend, taking down the Wings 12-10 in a game that saw a five goal fourth-quarter comeback. And while I’m sure they’re happy to be back in the […]