Being awarded the provincial championships in their inaugural season was a significant accomplishment for the Richmond Roadrunners. Expecting them to actually participate in them was simply too much to ask.

Barring a significant development, the Roadrunners will be on the outside looking in when the province's top Intermediate "A" lacrosse teams do battle at Minoru Arenas over the B.C. Day Long Weekend. They enter this week's play with an 3-12 record and only four of the league's nine teams advance to the showcase tournament.

"It would take some kind of a miracle for us to be there," admitted Richmond head coach Matt Miyashita. "We are making progress and the boys are understanding the kind of commitment it takes to compete."

Miyashita is familiar with success at this level and beyond having been part of the successful Burnaby Lakers organization in intermediate and junior. The Richmond native didn't have any local options to play and went down the same path a number of the city's top box players have followed including his older brother Mark.

Miyashita was selected by Coquitlam in the 2010 WLA draft but opted to take the season off to rest up for the field version of the sport and concentrate on his coaching duties.

The Roadrunners are coming off their best week of the season that included a 10-9 home floor win over seventh place Langley and losing an 11-10 overtime heartbreaker to the Delta Islanders on Friday night in Ladner. They will look to continue their improve play when the Coquitlam Adanacs visit Minoru tonight at 8 p.m.

Despite falling well behind the league leaders, Miyashita continues to run a disciplined program with a heavy emphasis on conditioning. It's been an eye-opening experience for the players, with the majority of them in their first year at the intermediate level.

"Our mindset is we will be competing in the provincials because that has to be established," he said. "The talent and potential is definitely there for us to be there next season as long a they are willing to make the necessary commitment."

Boxla Bits...

- Tyler Nett leads the Roadrunners in scoring with 50 points in 15 games, including 31 goals. Iain Vickers is also enjoying a solid campaign with 23 tallies.

- Richmond will also be hosting the Provincial Intermediate "B" Championships the same weekend at Minoru. The Roadrunners currently own a 6-8 record in the Southern Conference.

- A busy July of championship lacrosse in Richmond will begin with the Provincial Bantam Championships. Titles will be up for grabs in four divisions -- A1, A2, B and C. The hosts are looking for their third straight provincial title at the A2 level. The tournament runs from July 7-11.