Lacrosse Teams Lose Winning Coaches

Both reigning North Coast Section Champion boys’ and girls’ lacrosse teams find themselves in precarious situations as the 2018 season approaches: Neither team will have the coach that guided them to their recent success.

Former boys’ varsity head coach, Mitchell Frey, resigned after the 2017 season, citing “personal issues,” such as a the long commute and the time he wanted to devote to his family.  Frey has recently married.

According to junior player Cole Barlow, Frey coached through 2017 because he wanted to finish with the seniors who had been freshmen when he took over the program in 2014.

While losing Frey after such a successful turnaround for the program might be an understandable disappointment, sophomore Tucker Shea has reason to be confident in his replacement. Colin Knightly will take over this spring, bringing with him a considerable body of experience.. “He’s been coaching me as long as I’ve been playing the game either at camps or clinics,” said Shea, who added that Knightly used to coach at De La Salle and also started his own club program, Knights Lacrosse.

Unfortunately, the girls’ squad has not been so lucky.

The coach that directed them to a section title, Shane Carney, with a newborn just arrived, has also decided to step back from his position, but as of mid-January, no replacement has been found.

Senior co-captain Liv Lagomarsino is understandably worried. “Without a coach, there’s no team. And, after losing a coach like Shane Carney, someone who the whole team really clicked with, I was worried it’d be hard to find a good replacement,” she said.

This is not the first time that the girls’ team has had difficulty finding a coach. “Heading into the 2016 season, the previous coach stepped down and no one was applying. A few families I knew from soccer started making a joke about me coaching, which became a rumor, and then slowly became almost this situation where I started feeling guilty if I didn’t do it,” explained Carney.

“Shane absolutely had a roll with the success of the 2017 season. He made the dynamic on the team a really healthy, loving one which I think definitely contributed to our successful season last year. I’m not even sure how he did it, but it worked,” added Lagomarsino.

“I like a challenge, so I figured, why not. I did end up enjoying it a lot more than I ever expected, which is why I stuck around for a second season,” Carney explained.

While he may be conflicted about leaving the team, Carney does believe that the future of the program can still be a good one. “I was happy to navigate, but it was the girls driving the bus. That bus is still heading for loads of success regardless of who hops in as the new coach,” he said.

According to Campolindo’s athletic director, Shannon Rogers, there has been one applicant for the vacant coaching position and pending an interview and certification requirements, the position could be filled prior to the start of the season on February 6.