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LOWER ALABAMA LACROSSE

Lower Alabama Lacrosse

High School Boys Coaching Staff Spring 2023

 Thomas Doyle - Head Coach

Coach Doyle was raised on Long Island, New York. He played lacrosse and football for Central Islip High School and his senior year was named to the All-Suffolk County Lacrosse Team. He went on to be a 3-year starter at midfield for Kutztown University in Pennsylvania and has played and coached lacrosse for the past 50 years. Coach Doyle worked for the New York State Department of Corrections for 30 years and retired as a Sgt for a SWAT team out of Albany, NY to Orange Beach, AL. Coach Doyle coached at Booker T. Washington for a year and then West Florida High School for a year both as a defensive coach.  In 2021 he came to the Lower Alabama Bayhawks as the head coach and helped lead them to the semi-finals in the Louisiana High School Lacrosse League (LHSLL). During the last two seasons, the Bayhawks have had a 23-3 record.  In 2022 the Bayhawks moved to the Gulf South Lacrosse League (GSLL) and won the championship their first season in the league.  In honor of his commitment to lacrosse and coaching, Coach Doyle was named Coach of the Year in 2022.


 Jason Capstraw - Assistant Coach
Coach Capstraw started his lacrosse journey when his 9-year-old son came home with a Lower Alabama Lacrosse (LAL) learn to play flyer. Over the past eight years he has served as son’s logistical coordinator, attended hundreds of AA/Elite club lacrosse games, and traveled close to 100,000 miles in support of the game. He has become a true student of lacrosse and is proud to be the assistant coach of the boy's high school team. His son, Jason plays in the goalie position and committed to The University of Virginia.

In Virginia, he coached boys U12 and U14 AA/Elite, for three years, and girls U10 B division two years, and has also coached some of the very best to ever play lacrosse. 


High School Girls Coaching Staff 2023

 Kim Arkell - Head Coach

I played Division I lacrosse for the University of Vermont from 2014-2018. I’ve been coaching lacrosse for over six years and for all ages. I coached for the New Hampshire Tomahawks Club Lacrosse for four years and coached one year as the Exeter New Hampshire High School JV Team Head Coach.  Outside of lacrosse, I spend my time going to the beach and playing with my two cats.


 Jim Poore - Coordinator and Assistant Coach
This is my second year serving as the coordinator and assistant coach for the high school girls' team with Lower Alabama Lacrosse (LAL). I played baseball at the University of South Alabama and graduated in 1997. I have two children, Reese and Allyson, currently playing on the boys' and girls' teams with LAL. Since they started playing, our family has been learning the game together and my wife Lesli currently serves on the LAL Board as the 2022-2023 Treasurer. I truly enjoy passing on my knowledge to the players while instilling the culture of the game. It has been a great pleasure to watch women's lacrosse grow in our region over the past seven years. I am working hard to create more opportunities for the team to play better and more well-known competitors to gain more recognition for our league that hopefully lead to college scholarship opportunities. 

7th-8th (U14) Boys Coaching Staff 2023

Ryan Schwahl - Head Coach
Coach Ryan was born and raised in Apopka, FL and attended Bishop Moore Catholic High School. He graduated in 1998, and went on

to pursue an engineering degree at the University of Kentucky. “GO BIG BLUE!” Ryan’s love of lacrosse has spanned several decades.
From playing youth and high school lacrosse to coaching youth teams, and eventually earning two 8A district championships while head coaching
the Apopka High School Lacrosse Team. New to Baldwin County in 2022 from Eastern Iowa, Coach Ryan and his wife Jalyse are both actively
involved in the Lower Alabama Lacrosse Program. They have three boys, Ethan, Wyatt, and Rivington along with two goldendoodles. A lot of
their time is dedicated to practicing and playing sports, but in their free time you can usually find them fishing or swimming in the Gulf.
In his own words, Coach Ryan is looking forward to a memorable first season as head coach of the 7th and 8th grade boys LALAX.
GO BAYHAWKS!


John Diedrich - Assistant Coach
The Diedrich family moved to Baldwin County in 2018 and have three children playing for the Bayhawks. Luke plays for the high school boys,
Hunter is on the boys 7/8 team, and Brooke is a six-grader playing on the high school girls' team. John has been volunteering his time with the
Bayhawks for the past two years as the girl's 3rd-6th coach and this year is assisting with the 7/8 boys' team.
 

5TH - 6TH (U12) BOYS COACHING STAFF 2023

 Josh French - Head Coach

Coach Josh was a military brat who grew up playing lacrosse in Baltimore, MD. After his family moved to Alabama, he played for the Hoover Buccaneers and helped lead them to multiple state titles. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the military and eventually earned a commission in 2018. Coach Josh began coaching recreational and club lacrosse in Texas in 2018. Last year he coached our 3RD-4TH boys to the NGLA Championship.

 Steve Rudolph - Assistant Coach
A native Memphian, Steve grew up in an athletic family and culture at Memphis University School that embraced TEAM concepts and sportsmanship. He and his two brothers played football for his dad, Jake Rudolph, a hall of fame football coach and athletic director for 39 years. He started coaching lacrosse in Memphis, TN in 2003 at the high school level and was successful as both an assistant and head coach for several teams over a ten-year period, including two state championships, while also contributing to the development of lacrosse in Tennessee. In addition, his Memphis experience included coaching at the 7th/8th (14U) levelSince relocating to Fairhope, AL he has coached the Bayhawks at both the 3rd/4th grade (10U) and 5th/6th grade (12U) levels over the past three seasons. Steve has a true passion and love for the game and enjoys developing lacrosse skills and character in young players.


 Jon Muffett - Assistant Coach
Jon Muffett grew up in Fayetteville, NC where he played travel sports for Amateur Athletic Union basketball, baseball, and club soccer.  He spent his high school years in Charlotte, NC where he played varsity soccer and baseball. Jon went on to attend Winthrop University and Liberty University. His lifelong passion for sports lead him to work for the Carolina Panthers during their Super Bowl bid in 2015. Jon and his family relocated to Fairhope, AL in October 2020. This will be Jon’s first year coaching lacrosse and is looking forward to working with the 2023 Bayhawks.


3RD - 4TH (U10) BOYS COACHING STAFF 2023

 Cameron Johnson - Head Coach

Hi! I'm Cameron Johnson, Head Coach for the 3rd/4th Boys Team. Last year was our first year with the Bayhawks for me and my oldest, Jet, as we joined the K-2 coed team. Growing up in the area, I played any sport I could, but lacrosse had not yet made it this far south. I’m excited to be part of such a great sport now and hope both of my sons enjoy it for a long time. This quickly became Jet’s favorite sport despite his love for soccer and swimming. And my youngest, Lochlan, cannot wait to make his debut in another couple of years. 


 Chase Mercer - Assistant Coach
Chase Mercer was born and raised in Danville, IL where he competed in USA Swimming from age 5, becoming a state-ranked athlete in both Illinois and Indiana.  Upon graduating from high school Chase joined the U.S. Coast Guard where he served for over 20 years until retiring as a commissioned officer in 2022.  Chase and his family recently relocated to Fairhope, AL from Northern VA, where his son and daughter both spent the past two years learning to love lacrosse and look forward to continuing to learn and grow as Bayhawks.  Although this is Chase’s first year coaching lacrosse, he has spent over 10 years as a youth mentor and is excited about working with the 2023 Bayhawks.


 Marric Johnson - Assistant Coach
Hi, I’m Marric Johnson. This is my son, Nathan, and I’s first venture into lacrosse. I grew up on baseball, baseball, baseball while Nathan has been more adventurous and branched out to a handful of sports thus far. We couldn’t be more excited to jump into the lax community and get to know you all better, though. Go Bayhawks!

K - 2ND COED COACHING STAFF 2023

 Dan DeAngelo - Head Coach / Sara DeAngelo - Assistant Coach

Hi! We're Dan and Sara DeAngelo.  We've recently moved into the Daphne area in 2022 from Clearwater, FL and are still getting plugged into local events and teams. We are looking forward for this awesome opportunity to help coach with the Bayhawks.  We have two daughters who are six and eight years old, so we're always busy with ice hockey, lacrosse, dance, and school. Dan serves active duty with the U.S. Coast Guard in Mobile, and we've been stationed in Florida, Texas and Alaska over the years. We are excited to introduce the awesome sport of lacrosse to the next generation.


 

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