Simbliaris to coach combined Classical-English lacrosse team

Chris Simbliaris will coach the new combined Classical-English lacrosse team this spring.Simbliaris interviewed for the job Monday and was notified Wednesday that he had been hired. Simbliaris has been the Classical head coach for the last six years. English head coach Kevin Driscoll did not apply for the job.The merger of the two lacrosse programs marks the second such Classical-English collaboration. The hockey team merged under a new name, the Lynn Jets, and is midway through its inaugural season. Like the hockey merger, the lacrosse arrangement is for two years and will then come up for review.Simbliaris said the details of the merger are still being worked out. Although the hockey team adopted a neutral set of colors (red, white and blue) and a new nickname (the Jets), Simbliaris wasn’t sure how these issues would be handled with lacrosse. He said he initially thought the team would still be called Classical and the English athletes would be welcome to play, but now he’s hearing it will be called Lynn. He said at this point, the team will wear Classical helmets and gloves, but he wasn’t sure about the rest of the uniform.”There isn’t enough money in the budget to buy new uniforms and equipment,” he said.Despite the uniform alterations, Simbliaris said, “The merger pretty much doesn’t change anything.” He added that the only real difference is that he’ll have English players on the team.Simbliaris said he hopes to be able to have more practices at Manning Field so that English players wouldn’t have to make the trek to Classical every day, but that would depend on field availability. If the team doesn’t practice at Manning, it will use the field behind Classical, with the junior varsity games being played at Hood Park.The team will play the Classical schedule, although Simbliaris said he’ll have to pick up a couple more games to compensate for the English games.Although the Classical-English hockey merger was prompted by low numbers at both schools, particularly at Classical, the lacrosse numbers at Classical are still good. Simbliaris said he’s expecting around 40 returning players. The English numbers had dropped off considerably last year. Simbliaris said he’s expecting around eight to 10 returning players from English.Both programs were starting to feel the effects of a lack of a youth lacrosse program in the city. The Lynn Youth Lacrosse league folded, and Lynn youngsters who want to play lacrosse must go to Salem.Driscoll said when lacrosse was first introduced at many area high schools, most communities were in the same boat as far as getting players who had never played the game before. That has changed. Youth lacrosse is thriving in many neighboring communities, while it’s nonexistent in Lynn.”Numbers are definitely low in the city,” Driscoll said. “With no more youth program, it’s tough to support two teams.”