Tech lacrosse will have a familiar face on the bench

Jay Richards sounds ready to begin his second stint as head lacrosse coach at Lynn Tech.”It’s a great atmosphere,” said Richards, who has taught plumbing at Tech since 1986. “I love the kids ? Every day gets better and better.”Richards brought lacrosse to Tech and then left to coach Bishop Fenwick, with Brad Tilley taking over the Tigers program. (“He did a great job,” Richards said.) When Tilley retired, Richards returned to coach at Tech.As was the case with creating the first team at Tech, there is much about this year’s squad that is new.”I have guys who have never played the game,” Richards said. “I couldn’t tell you a starting lineup right now if I could throw balls up in the air.”However, he also has some experience in the form of 10 returning players from last year’s team – which had “probably one of the best seasons in the history of the school,” Richards said.Leading the list of veterans are senior captains Alex Quinton, a defenseman, and Damon White.”We have a good core of kids,” Richards said. “Twenty-eight show up faithfully. The defense is working good. Offensively, we’ve got maybe seven or eight kids who could throw and catch.”Goalie Richard Jones-Alas, a senior, starred on the soccer team and is taking to his position in the lacrosse net.”Every single day he just gets better,” Richards said. “He’s gone from using his feet to make every save to coordinating with the stick.”The team in general is working on its stick-handling skills.”Every day is a learning process,” Richards said. “We have kids who’ve never held a stick in their hand. We do wall balls, right and left ? It’s a lot of fun. They want to learn.”On March 15, the first day of practice, the team and its coach met in a classroom and discussed the offensive and defensive system. The next day, they were out in full equipment. Richards said the players have worn pads “since Day One and haven’t missed a day yet.”The team has mixed in combined practices with other teams such as Peabody, Lynnfield and the Lynn Classical/Lynn English program.On April 7, the regular season begins with a game against Shawsheen at home. The Tigers will play 14 games, all but two in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference; they will also play two nonleague games against Cambridge Rindge & Latin.Asked what his goals are this season, Richards said, “To have fun. To make the best of the season. I have no goals, no pressure to do this or that. Keep them occupied, keep them off the streets, have a good time. To win a few games would be great. Our goal is to really have fun.”Richards’ assistants this year are his son, Jarrod, and Dick Wall, who was also an assistant last year. There are also three to four volunteers, including former Tech player James Wall, Dick’s son, and Jimmy McDonald Jr.