SWAMPSCOTT — After five years as head coach of the boys lacrosse team at Swampscott High School, Todd Pierce has decided to step down. Pierce made his decision official last week.
Pierce served as an assistant on the Swampscott staff and spent two seasons as the head coach at Saugus (2012-2013) before taking over the Big Blue program in 2014. Overall, Pierce carries 12 years of experience coaching football and lacrosse at Swampscott.
In his five years at the helm, the Big Blue won three Northeastern Conference South crowns and made four state tournament appearances. Swampscott reached the semifinal round of the Division 3 North state tournament in 2014.
Pierce ends his tenure as Swampscott’s head coach with a record of 51-49.
“I had been thinking about it and in order to coach all of these years, I’ve worked overnights,” Pierce, a police officer in Swampscott, said. “I think it’s time for me to get off these overnights. My son (Zachary) is going to be a freshman next year. I think it’s time for him to pave his success.
“I appreciate all the support over the years, especially the kids,” Pierce added. “They made it a joy to coach, whether it was football or lacrosse. I appreciate all the support from the administration and the parents. I owe a great debt to Josh Field and Steve Dembowski for bringing me on.”
Pierce’s goal for the past five seasons was to continue a tradition of competitive lacrosse at Swampscott. He feels the team reached that feat.
“Coach Field had the team in a competitive spot,” Pierce, who played football at Danvers High and lacrosse at Norwich University, said. “I think we continued that. We were moved from the NEC South to the NEC North this year and we competed. I think we’ve moved the program to where it can compete with the teams in the NEC North. I feel like we’ve gotten there.”
Swampscott went through a tough season this past spring, finishing at 4-14. The Big Blue finished the 2018 campaign on a high note with a 5-2 win over Gloucester on May 22.
Injuries took their tolls on the Big Blue and forced them to play inexperienced underclassmen in key roles at the varsity level. The positive, however, is that those underclassmen will return next season with a year of varsity experience on their shoulders.
“I think the next coach will walk into a good situation,” Pierce said. “We played a lot of young kids. Our No. 1 problem this year was our top goaltender got hurt and missed a big part of the season. In the NEC North, if you don’t have a goalie who’s competed at that position for years, you’re kind of up against it. That’s the situation we found ourselves in.”
As for what he’ll miss most about coaching the Big Blue, Pierce said it’s the relationships he built with his players.
“Being a police officer in Swampscott, it’s nice to get the ‘hey coach how are you?’ when the kids see me around town,” Pierce said. “I’ll miss getting to know them and doing a little bit to make each kids’ high school experience a bit better. That’s all I hope I’ve been able to do.”
Before Pierce clears his schedule from coaching, he has one more game to take care of. Pierce has been tabbed to coach next week’s 7th Annual Agganis boys lacrosse all-star game. The North all-stars will battle the South all-stars next Wednesday night (7) at Manning Field.
“It’ll be a nice game to coach as my last game, especially with all of the great history in the Agganis Foundation,” Pierce said. “It’s a great way for high school seniors to finish their high school careers. It’s a lot of fun. There’s nothing better than playing lacrosse on a beautiful summer night for the pure joy of playing lacrosse.”
