PEABODY– It’s fair to say that things are coming full-circle for Peabody native Leo Shidler as the spring season quickly approaches. A four-year lacrosse player during his days wearing the Tanners uniform, Shidler was named Peabody’s new head boys lacrosse coach during the offseason. The appointment, made by Peabody Athletic Director Bob Bua, brings Shidler back to his alma mater.
“I was extremely excited,” Shidler, a 2005 Peabody graduate, said. “Ever since I left here it was a dream to come back. I never thought I’d be the head coach here. I was definitely insanely excited when I heard they were going to name me the coach. There’s a ton of talent here. It’s incredible actually.”
Shidler replaces former Tanners coach Greg Welch, who held the role for the 2018 season. Shidler’s Peabody’s third head coach in as many seasons.
After graduating from Peabody, Shidler played college lacrosse at Division III Mount Ida College. He was named the head coach of the varsity team at Bishop Fenwick in 2010 and remained in that role until 2013. A math teacher at Peabody High, Shilder hasn’t coached since the 2013 season.
“It’s kind of an honor,” Shidler said. “I know the program’s kind of been down. I’ve been following ever since I graduated. My brother played here and my sister played here. At Fenwick we played Peabody every year. It’s a little nerve-wracking. I’m a bit nervous to get excited.”
Peabody returns a young core from last year’s team, which fell just short of a state tournament berth.
“Most of the core guys are young,” Shidler said. “They’re young and very talented. I watched some of the film from last year, when they played Lowell and the Danish Cup against Fenwick. What stood out to me was how young they were and how quick they were.
“I feel good about what’s coming through,” he added. “It felt as though it kind of dragged on. At Fenwick it was kind of a last-minute assignment. They called me at the end of January to be the head coach and then the season came quickly. I can’t wait. I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people. I think we’re coming in under the radar. I don’t think people understand the level of talent we have. I’m excited to see where we go.”
The Tanners have struggled to compete in the Northeastern Conference over the past few seasons. Shidler’s hoping this year’s team can stop that trend and said it starts with playing a competitive non-conference schedule.
“I think our non-conference schedule is pretty good,” Shidler said. “We have a tough game against Acton-Boxboro. We’ll be excited to see how we can do against one of the top teams in the state. As far as the conference goes, I don’t see why we can’t compete in the conference. Marblehead’s tough and Danvers has been good. We’re excited to get started in a few weeks and see how we stack up against those guys.”
As for Shidler’s coaching methods, game film will be a top priority as he aims to groom players for the college level.
“I’m a little more X’s and O’s centric,” Shidler said. “Just from the talking to the guys they haven’t done a lot of film. When I was here we didn’t do a lot of film. It wasn’t a big thing in the past. We’ll do a little more of that. Hopefully a lot of these guys can go on to play at the next level.”
A proud Peabody alum, Shidler has a full understanding of the tradition that comes with playing in the school’s lacrosse program. He’ll look to relay that sense of pride to his players.
“Myself and the entire staff, most of the guys on the staff are alum from Peabody High,” Shidler said. “We’re hoping the pride of playing here rubs off a little bit. Not to say these guys aren’t excited to play at Peabody. We’re hoping that pride rubs off on these guys a little bit and they take the next step. It’s been a while since they made the tournament.”
