Sean Smith has begun in his first season as the head coach for the West Genesee Boys Varsity Lacrosse team. A resident of the area, Smith could not say enough about how happy he is to be apart of the storied program.
Like I tell everybody, I live in the community, but this is the ultimate job.” said Smith. “I mean this is the best program in the country, so why would you not want to take that chance.”
Smith took the reigns of the team following the retirement of Mike Messere at the conclusion of last season. Messere exited the team as one of the most accomplished high school lacrosse coaches in history, racking up 15 state titles over his 43-year tenure with the Wildcats. With his departure, a change in culture was imminent no matter who would take over from there. However, Smith has implemented a faster style of play to help establish the new era for West Genesee Lacrosse.
“We are trying to get a lot more shots than they have had in the past. That is a focus of ours,” he said. “We are trying to become like, for a better term, a [Syracuse} back in the day, in the eighties and nineties when they would run, run, run.”
According to Smith, he wants his players to shoot “at least 40 to 45 shots a game, if not more”. A playbook as aggressive as this should not be surprising when it comes to a coach like Smith. He describes himself as an “intense guy”, a sentiment that is shared by most of his players and assistants.
When he commits to something, he’s all over it.” said Kevin Brady, who has coached with Smith since 2000 at Corcoran High School, a program that was founded by Smith. “So, he likes to make sure things get done.”
Smith personality shows in the way he treats his practices: intense and efficient. During spring break at West Genesee High School, instead of giving the players some time off, Smith would hold daily practices beginning at 7 o’clock in the morning, followed by lifting sessions at the school’s weight room. Despite how tight of a program Smith may seem to run, players like senior Max Rosa said that he is just as approachable as he is intense.
“He’s more of a players coach,” said Rosa, who played for three years under Messere. You can go to him about things off the field.”
Smith’s ability to remain a stern leader while also being a role model to his players has helped lead the Wildcats to a 7-3 start to their season. After the team was eliminated abruptly last year in the section semifinals to Ward Melville, West Genesee’s road to redemption lies in the hands of Smith, who has made his intentions clear since the beginning of the season.
“We want to win the league, we want to win the section, we want to win the states. So that’s always going to be the focus at West Genesee,” said Smith.
The Wildcats will take on Corcoran, Smith’s former team, in their next game on May 7th at Corcoran High School.
