Randall Archer takes over as new Varsity head coach
February 8, 2019
The Decatur Boys varsity lacrosse team recently adopted Randall Archer as the new head coach after a five year interim period between permanent head coaches. Archer, who took over as head coach from Adam Pinsley, is one of the few head coaches to work at the school, a position which he feels has made it easier to connect with the team.
“Since Mr. Hatfield left the position five years ago, they have been through five different head coaches, and none of them had been in the building,” Archer said. “Ideally, your head coach is in the building and can communicate with the boys on a regular basis.”
Archer addresses the Varsity and JV teams before a practice, reaffirming the value of teamwork and discipline to the success of the team.
Senior Isaac King, a captain on the Varsity team, feels that Archer’s presence, both in the building and on the field, has brought much-needed stability and structure to the team.
“Mr. Archer is stricter,” King said, “which isn’t always people’s favorite type of coaching but it made the team a lot stronger.”
Archer believes that his stricter coaching style will benefit the team.
“My biggest priority is to make sure that I am giving the boys everything they need to be successful,” Archer said. “I try to provide them with a lot of structure so that they can grow as players and as athletes in general.”
Archer has also made use of the technical skills of other coaches on the team, like Adam Pinsley, former head coach, Nate Wilinski and Sam Casper, who have been with the team during the many transitions between head coach.
“We have got some great community coaches, a couple of guys that have D1 playing experience,” Archer said. “They are great at helping the boys develop individual skills.”
With these new coaching policies, King is confident that the incoming team members will flourish.
Archer speaks to the Varsity and Junior Varsity team before practice.
“Decatur lacrosse has had a bit of a dark age,” King said. “[The upcoming players] are like this ray of light and it’s looking really good for the program.”
With the largest number of athletes trying out that the team has seen in several years, Archer is confident that the team will be highly successful this season.
“As a whole, the team is really coming into its own and learning together,” Archer said. “I think we are in a really good position to go far in the playoffs.”