Congratulations, Coach Bayer, on US Lacrosse Coach of Year

Congratulations to our own Coach Kris Bayer! We couldn't agree more with the Coach of the Year award presented to our Warriors' Head LAX Coach by US Lacrosse. Excerpts from the report filed by Southern Maryland News Sports Reporter Michael Reid is below, or click on the link for the full article.

Friday, Sep. 09, 2011 Maryland Independent

Trio earns boys lacrosse awards

La Plata’s Bayer among those honored

by MICHAEL REID, Staff writer

File photo by EMILY BARNES La Plata head boys lacrosse coach Kris Bayer, left with son Jake, was honored as US Lacrosse Coach of the Year for Southern Maryland.

A trio of Southern Maryland high school boys lacrosse coaches was recently honored by US Lacrosse as ambassadors for their time and commitment in the sport. La Plata head coach Kris Bayer was honored as US Lacrosse Coach of the Year for the Southern Maryland region, while Calverton assistant coach Kraig Draper earned Assistant Coach of the Year honors for Maryland’s independent teams. Richard Kruckow of Chopticon was awarded Man of the Year honors for the Southern Maryland region.

“It’s pretty humbling,” said Bayer, 39, who also runs the Charles County Lacrosse Club. “Just to even be nominated I was shocked especially with the company that I was in with Joe [Casalino, Northern head coach] and Pete [Kerwin, Huntingtown head coach] and all the other coaches.”
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The Coach and Assistant Coach of the Year awards are intended to recognize the individuals’ overall coaching performance and contribution, on and off the field. The Man of the Year award honors those individuals whose dedication, commitment and support of the game and its ideals extend beyond his specific team.

Bayer took over the fledgling La Plata program in 2009 and, despite having no junior varsity team, led the Warriors to a combined two-year record of 23-2 during club play against fellow Charles County opponents. “I think a big part of it was the kids’ willingness to learn,” Bayer said of why his team has experienced early program success. “We have a great group of kids and the CCLC is starting to pay dividends now.”

“I nominated Kris because [of] the first-year struggles of bringing a team into the conference,” Casalino said. “Kris did an unbelievable job organizing his team and having them be competitive against some of the more established teams in the league.”

Last season, while competing in a regular Southern Maryland Athletic Conference schedule, the Warriors finished a county-best seventh with a record of 6-7 (6-6 SMAC). "Certainly playing against the SMAC teams is a wake-up call to our kids,” said Bayer, an IT director for a trade association. “The brand of lacrosse we were playing in Charles County those two years was more football with sticks more than anything else.”

The Warriors later were upended 15-7 by Wilde Lake in the first round of the Class 3A-2A South Region playoffs.

“We played them last of the Charles County teams, so certainly we had thoughts of what we would see from every Charles County team,” Casalino said. “And then when we played them they were different and much more organized than anyone else.” Click here for remainder of story.