The St. Mary’s boys lacrosse team is looking to improve upon last season, and there will be someone else commanding the ship – Darwin Fernandez. 

Fernandez has been an assistant coach for the last two years, and was named Catholic Central League Assistant Coach of the Year in 2022. 

Now spearheading the program, Fernandez said morale is high, mainly since the majority of players wanted Fernandez to be the next head coach. 

“Everyone’s mood is really good. They were excited that I was named head coach,” Fernandez said. “They were asking me all offseason to be a head coach… I told them that I would apply and if I got it, great, if not, I would go back anyway to help. I really like these kids. They mean a lot to me.” 

When asked how his first few days have been, Fernandez admitted to them being “a lot.” 

“I give a lot of props to my head coaches and all the other head coaches out there. It’s a lot to handle and I’ve been pretty good at handling it,” he said. “I get a lot of support from the school and from the captains’ parents, who help with the boosters.” 

Last season wasn’t one to remember for the Spartans, who went 2-16.

“I’m looking forward to watching these kids get a few wins, if I’m being honest,” Fernandez said. “Last year, we had a few games that got out of reach.” 

As for how he accomplishes that goal, Fernandez believes it’s by going back to the basics.

“One thing that I’m doing differently is focusing on basic skill development,” Fernandez said. “We’re also doing a lot more conditioning. During conditioning training, myself and the other coaches will join in and run with them. We do this so the kids don’t feel like we’re just bagging on them.” 

A strength of this year’s unit will be its chemistry, as most players just wrapped up an ice hockey season together.

“One of their strengths is their core chemistry,” Fernandez said. “The team chemistry has always been something – even as an assistant – that I always worried about. Because if you don’t have team chemistry, you won’t get what you want out of it.” 

The Spartans tried to be a “free-flowing” offense last spring, but the next few months will be a little different, according to the first-year coach.

“Free-flowing offense is good when you have a lot of high-skill level players who have the lacrosse IQ to put the ball in the back of the net,” Fernandez said. “The rest of the coaching staff and I have a few things we’re working on.” 

Captains for the upcoming season are Benjamin Fry, Patrick Babineau, and Joey Calder. Beyond them, Fernandez believes starting goalie Steven Lake is primed for a big season, among others. 

“Steven Lake, who is my starting goalie, and Patrick Babineau, who is my head defender, I have known since he (Babineau) was in middle school,” Fernandez said. “I think both will have strong years. Patrick, after the hockey season, and Steve were playing lacrosse all year and the two showed they’re two of the most committed.”

Unfortunately for the laxmen, Fry will be sitting out for the year as he tore his ACL during hockey season. 

“Benjamin Fry would have been another big player for us this year,” Fernandez said.

When asked about upcoming goals, Fernandez said he wants his team to be more “disciplined” and avoid penalties. 

“My main goal and expectation for them is discipline. In lacrosse, getting penalties can hurt you and we got a few last year that were unnecessary, so I’m just hammering that down for them to remain disciplined,” he said.

And at the end of the day, Fernandez does this because of his love for development – and lacrosse. 

“I coach because I love the sport and love watching the kids grow and expand their skills to become better players,” Fernandez said.