20 years of Red Hawks

Twenty years ago a group of Lacrosse enthusiasts got together to discuss the possibility of establishing a youth program to benefit parents and players in the South Bay. A year prior, AJ O’Brien was coaching a youth team called the Tomahawks in Palo Alto, so his son Chauncey could experience the fun of the game that AJ played in Colorado. AJ got to together with his friend Bill Cleary to discuss what it would take to pull together a program for kids in Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell and San Jose.

The two dads and former players got together with Joe Christie, a teacher at the Redwood Middle School in Saratoga. Joe had already been informally teaching some of his students about the game that he played back in Maryland. At the time a professional Lacrosse team called the Stealth, which was initially owned by the San Jose Sharks, was creating a good deal of “buzz” and enthusiasm for the game. At the time only a few high schools in Northern California had actual programs, despite the emerging popularity of the game on the peninsula, San Francisco, Marin County and the East Bay. So the stage was set and the trio moved into motion to make it happen.

But there were so many questions and challenges. How do we finance the club initially as a non-profit? What would be the costs? What about coaches? Where could we purchase equipment, uniforms and how would we secure fields? 

AJ recalls grappling with that first challenge: “So we had a fundraiser at the San Jose Sharks box of Bill Cleary’s old Lacrosse buddy Chuck Berger. At the time, hockey fans were treated to games of box Lacrosse by the franchise owned by the Stealth. It was an exciting night and we raised enough cash to officially fund the club and get things off the ground. From the onset, we had the full support of the pro players from the Stealth. In fact, the professional players turned out to be a great source of coaches for the club. It was a great night and the beginning of an exciting journey that has lasted for the past 20 years.”

What’s really great is that we also found some really good coaching talent locally, and former Stanford men’s coach Mark Lipscomb was one of the first local guys to step up. Some of our earliest coaches included two really great players. Scotty Ranger was a young Canadian who was a “super star” who played for some of Canada’s top teams, and was now part of the San Jose Stealth. Scotty was a natural leader and proved to be a patient and really great teacher. We learned early on that what made great coaches was their ability to “connect with the kids.” In addition, we brought on Ryan Boyle, who was a four time All-American who had led Princeton to a national title early on in his collegiate career.  

Needless to say the early years of the club were exciting as “word of mouth” spread and parents and players were incredibly enthusiastic about this exciting new game with Native American origins that literally went back to 16th century. Lacrosse had always been a part of the Canadian sports landscape, where Native Americans in the Quebec Province (Mohawks) had profoundly influenced some of the early Canadian clubs who helped craft an early set of rules in the 19thcentury. Bear in mind the indigenous people of Canada and North America known as the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) had been playing the game for centuries. 

In subsequent years the RedHawks attracted numerous enthusiasts, many of which had not played the game but who were inspired to watch their kids play and the incredible enthusiasm and positivity of the coaches. Rob Bohn, a local attorney, had three boys in the program and mastered the skills necessary to become one of our top coaches over the past 15 years. Until recently, Rob was the president of the RedHawks and was heavily involved with our summer program known as the Chauncey Boys. Over the years Rob has inspired countless players who have gone on to play both MCLA and NCAA Lacrosse in college.

In the early years, there were very few high school sanctioned Lacrosse programs in the South Bay. This was prior to teams being established in Los Gatos, Saratoga, Mitty and Saint Francis high schools. The RedHawks provided an outlet for high school players to continue to participate after playing youth Lacrosse. 

In 2007, our high school team qualified for the participation in the California Club Championship at the high school level. In 2008, under the leadership of Coach Joe Vasold and Joe Christie, our high school boys team won the California State title, and the RedHawks were recognized as one of the top youth programs in the State. Coach Vasold had played for both the Stealth and the newly formed San Francisco Dragons. As an alumni of the much heralded Long Island Tech NCAA team, Joe was a faceoff specialist and a top middy. 

The 2008 RedHawks high school champions actually produced some of the best coaches in the emerging club’s history. Several of the ’08 Championship team players went on to become stars at collegiate programs like the University of Washington, ASU and RPI in New York. Attack player Will Fales was recognized as a high school All-American, while Logan Lichorowic together with Zack Kowitz compiled won of the most impressive winning records and Championship victories in our club’s history. Both Logan and Zach remain active on the Board and are slated to run clinics for the club throughout the 2024 season. Former alum Bryan Dodge helped our U14 boys to go undefeated for the 2021 season, racking up a 12-0 record, and is currently the head coach at Saratoga High. So the early coaches who set the bar so high and hailed from the professional ranks profoundly influenced our coaches who remain an integral part of the club right through the 2024 season. Our best source of RedHawks coaches continues to be former players. Our legacy of great coaching and continuity makes our club one of the best youth programs in the South Bay. And we continue to replenish area high school teams like Bellarmine, Los Gatos, Saratoga, St. Francis and Mitty with an endless supply of great ballers. 

This year we’re proud to introduce our new president, Gavin Herr, who has been involved for over a decade as a high school coach, referee and youth Lacrosse enthusiast. In addition, Gavin continues to play both box and field Lacrosse, so he remains closely connected to the game. One of his commitments is to re-introduce box Lacrosse to our boys in the fall. The Canadian version of the game combines the fast action of hockey and finely tuned skills that are beneficial to field players. 

In the past we had a fall box team (Scaliwags) that won several Championships at Bay Area tournaments. So we are incredibly excited about our 20th Anniversary as a youth program and what will be the template for the next 20 years. Go RedHawks for the next 20 years!

In the fall of 2024 the Red Hawks decided to invest fully into the boys side of the club in order to make the program sustainable and to better support the south bay and its lacrosse needs.