Not a lacrosse town? Coach Wasson trying to change narrative in Haverhill (2024)

HAVERHILL – Jeff Wasson will never forget his first practice as the head coach of the Haverhill High boys lacrosse team.

First drill.

First whistle.

Player breaks his leg on a ground ball.

“That’s how my Day One in Haverhill went,” said Wasson with a laugh. “I’ve never been a part of a lower energy practice after that.”

When Wasson was hired in the winter prior to the 2022 season, he knew he wasn’t walking into an easy situation.

“It was immediately very apparent to me that Haverhill was not a lacrosse town,” said Wasson. “My first year, we only had 18 guys in all, which is barely enough to field a high school team. That season, we had to sign waivers for eighth graders to practice just to do full field reps.”

Despite the clear signs that this wouldn’t be an easy fix, Wasson dedicated himself to breaking the defeated stigma surrounding Haverhill lacrosse, as soon as possible.

It’s safe to say, that has certainly happened, fast.

With the Hillies off to a 13-3 record, breaking the program record for victories, Wasson has quickly built Haverhill into an up-and-coming force in the Merrimack Valley Conference.

“When I took over this program, it was clear that the kids were beat down, and lost their love for the game,” said Wasson. “My first year here was all about bringing that love back, I didn’t care about the results. We didn’t win a lot, but we created a team that people were having fun on, and people wanted to be a part of. Collectively, that’s why we went from 18 to 45 players in just two years.”

Growing up surrounded by lacrosse, it was clear that Wasson had strong family ties to the sport.

His father and uncle are both members of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

His two cousins played professionally in the NLL.

His sister was a standout at the University of Vermont.

So, after graduating from Clark University as one of their best players of all-time, Wasson’s path to becoming a coach could not have gone any smoother.

However, it was the path to New England and finding his true meaning as a leader and mentor that took its time.

After being an assistant at Clark for six years, Wasson got his start as a head coach at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“Looking back, I really hated the vibe I created there, and how players were intimidated by me,” said Wasson, who credits this experience as a life lesson. “As an assistant, I had a ton of success building relationships, and instilling belief. I abandoned that philosophy at Chaparral for what I thought I should do.”

After leaving Arizona, Wasson and his wife moved back to New England, where he began working as an attorney in Concord, New Hampshire.

While everything was seemingly great, Wasson knew he felt off about something: He missed being a coach.

“I knew I wanted to give coaching another shot, but I had to be my true self this time,” said Wasson. “I was eager to get back into coaching, and maybe a rebuilding situation was the best place for that.”

“Despite it being an hour drive from my job in Concord, I took the position. The AD, Thomas O’Brien, even indicated I was the only person who applied. I was just really motivated to do it my way this time, be positive, and build people up.”

Ty Lescord, a senior captain who has been playing for the Hillies since his freshman year, gives all of the credit to Wasson for coming into an extremely challenging situation, and turning things around in “record time.”

“Our turnaround really started my sophom*ore year, when coach Wasson took over the team,” said Lescord. “From day 1, he came in saying that the Haverhill lacrosse team was going to be different. It wouldn’t have been possible without him.”

The overall records for Haverhill over the past three seasons show it too:

3-13 in 2022.

7-11 in 2023.

Now, the Hillies find themselves ranked No. 25 in the latest MIAA power rankings, off to a 13-3 record, with one game remaining in the regular season versus Amesbury.

“Coach Wasson really made all the difference here,” said Lescord. “He issued pre-season workouts that engaged the whole team, he would be there at youth events trying to recruit players for years to come, and he treated us like we were part of a first-class team. The environment that he created made a huge result with where we are now. Wasson is an outstanding coach, and everything that he has done has a major impact on where we are right now.”

No matter what happens as the state tournament nears, Wasson knows that the future for Haverhill lacrosse will continue to be incredibly bright.

“I knew we had some strong individual pieces when I came in here, but the question mark was how do you take those guys and build a competitive team,” said Wasson. “I went out of my way to make sure our players knew I saw a ton of talent in them, and that if they put in the work, lacrosse would reward them back. and I meant it.”

“They all responded by keeping the stick in their hands year round, and the development of players in Haverhill started to look like what you would see in Andover and Billerica. That’s why this season has been so different. We’re putting out ten legitimate lacrosse players every rep, not just ten guys who “play” lacrosse. This has never been the case in Haverhill, and we have fully changed that.”

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