In 2011, Team NorCal launched its expanded High School Travel Program, and the Summer was filled with some great highlights, including a Division II Championship at the U17 Vail Tournament, and a 2nd place finish in the U19 Tahoe Tourney. The success has continued this fall, as our U19 Elite team made semifinal appearances in the 510 Tournament and at the Palm Desert Classic (which included victories over some of the top California Travel Teams, Team DH & Mavericks). Our Rising Stars U17 team this Fall won the 510 Tournament Solid Division.
Last year Team NorCal included players from over 30 different High Schools around the Bay Area, from Petaluma to Monterey, and as far east as Sacramento. We are proud to roster players from many of Northern Californias top High School programs.
Our coaching staff in 2011 consisted entirely of current High School Coaches, who all played at the collegiate level. Coach Mengis, Coach Skiba, and Coach Juter will be returning, and further info on our entire coaching staff can be found here:
http://www.teamnorcal.com/page/show/357501-team-norcal-coaches
In addition to our current staff, Team NorCal is excited to announce some coaching additions to the club for 2012.
Gary Podesta - Coach Podesta is the Head coach at Santa Clara University, and will help as a coach and Recruiting Coordinator for Team NorCal in 2012. In addition to his coaching experience and expertise, players on Team NorCal who want assistance with the recruiting process and exposure to college coaches and recruiters, will have access to Coach Podesta as a resource.
Bruce Meierdiercks - Coach Bruce was an All-American player at Adelphi, and brings an extensive coaching resume to Team NorCal. Most recently, he was the Head Coach at Carmel High School, and in 2012 has rejoined Santa Clara University as an assistant coach.
In 2012, our team goals and philosophy are:
1) Compete against top teams in the West and around the country in multiple age groups.
2) Provide recruiting assistance for players who want help with the recruiting process and exposure to college coaches and recruiters. In addition to hiring Gary Podesta as our Recruiting Coordinator, Team NorCal will be filming all games in 2012 and offering players access to highlight films and a player profile page to aid in the recruitment process.
3) Aid in Player Development, individually and as a team, by providing experienced coaches who can help each player take their game to the next level. High School players aspiring to play travel team lacrosse will be coached with expectations similar to what they can expect at the college level. We will have an indoor box program during the spring, as well as bi-weekly practices once the CIF season is over to prepare for our summer tournaments and into the fall and winter.
4) Participate in a challenging tournament schedule this summer that is fun and competitive, including the Denver Shootout, Vail Tournament, Sonoma Shootout, Tahoe Tourney, and Pacific Lacrosse Festival
Please let me know if you have any questions, by phone or by email, and we look forward to seeing you out on the field!
Greg Mengis
HS Program Director
Team NorCal Lacrosse
(510)468-1175 cell