Lapeer Community Schools is thrilled to announce that Will Hamilton has been named the head coach for the Boys Varsity Lacrosse program.
A lacrosse coaching veteran, Hamilton brings knowledge and experience to the Lightning program.
"I have been coaching for almost 10 years now, with everything from the 8U (K-3) through high school age levels from Lapeer to Davison, Grand Blanc, and Goodrich," Hamilton said. "I have coached at the recreation and travel levels and am the founding member of Bigfoot Lacrosse, a travel lacrosse organization that operates within the Brandon/Ortonville school area. This organization sees about 150-180 players (girls and boys) in the summer travel season, so the skill and age ranges are wide.
"I am now starting to see kids I coached at youth lacrosse go to college to play and come back to assist other kids to learn. I also coach box lacrosse during the winter, which is an exciting indoor derivative of field lacrosse played on a dry hockey rink."
Lapeer athletic director Shad Spilski is optimistic and upbeat on what Hamilton can bring to the field this season.
"Will is obviously someone that knows the game and has been heavily involved in the growth of lacrosse in our area for quite some time," Spilski said. "We have a solid foundation with our boys lacrosse program and we are counting on Will to continue to build on what we have here and to take Lapeer lacrosse to a new level."
When looking at expectations for this season, Hamilton said those are not based on wins and losses.
"It's the growth of the player and seeing them achieve to the greatest level they can," said Hamilton. "Each of our players has a unique skill set or ability, and I hope to realize this and utilize it to be as successful as possible. Long term, I would like to see Lapeer become a serious contender for the league, but some things need changing. We need alumni involvement where possible, such as graduated players returning to help the program they loved and played for, we need to promote youth lacrosse and get kids in at an earlier age, and we need community support to achieve these and other goals to create a powerhouse team.
"The game has exploded over the last decade in this area. We are seeing youth programs popping up from town to town, and those high school teams are now starting to burst from the absolute skilled number of kids being created from these teams. You have high school varsity programs that were running teams of 18, now pushing their varsity rosters to 30 and still having enough talent to fill two JV teams. It is incredible to see the amount of growth and to have been a part of so many young athletes' journeys through it. It's a great sport for kids who wish to play at the collegiate level, with a great deal of scholarship potential over other traditional options."
On the field during practices and games, Hamilton said his coaching style is "somewhat unique."
"Rather than yell and punish, I try to get a view of how the player is doing and how to change it to best benefit their play style and the fit of the team," said Hamilton. "I've never been a fan of using exercise as a punishment, but I do like finding what motivates a player to do better. It's different for every kid and once you determine that, most will go to the ends of the earth if you ask. Above all, I treat those with respect that I wish to receive it from. There is a growing pains season with every team when they get a new coach and I think we have weathered that rather quickly and they have learned what is expected of them and how to do those things.
"I am grateful to have a great group of kids with the Lapeer lax team to battle through this season with and I hope they feel I have created a great learning environment for them and provided the tools for them to succeed to their greatest possible potential this and every season. We aren't just creating great players, we're creating great humans."
On the personal side, Hamilton, a native of Central Florida, lives in Hadley with his wife Katie, who has served as the girls lacrosse coach for the Lake Fenton/Goodrich combined team for several years and also coaches summer and fall travel lacrosse as well, and twin sons who go to Goodrich High School. Their oldest son is currently serving in the U.S. Army, stationed in upstate New York.
And truth be told, all those billboards you saw last fall prior to the election, wrong guy.
"No, I am not the William Hamilton who ran for office the year prior in Lapeer, but I have probably been asked this question no less than a hundred times," laughed Hamilton. "Most people are actually surprised it's not me given the fact of how busy I am and how much I am typically involved with."
The 2025 boys lacrosse season opened March 22 with a 7-6 overtime win over Fenton. Next game is this Thursday, March 27, at Swartz Creek at 7 p.m. The first home game at Fitzpatrick Field is scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, at 7 p.m. vs. Grand Blanc.