Archbishop Spalding athletic director Lee Dove has announced the appointment of Ricky Schwartzberg as the new boys head lacrosse coach at the school. He replaces Zach Burke, who stepped down after three successful seasons to relocate to California with his family.
Schwartzberg served as an assistant on Burke’s staff for each of those three seasons and helped lead a program which has emerged as a power in America’s best high school lacrosse league. In 2010, the Cavaliers reached the MIAA A conference playoffs for the second time in the past three years.
“The search committee believes that Coach Schwartzberg’s experience with the players and knowledge of the Spalding program gives him an advantage over other candidates,” said Dove. “Coach Schwartzberg presented a blueprint for continued program development and success and we look forward to seeing his vision for our program fulfilled.”
Schwartzberg was a high school All-American at Severn School, where he graduated in 1987, and he went on to play collegiately at the University of Maryland. In addition to Spalding, he has also been a varsity assistant in the MIAA at Severn and McDonogh and also served one season as the Defensive Coordinator of the Los Angeles Riptide of Major League Lacrosse. He has founded and ran the Severn River Lacrosse Club for five years and is the co-founder, along with Burke, of Propel Lacrosse.
“I have had the good fortune of working for and with some of the best coaches in the game of lacrosse, and have learned a lot from all of them. My coaching style is definitely a mixture from all those that I have worked the sidelines with.” He has assisted on many high school All-Star teams, and most recently Head Coached the Maryland Prep Team to the Adidas National Championship. He also was the Director for many years of the Severn River Lacrosse Club, and now is the Director of the Propel Lacrosse Club. “I have had the good fortune of working for and with some of the best coaches in the game of lacrosse, and have learned a lot from all of them,” said Schwartzberg. “My coaching style is definitely a mixture from all those that I have worked the sidelines with.”
This summer Schwartzberg coached the Maryland Prep squad in the Addidas All-American National Lacrosse Classic and led a roster dominated by MIAA players to the tournament championship.
“I have big shoes to fill replacing Coach Burke, he did an outstanding job with this program,” added Schwartzberg. “It is an honor to take over the Archbishop Spalding coaching position and to coach with and against some of the finest coaches in what is arguably the best high school conference in the country. It will be a challenge that I look forward to.”
