District 214 will be gaining two new sports in the spring of 2020-2021: boys’ and girls’ lacrosse. And, as with all new sports, new coaches are needed as well.

Former Hinsdale Central boys’ lacrosse coach Joe Battaglia will be suiting up as the boys’ lacrosse coach here at Prospect. Battaglia has coached for the past two years at Hinsdale Central and has also coached at York and Andrew High School for one year each.

“It’s really exciting, it’s a very unique opportunity to start a program from the ground up,” Battaglia said. “It’s a unique chance to put in my influence and help build the tradition and culture here at Prospect.”

Battaglia has a relationship type of coaching style, meaning he wants to build relationships and create a winning culture within them. According to boys’ athletic director Dan Deboeuf, that was a big reason why he got the job.

“Both coaches definitely fit that mold, we are always looking for high energy people and I think both of them will bring a ton of energy to the program and are really excited to make the program their own,” Deboeuf said.

Similar to here at Prospect, Battaglia helped start up a program at Andrew. Battaglia believes that to start a program, it’s a combination of recruiting athletes who have experience in lacrosse and new athletes.

“It’s a very exciting sport, it’s a high-intensity sport with a lot of action and it’s something that kids can pick up pretty easily,” Battaglia said.

Coverage of the new girls’ lacrosse coach, Terra Ringo, will be available soon.