By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
Needham native Tim Carey was recently honored as the Girls Lacrosse National Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Carey, a graduate of Needham High School in 1985 and a former varsity lacrosse player, has served as the athletic director at Hoover High School in Fresno, California since 2006. Carey graduated from Bridgewater State with a degree in Health and Physical Education/Fitness in 1989 before receiving his Master's from Cal State-Fresno in 1995. Carey opted to stay in the Fresno area, where he became the head athletic trainer at Hoover High School from 1989-2004. Carey helped found the girls lacrosse program at Hoover in 2009 and after the school had difficulty finding a head coach, Carey stepped up to lead the program. Since founding the program, Carey has helped Hoover to six league titles. Carey was one of 23 girls high school athletic coaches across the country to receive the prestigious award, and the only for girls lacrosse.
Both Needham High School boys and girls lacrosse have a long history of success. A seemingly countless number of Rocket lacrosse players have gone on to play in college and become superstars for their respective programs. Many of these players I've covered and written about: Jason Child, Sam Eisenstadt, Michael Panepinto, Maeve Barker, or the countless other Needham High lacrosse alums that have made it to the collegiate level. The common theme of these stories usually revolves around athletic excellence on the lacrosse field.
For Tim Carey, this award reflects way more than that. Lacrosse is a sport that is still considered a bit of a niche product, and growing the game is extremely important. To win this award in a place like Fresno, California, where lacrosse is not as prevalent as it is on the East Coast, speaks volumes. Needham High School is not only producing superstar lacrosse players; they are also producing superstar lacrosse coaches, mentors and spokespeople for the game.
For funny and incisive sports analysis as well as video highlights of games, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter and Instagram handles @flano0.
