By Emily Vojtech

Head Coach of the Armstrong High School Boys Lacrosse team, Ian Murphy, is the 2023 Boys Lacrosse Head Coach of the Year. This award is voted on by other coaches across the state. First, a nominee must win the vote for their section Head Coach of the Year, and the winner of each section is submitted to the contest for the whole state.

Murphy graduated from Armstrong High School in 2010, where he participated in lacrosse, playing three years of varsity. He continued to play lacrosse at North Dakota State University after graduating high school.

When he moved back to Minnesota, Luke Gellerman, a friend of Murphy’s, was the head coach at Armstrong. “I hopped on the staff with Luke as an assistant coach,” Murphy shared. Now, Murphy has completed his third year as coach. Murphy took over the program when Gellerman stepped down. “I really like teaching kids,” Murphy said. He has enjoyed coaching at the youth and high school levels. He began coaching youth lacrosse when he was a freshman in high school.

“I like being able to coach a kid on the field, but also be a mentor for them,” Murphy stated. “I’m definitely someone everyone on the team feels comfortable talking to’” Murphy continued.

This season, Murphy shared that he met with the team captains during the off-season to align their goals and build their leadership skills. “Our thought was to make it past the first round of sections, which we accomplished,” Murphy shared. “We had a ton of returning players, and Xavier Wells, who was new to the district, and Jack Olson really helped out the team,” Murphy explained. “We couldn’t have had a much better season,” Murphy said as he reflected on the season.

The Armstrong Falcons finished the season 12-3-0. Goaltender Xavier Wells had a 68% save percentage and was a Mr. Goalie nominee. The Falcons also had many players contributing on offense, including top goal scorers: Frankie Annis, Nate Albrecht, and Jack Olson.

“We were averaging around 15 goals a game. Our offense made a huge impact,” Murphy said. “We beat teams we hadn’t in the past, and we had a lot of fun this year,” Murphy continued.

Murphy and his wife, Molly, recently had a son, and he shared that his wife has been a huge support this season. “Our coaching staff was also amazing and really stepped up this season,” Murphy said.

Murphy reflected on what it means to be Coach of the Year. “It’s not an individual award. Everyone on our staff makes a huge impact. Having that support makes a difference,” Murphy stated. “I keep joking with people that not many people must have voted if I won,” Murphy said, laughing. “This is a win for the whole staff and the community,” he stated.

“Having so many people reach out and congratulate me has made it all worth it,” Murphy shared. “A lot of the guys had really nice things to say at the section meeting. It was a surprise at first,” Murphy said.

Murphy is really looking forward to next season with the Falcons. “I’m excited to see who steps up next year and has really taken what we have said to heart and applies it on the field,” he shared. “Armstrong is on the map!” Murphy said with excitement.