Not only did the boys’ Lacrosse team have a perfect ending to their 2023 season with a State Championship win, but their coach also received the honor of being the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Coach of the Year. For head coach Kevin Merchant, a Marple native and former Marple Newtown High School (MNHS) lacrosse player, the award was humbling. “It’s truly a collective award,” said Kevin. “I share it with the rest of the coaching staff and the players. They’re a phenomenal group of men.”
In June 2023, Kevin led the Tigers lacrosse team to their first state championship in school history, winning the PIAA Class 2A title. The game ended with an exciting 11-10 overtime win over Mars Area High School at Penn State’s Panzer Stadium.
Kevin grew up in Marple with two brothers and attended Russell Elementary and Paxon Hollow Middle School before going to MNHS. Kevin said the Merchants were pretty much a soccer family before he picked up a lacrosse stick in seventh grade. “I was looking for something more fast-paced and a neighbor suggested lacrosse,” Kevin recalled. “Once you play, you’re hooked.”
At Marple, Kevin played for coach Tom Hannum, the winningest coach in Marple’s lacrosse history. “Tom always instilled in us a great work ethic and a winning culture,” he said. “We knew if we put the work in, we’d reap the rewards.”
About 10 years ago, Kevin was looking to introduce more youth in our area to the sport of lacrosse. So he and his friend and fellow Marple alum Jim Kostack started a Native Lacrosse Club. “It started as wanting a club for my own son (now a high school freshman) to play lacrosse in a fun and competitive environment,” said Kevin. “It gives kids a chance to try the sport of lacrosse at a young age and teaches them fundamentals. And, when kids try it, it’s hard not to fall in love with the sport.”
Kevin took over as the MNHS head lacrosse coach in 2019 with a plan to build a team with local coaches and to work with the community. His
coaching staff includes an impressive group of Marple alumni, including offense coaches Joe Kostack and Tyler Kostack, defense coaches Steve Viola and Kyle Barroni, faceoff and transition Jake Huey and Jim Small, who works with the team on strength and conditioning. “Our staff all have the same mentality,” said Kevin. “We love watching the players work hard and succeed both on and off the field.”
Kevin said that the successful 2023 season was due to the team’s dedication and teamwork. “We came in that season with a lot of younger players
and not that many seniors,” he explained. “We certainly went through some rough spots and growing pains. But that was what made the ending to the season much more special.” Kevin said that what was even more unique about the team itself was the collaboration between the freshman and senior players. “Over the season they were really able to figure out what roles they could play,” he said.
The State Championship game could not have been a better and more exciting game with Ryan Gorman, an MNHS senior at the time, scoring with 2 seconds left to win it. During the game, the Marple Tigers had rallied dramatically, after falling behind 5-0 and 6-1 through the first quarter.
Many of the underclassmen also played key roles. “Having core principles of commitment, discipline, respect, loyalty and hard work sets the team and players in a position to grow and improve every time they step on the field,” Kevin added.
Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors congratulates Kevin, his coaching staff and his players on their PA State Championship win! We look forward to watching the team this year, which will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with.