"A Perfect Fit for Collegiate"

Although he always appreciated the spirited yet healthy rivalry between the two Prep League schools and viewed them as like-minded counterparts, the thought never occurred to him that one day he might actually take up residence on North Mooreland Road.

 

The opportunity to do so has come to pass. As Collegiate’s newly appointed boys varsity lacrosse coach and program leader, Archbell now wears the green and gold.

 

“It’s funny seeing how this has come full circle,” he said of his professional journey. “The two schools always seemed so similar. They knew what they were about. That speaks to the comfort level I have with this new opportunity.”

 

Archbell, a 1998 NA graduate, earned multiple All-Prep and All-VISAA honors in football (offensive and defensive lineman) and lacrosse (defenseman).

 

A four-year lacrosse starter at Hampden-Sydney, he served as a captain as a senior in 2002, twice earned All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference honors, and was cited as an honorable mention Division III All-American in his final season.

 

He then coached the sport at the college level for 22 years, including eight years heading the program at Bowdoin. During his tenure at the DIII signatory located in Brunswick, Maine, the Polar Bears went 57-55, and 19 of his players earned All-New England Small College Athletic Conference, All-Region, and All-American honors. His 2016 team finished 12-5 in the highly competitive NESCAC, and he was cited as the league’s coach of the year.

 

Along the way as he developed a reputation for bringing positive energy to his calling and summoning the best from his athletes, Archbell served on the staffs at Washington & Lee, Denison, Kenyon, Virginia Wesleyan, and Penn. He spent the past three years as an assistant at the University of Richmond during which the Spiders won one Southern Conference and one Atlantic 10 championship and twice reached the NCAA Division I tournament.

 

“We’re absolutely thrilled that Jason will be our next boys lacrosse coach,” said Andrew Stanley, Collegiate’s director of athletics. “His résumé speaks for itself. His reputation as a leader and a mentor for young people is impeccable.

 

“His experience coaching at the most competitive levels of Division I and Division III combined with his commitment to teaching and developing athletes on and off the field make him a perfect fit for Collegiate. We’re really excited about having him on board and working with him for years to come.”

 

Archbell first played lacrosse as an 8th grader and quickly developed an affinity for the sport. He never considered coaching, however, until late in his college career.

 

“I was really fortunate that I always had great coaches,” he said, citing Tom Duquette and Neil Duffy (lacrosse) and Tom York (football) at NA and Ray Rostan (lacrosse) at HSC. “I had a passion for lacrosse that grew and grew and grew. By the time I was a junior and senior in college, I was madly passionate about the sport. I loved the idea of staying in a realm that was super competitive.

 

“I enjoyed being part of a team and enjoyed the strategy, not just the X’s and O’s, but the strategy of putting the team together and developing team chemistry.”

 

Archbell expects his athletes to strive for excellence. He expects no less of himself.

 

“I have really high standards for achievement, but I’m pretty patient as long as people are working toward those high standards and giving their best effort,” he said. “I understand that everybody runs their own race.

 

“The most important thing I think the players I’ve had in the past would say about me is that he does the right things the right way, and he’s a person of integrity. What Coach Archbell says he’s going to do, he does. Hopefully that builds trust and connections with the players. The relationships are why I keep coaching.”

 

This will be Archbell’s first high school coaching experience.

 

“The opportunity to work at Collegiate is as much the reason why I’m doing this as moving from college to high school,” he said. “I love the opportunity I’ve had at Richmond. Coaching lacrosse at the highest level and competing against the best players in the country has been super exciting for me.”

 

That said…

 

“The opportunity to make an impact in high school student/athletes’ lives is very attractive to me where I am in my life right now,” he said. “I’m sure there’ll be a learning curve. At the same time, the kids at Collegiate want to beat Norfolk Academy just as badly as the kids at Richmond want to beat the University of Virginia. That won’t change. Just the environment in which it’s done will be different. I’m very excited about the opportunity to grow a program that’s already in an excellent place.”

~Weldon Bradshaw