Chris Davis
Director of Lacrosse East side, Director of Force Storm and Elite travel teams
Chris has been coaching high school, middle school, and travel lacrosse in Northeast Ohio for over twenty years. Chris both taught and coached at University School for 19 years, serving as Head JV coach, Middle School Head Coach, and Varsity Offensive Coordinator during that time. Chris was the Offensive Coordinator at US from 2007-2009 as they compiled an undefeated regular season record in Division II for three years, winning state championships in ‘08 and ‘09.
For the last three years Chris has coached Middle School teams at both University School and Chagrin Falls, qualifying both as the number one seed from Northern Ohio in the Division I bracket of the state championships at the Ohio Middle School Lacrosse Tournament. Over this three year span his teams lost a total of five regular season games.
In addition, Chris has coached summer camp for the University of Notre Dame, as well as coaching for 3D Lacrosse at their Box Elite camp at Pomphret and for the Midwest Regional tryout camps for 3D Bluechip.
U11
Max Rennillo
Max attended Saint Ignatius High School where he was a three year starter and two time defensive MVP. Achieving First Team All-Region both Junior and Senior year as well as Second Team All-Ohio senior year. Max went on to play lacrosse at Endicott College, a Division III school in Beverly, Massachusetts. Transferring to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio Max majors in Education and continues to both play, and student-coach, at the Division I club level.
Nick Ameo
Nick attended Notre Dame Cathedral Latin where he was Captain, All-Ohio Honorable Mention, and was First Team All-Region. Nick currently plays for University of Mount Union, where he starts at face-off mid and is a short stick defensive specialist, leading the team in ground balls. Nick coached with us last year at U11, and he is excited to work with this age group again!
U13 Blue
Chris Fletcher
Chris was a three year varsity player for Shaker Heights high school, and plays collegiate, and club at both attack and midfield as well. Chris has coached for both the Force Lacrosse Academy and Force Storm for the past two years as well as being on the Shaker Heights Middle School coaching staff.
Dominic Horvath
A graduate of Mayfield high school, where he played hockey for four years, Dom played lacrosse for the Eastlake Lacrosse Club. Dominic is going into his Junior year at Baldwin Wallace where he is a two-way middie for the Division III Yellow Jackets.
U13 Gold
Jacob Ziegler
Jake is from Eastlake, Ohio, where he started varsity all four years. Currently a student athlete at Hiram College, Jacob had the opportunity to start games his freshmen year at both close defense and LSM. Jake coached with the Force this past winter and we are excited for him to work with our young defensemen
U15 Blue
Rome Busa
Rome is a long time player and advocate of lacrosse; first as a player at University School and now as a coach. He coached this past season with US Middle School and this will be his second season with Force Storm Lacrosse. He has also coached with Burning River and Kenston High School where he was a big part of their JV undefeated season. Rome is a true learner of the game and a firm believer in the "work hard, have fun" motto. Rome continues to play lacrosse with several Cleveland men’s leagues.
U15 Gold
Jay Lammers
Jay Lammers is currently in his 5th season as the head lacrosse coach of Kenston High School. Prior to coming to Kenston Jay was an assistant coach and Defensive Coordinator at University School and Chagrin Falls High School. In his decade plus of coaching Northeast Ohio high school lacrosse, Jay has coached over 30 All-Region, All-State and All-American players. He has also helped University School win back to back State Championships in 2008 and 2009, and finished as state runner-ups with Chagrin Falls as well. A decorated goaltender for University School, Jay was a captain and state champion in 1999 where he was awarded All-State and All-Midwest accolades before graduating in '00. Jay is a '04 Graduate of Ohio Wesleyan, where he played lacrosse, and founded, and captained, the Ohio Wesleyan hockey team.
Bucky Spoth
Buck is a graduate of University School '05 where he was a captain of the lacrosse team. Bucky graduated from Cleveland State '12, and also played club ball at the collegiate level with John Carroll University. Bucky currently plays for the Cleveland Club Lacrosse team who participate in the Midwest Cities Lacrosse Conference (MCLC) where they were Champions in 2013.
Bucky currently coaches at Kenston High School as their Head JV coach, and as a Varsity Assistant as Offensive Coordinator. In addition, Bucky coached at the middle school level at University School in the spring of 2012 and 2013 with both teams finishing the year as the number one seed from the Northern Section of the state. Bucky enjoys growing the game, sharing both his knowledge and passion for the sport, and always playing to honor the creator!
2018
Tom Raleigh
Thomas Raleigh IV joins the Storm coaching staff after a celebrated high school and collegiate career as a player, and having just completed his first year as an Assistant Coach at Lake Erie College. Tom started his collegiate playing career at Division I Bellarmine University under Coach Jack McGetrick before transferring to Division II Limestone College to finish out his collegiate career. In his time at Limestone he helped the Saints win multiple Conference Carolina Championships, and also make the finals of the NCAA D II Championship.
Tom was a two-time All-American as a two-way midfielder at Athens High School in Troy, Michigan. He led all Michigan players in points his junior and senior years with 100 and 124 points respectively, which earned him a place in the 2007 U.S. Lacrosse National Senior Showcase held in Denver. Tom is the all-time leader in points at Athens with 324 points.
In addition to his playing career, Tom has been coaching at the club and high school levels for several years. In 2008, Tom coached with the All-American Lacrosse Club in Michigan. He served as the assistant at Athens High School for the 2010 season, leading the team to the Regional Championship. In 2011, Tom served as the True Lacrosse Michigan coach at the high school level. As an offensive specialist coach at Lake Erie College in 2015, Coach Raleigh helped guide the Lake Erie Storm to a 15-3 overall record, including an ECAC Conference Championship.
Evan Gormley
A graduate of Lake Catholic High School in Mentor, OH, where Evan was named All-Ohio in each of his final two seasons in lacrosse as well as being named All-Ohio in football his senior season as a linebacker. Even is tied for the single season goals record in Lake Catholic lacrosse history. Evan is currently going into his Senior year playing Division I lacrosse at Mount Saint Mary's University in Emmitsburg, MD, where he is a two-way midfielder with 25 career points on 23 goals and 2 assists.
2017
Ben Cowie
A 2004 graduate of Western Reserve Academy, Ben helped lead the Pioneers to their first MSLCA championship appearance in over a decade. He matriculated to the University of Vermont playing for Head Coach Steve Beville. Ben returned to Northeast Ohio in 2008 coaching at Shaker Heights High School. This was followed by several years coaching at Western Reserve Academy under head coach Mat Wilson. Ben has attended MLL tryouts for the Denver Outlaws, Chesapeake Bayhawks, and Boston Cannons, and remains a prominent supporter of lacrosse in the region.
Ryan Polak
Ryan is a graduate of Ridgewood High School in New Jersey. While at Ridgewood the Maroons won one County Championship and two Group 3 State Championships. Ryan attended Division III Washington College (MD). During his time at WAC the Shoremen made three NCAA tournament appearances, won a Centennial Conference Championship and made Final Four appearance.
2016
Michael Fink
Mike is a native Clevelander, a long-time member of the Northeast Ohio lacrosse community, and graduate of St. Edward High School in 2001. Mike was the first high school lacrosse player in St. Ed’s history, playing his high school ball for the old Lakewood Eagles lacrosse club. While a member of the team, he was a 2X captain and Honorable Mention regional team member. Coach continued to pursue the game, and his education, at Wheeling Jesuit University at the NCAA Div. II level. The Cardinals finished in the top 10 nationally 3 times during his time there, where he played Midfield, until being converted to LSM late in his college career.
Mike is currently the Head Coach for Benedictine High School lacrosse. Benedictine won the North Coast League outright in both 2013 and 2014 going undefeated in conference play each year. Mike earned NCL Coach of the Yr. honors in 2013 and was runner up for Coach of the Year honors for the Northeast Region for both Div. 1 and Div 2 schools in 2011.
Coach is very knowledgeable in the NCAA recruiting process, and passionate about teaching young men the game at all levels of the Storm lacrosse community.
Jeff Reece
Jeff was a four-year starter at Shaker Heights high school from 2005-2009 matriculating to Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, an Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s (ODAC) member school, where he started as a freshman. In 2010 Jeff transferred to Otterbein University in the Ohio Athletic Conference where for the next three years Jeff started as an offensive midfielder. Jeff’s junior season he was fifth on the team in points and first for the midfielders. During his career at Otterbein he helped take the Cardinals to two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Also, Jeff helped the Cardinals win the inaugural OAC regular season and OAC tournament in 2014. Following graduation Jeff is now the Assistant Coach for the Shaker Heights Men’s Varsity Lacrosse team, and plays for the Great Cleveland men’s team.