Native son Dave Wiedenfeld prioritizing hard work for Londonderry High lacrosse team
May 2—Dave Wiedenfeld had his choice of a few high school boys lacrosse head coaching positions ahead of this season.
None of the others offered Wiedenfeld what Londonderry High School did, though.
The opportunity seemed perfect for the 25-year-old Londonderry native and Londonderry High alum.
"It (the Londonderry job) just happened to pop up right around the time I started looking," Wiedenfeld said, "and when it did open up it was like, 'I went to high school there.' It was kind of like that full-circle moment where it was like, if I got this job it would be great."
Wiedenfeld, who played at Division III Keene State College before his graduate-student season at Division II Southern New Hampshire University in 2021, got the Londonderry job in late November. The Manchester resident went through the interview process at Londonderry with, among others, his football coach for his last two years of high school, Athletic Director Jimmy Lauzon, and Lancers boys lacrosse senior captain and defenseman Dylan Wrisley.
Lauzon, who has led the Lancers football team to two Division I titles in the past four seasons, helped turn Londonderry into a football town, Wiedenfeld said. Wiedenfeld, who works as a health teacher at Timberlane Regional Middle School, has similar aspirations for his program.
Wiedenfeld said he wants Londonderry players to feel confident they can get the same quality playing for him and within his program as they would at an out-of-town private school. The Lancers (4-2), who play at rival Pinkerton Academy (6-4) tonight, embrace an underdog mentality and simply try to outwork their opponents, he said.
"We want to work harder than people, we want to be more prepared than other people and if we can have the most hard-working team, I think that's what we're always striving for," Wiedenfeld.
Wrisley, Londonderry's class valedictorian this school year, said he could tell how energetic and passionate Wiedenfeld is for the sport during the his interview for the job. Wrisley was also impressed with how much Wiedenfeld has already accomplished at his age.
Wiedenfeld, who also coaches within the New Hampshire Tomahawks club lacrosse program, spent last year as a part-time assistant coach for Keene State. He described his role during his graduate-student year at SNHU as almost a player-coach under 35th-year Penmen head coach Paul Calkins.
Wiedenfeld finished second in the Northeast-10 Conference in points (46 on 23 goals and 23 assists) and earned New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-New England Second Team honors in 2021. He ranks eighth all-time in Keene State program history in assists (87) and 18th in points (155).
"Definitely, one thing he's brought is a lot of knowledge of the game and game experience," Wrisley said after the Lancers' 18-5 Division I win at Concord last Friday. "You can tell this guy has played at a high level for a long time. ... You can just kind of see the knowledge he has for the game — the new game — just because he's been in there, he's been playing it. He was a captain, too, so he knows the ins and outs. Just that deeper level of understanding is something he's brought to the table — the focus, the fresh look at it, I guess."
Wiedenfeld filled his varsity coaching staff with those of a similar age, experience level and approach to the game.
His older brother, Mike, a 2017 Keene State graduate who ranks fourth all-time in program history in caused turnovers (63), runs the defense. Wiedenfeld is the offensive coordinator. Kyle Graham, a 2016 Rivier University graduate and Londonderry native, handles the team's transition game. Graham, who also played at Londonderry High, owns the Rivier all-time records for points (214) and assists (106).
"We're just really appreciative of what they've brought and how much time they put in for us," Wrisley said. "They're all very dedicated and their lacrosse IQ is beyond high. They haven't been coaches their whole lives but they've played it, which is so helpful because they can explain it from a player's perspective. They're not telling us to do anything they haven't done."
Former Londonderry boys and girls lacrosse coach Scott Walden serves as the junior varsity coach. Kyle Knight, a 2014 Londonderry High grad, is the program's freshman team coach.
The most important coaching tool Wiedenfeld learned while playing for Sean LeBlanc at Londonderry High, 23rd-year Keene State coach Mark Theriault and Calkins at SNHU is the importance of building players' confidence.
"You might be watching, say, a Syracuse game and it might look like they do something that's absolutely wild," Wiedenfeld said, "but if they (the players) work on it, they can adapt and get that skill."
The joke around the athletic department, Wiedenfeld said, is that his team is almost like the second track team because of how often it runs. The Lancers had 61 players try out this spring but their roster is nowhere near the size of teams like Bishop Guertin and Bedford, he said. With a smaller roster, Wiedenfeld said his team needs to be able to run all game long.
Londonderry's practices, Wiedenfeld said, are always a battle between his offense and his brother Mike's defense.
The Lancers are very strategic on defense, Wiedenfeld said. He jokes that the defensemen are the team's "academic weapons" because they're all great students in school and students of the game. Their offense is built on trust and senior attackman Aidan Huard said it has a free-flowing style.
Londonderry has outscored its opponents, 64-38, and allowed five or fewer goals in four games. Its 18 goals against Concord marked a season high.
"I think it's great," Huard said of the team's practice approach. "Me personally, I think we have one of the best defenses in the state. Us being able to go head to head with a great defense, it makes everybody better all around us."
Wrisley said Wiedenfeld preaches hard work, discipline, punctuality and the fundamentals — throwing, catching, picking up ground balls and communication. "If you can do the fundamentals better, then you can let your athleticism take over but athleticism doesn't beat fundamentals in lacrosse, so you've got to be able to do the little things right," Wrisley said.
Wiedenfeld wants to build depth within the program over the next few years and have his yearly tryout numbers be consistently around 80-85. He also wants to increase the amount of year-round lacrosse players Londonderry has within the program.
Wiedenfeld's goal for this season is to bring the Lancers back to the Division I semifinals. Londonderry fell, 15-6, to Exeter in last year's semifinals under former coach Roger Sampson.
Huard said Wiedenfeld has already brought a great energy to the program and feels the program is in a good place with him at the helm.
"We couldn't have asked for a better coach," Huard said.
