Departure of Coach Mike Block

Coach Mike Block

Mike Block, Strake Jesuit’s head lacrosse coach, recently announced his departure. Coach Block is leaving the game of lacrosse, a sport he has been a part of for over 20 years, to spend more time with his family. Coach Block will leave a lasting legacy on the Strake Jesuit lacrosse team as well as the school as a whole.

Block also taught American History aside from coaching. Coach Block is known to many members of the Strake Jesuit community as the proud owner of a voice loud enough to be heard echoing all over campus during lacrosse practice.

Coach Block has rightfully earned tremendous respect on the lacrosse field. Coach Block coached many players who now compete at the next level, such as Sam Finney, who graduated from Strake in 2012 and went on to play Division-1 lacrosse for the Army Black Nights, and Tyler Mclamb, a 2010 Strake Jesuit alumni who went on to play D1 lacrosse for Bucknell. During the offseason, Block has coached countless select teams around Houston, including the Houston Hurricanes and Houston Lacrosse Academy (HouLA).

Strake has continually been a legitimate contender for the state title year after year. Coach Block coached purely for the love of the game. This became especially apparent last season, when Coach Block turned down the Coach of the Year award because he felt many of his players were overlooked in the composition of the All-District teams.

Last year, Strake Jesuit finished second in district and Coach Block was unsatisfied with just one all-state player and two all-district players.

Coach Block continues to coach the Crusader lacrosse team in offseason training as Strake Jesuit searches for a new coach for the upcoming season. Adjusting to a new coach will be a minor setback for the Strake Jesuit lacrosse team, but with team leaders such as senior Kevin Murphy, junior Andrew Eichelberger (a verbal commit to Lehigh University), and junior Ben Medrano (a verbal commit to Furman), this will by no means be a rebuilding year.

I personally would like to thank Coach Block for all that he has done for myself, the Strake Jesuit lacrosse team, and the Strake Jesuit community. Thank you, Coach Block. The Crusader lacrosse team looks forward to the season this spring.