The Staples girls’ lacrosse team had a record of 2-14 in 2003. They had no booster club, and their team banquet was held in the school cafeteria over a Carvel cake. Today, the program is one of the most respected in the state, thanks in large part to the vision and leadership of Coach Cathy Schager.
Coach Schager’s own lacrosse journey started her freshman year of high school. The first moment she picked up a stick, she was hooked.
“It was love at first sight. I was obsessed the second I started,” Schager said.
Determined to play at the next level, Schager quickly realized she needed to sharpen her skills and surround herself with more competitive players. Her drive paid off: she was recruited to play at Johns Hopkins and later coached at Vanderbilt before returning to New York to pursue her true passion.
“I came back to New York and I realized I just wanted to be a teacher and coach high school lacrosse,” Schager said.
When the opportunity came to join Staples, Schager saw it as a unique challenge. During her time coaching at Vanderbilt, she had recruited players from towns like Darien, New Canaan and Wilton. She was familiar with the area’s strong lacrosse culture, which made it shocking when she saw how underdeveloped the Staples program was.
“I didn’t want to take over a powerhouse like Rye or Wilton,” Schager said. “I wanted to build something from the ground up.”
That vision was executed quickly.
“I really liked the social studies department here, so I found the athletic director when I was here for my first tour and I was just like ‘Hi, I wanna take over the lacrosse program,’” Schager said.
When she got the teaching job, she immediately headed to the lacrosse field. She started as the JV coach, and the next year she became the head varsity coach. The early years were tough, as the team lacked both skill and structure, but Schager saw potential.
“It took a lot to change the culture because there was no culture,” Schager said. “It was nothing like what we see now, it was hard, but we had a blast.”
After two rough seasons, the team made a leap, finishing 7-9, then 9-7 the following season. In 2010, they reached the state championship for the first time.
“Our first really big win was against Ridgefield. It was crazy, it made headlines,” Schager said.
Schager’s impact on the high school program soon extended to the youth program.
“I put an ad in the paper saying ‘anyone wanting their daughter to play lacrosse meet me in front of Bedford middle school at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday,” Schager said. “That was the beginning of the youth program.”
Her strong contributions to Westport did not go unnoticed. In 2010 she won FCIAC and state coach of the year. In 2012, she left the program to spend more time with her kids, but she returned to the team in 2018 after two of her students begged her to come back.
Today, she coaches club teams with Grizzlies and Ambition, works with the PAL youth league and remains a vital part of the Staples varsity team.
“My biggest pride in coaching,” Schager said, “is seeing my players realizing their potential.”
