Ryan Downey, shown coaching for Tri State Lacrosse, led the Cougars to a solid nine-win season in his first year at the helm. (Photo Courtesy of Ryan Downey)
MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Ryan Downey, the new Columbia High School boys lacrosse head coach, is thrilled about leading the Cougars program this spring.
In an email to the News-Record, Downey said he is “excited and honored to be a part of this new chapter for Columbia Lacrosse. As one of the more historic high school lacrosse programs in New Jersey, I look forward to not only working with the young men who choose to try out for the Columbia lacrosse program, but also with the boys that are part of the Maplewood Lacrosse Club.”
Downey grew up in West Caldwell and played lacrosse as a defenseman at Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, where he graduated in 2011.
He continued his lacrosse career at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. Upon graduating in 2015, Downey accepted the head junior varsity coach position at River Dell High School in Oradell, located in Bergen County.
Downey later accepted the assistant coach position at Marywood University in Scranton, Pa. After one season, he returned to New Jersey and joined Tri State Lacrosse, an elite club organization, where he continues to work with all age groups.
Prior to accepting the head coach role at Columbia, Downey was the assistant coach at Mount Olive High School.
The Cougars, under previous head coach and CHS alum Dylan Heningburg, have won divisional championships in each of the past two seasons, going undefeated in division play. They went 14-5 overall and 5-0 in the Kimber Division of the New Jersey Interscholastic Lacrosse League in the 2022 season. Last season, they went 6-0 in the Bianchi Division of the NJILL and 9-10 overall. The Bianchi Division is named after the late Bob Bianchi, a CHS lacrosse legend who was inducted into the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2023.
Photo Courtesy of Ryan Downey
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