When Kerry Quilty joined the Liverpool High School varsity lacrosse staff more than 20 years ago it was a turning point for the program. Within a few short years the program won its first Section III championship and played for a state title.
“That’s when the program started to blossom,” said John Sardella, a long-time coach and Liverpool lacrosse supporter. “And it did things it had never done before.”
Quilty graduated from LHS in 1973. He was a four-year member of the varsity lacrosse team and was inducted into the LHS Athletic Hall of Fame as an athlete in 1987. Quilty went on to become a physical education teacher at LHS, and later served as an assistant coach and then head coach for his alma mater’s boys varsity lacrosse team.
“He was so committed to the game that he just loved everything about Liverpool lacrosse,” Sardella said.
So it was fitting that the Liverpool lacrosse community gathered at Willow Field Elementary on June 18 to honor Quilty and dedicate the Liverpool Central School District’s new box lacrosse arena with its official name — “Q Box.”
Coach Q, as he is affectionately known to players and parents alike, was given the opportunity to take the ceremonial first shot on goal, then turned the field over to Liverpool youth and alumni lacrosse players for several inaugural games.
The dream for a box lacrosse arena in Liverpool began 20 years ago, but it wasn’t until 2014 that it started to become reality. That’s when the Liverpool Youth Lacrosse Association (LYLA) and the Liverpool High School boys and girls lacrosse programs joined forces to raise money for construction.
The box lacrosse arena will be used for a variety of activities both in the district and the community at large. The district will be able to create an in-house lacrosse program for students at all grade levels, while the community will use the box lacrosse arena for clinics, camps, local tournaments, festivals, alumni games, practices, pick-up lacrosse games and guest speakers. Games will be played from May to November each year (depending on the weather).
Construction of the new box lacrosse arena at WFE was made possible through the support of numerous sponsors — Edward Jones, Room to Smile, Paratore Signs, Graph-Tex & the Upstate New York Chapter of US Lacrosse — and supporters – the Liverpool Boys and Girls Lacrosse Booster Clubs, LHS Main Booster Club, LYLA, and Liverpool lacrosse alumni and coaches. Additional support was provided through grants from the Liverpool Turkey Trot, Price Chopper and the Central New York Community Foundation.
