Nate Sprong Leads St. Xavier's Lacrosse Dynasty
Lacrosse is a game of teamwork and mental discipline, and for the St. Xavier Bomber lacrosse program, they have mastered both. The Bombers have reached the state title game four consecutive years, including recently winning back-to-back state championships after defeating St. Ignatius in comeback fashion after falling behind following the first quarter.
From Syracuse to St. Xavier
Heading the powerhouse Bombers is head coach Nate Sprong. Sprong came to St. Xavier from a strong lacrosse culture, growing up in Syracuse, New York, where he developed into a dominant high school player and earned Division I scholarship opportunities. He committed to Georgetown University, where he enjoyed a successful career, finishing tied for 25th all-time in Hoya history with 42 assists.
After graduating from Georgetown, he spent the first three years of his coaching career at Indian Hill before joining the Bombers in the early 2000s as the junior varsity coach. After stepping away from coaching for nearly 10 years, he eventually returned to St. Xavier through connections with his wife, whom he met at Georgetown, and was given the opportunity to become the head coach of the Bombers in 2011.
"My wife's family, her brothers went to St. X, and her dad used to be on the board at St. X, so there was a tight connection with that. So I get a call from Ken King who said, 'I heard you played lacrosse at Georgetown, St. X needs a new coach,' and since his wife worked with my wife at Madeira as a teacher, that's how I kind of got back into St. X. It was a nice opportunity to get back into the sport I like and to give back and offer opportunities to kids similar to the opportunities I had in Syracuse."
Building a Championship Culture
Sprong quickly put the Bombers on the map in a rapidly growing sport in Cincinnati, taking home the school's first state title in 2015 with a victory over Upper Arlington. The team has continued to take off since then, and Coach Sprong said that championship helped push the envelope by bringing confidence to the players and inspiring both older and younger athletes to work harder.
Sprong has shown his ability to bring his team together through faith and teamwork, as his teams have accumulated more than 200 wins during his tenure with the Bombers. He credits the program's dominance to pushing the envelope, strengthening their faith, and playing together.
"Every time you step on the field, whether it's practice or the state championship, you should be giving the same effort every time. If you continue to do that, the effort will compound on your development and the team," Sprong said.
"A big part of our program is our chapel program, where we meet once a week and discuss personal or team issues. We teach the kids that you aren't the first person to go through this issue and that being able to solve the issue and push through it together as a team is important."
Another Championship Run
Heading into this season, the team was coming off a dominant year in which they put themselves on the national map with a huge 10-9 overtime upset of nationally ranked Culver Academy. They capped last season by bringing home their second state title in school history with a dominant 12-6 victory over St. Ignatius.
This season, they continued that dominance, rolling to a 16-1 regular-season record with wins over rivals Olentangy Liberty, Worthington Kilbourne, and Brother Rice. The team then rolled through the playoffs to face St. Ignatius in a rematch of last year's state championship.
The Bombers fell behind early, trailing 5-2 at the end of the first quarter.
"I think with big games there's more anxiety and energy for the kids. The more we've been in those situations, the more we've been able to focus on what's important and the little things instead of panicking," Sprong said.
"When we went down 5-2 at the end of the first quarter, we had played a really tough schedule, so the kids could draw upon those experiences. I told them we didn't need to get all the goals back at once. We just needed to keep doing what we were doing, and things would work out. We just had to have faith that they would."
The Bombers responded by scoring seven unanswered goals and storming back to win back-to-back state titles and the third state championship in program history. Sprong said he was proud of his veteran squad, noting that many players stepped up and his seniors were able to finish on a high note.
The Foundation of Success
"A lot of the personality of the team comes from the culture and understanding what is and isn't acceptable. Every year at the beginning of the season, we have a team retreat where the guys lay out their goals and what they want to achieve," Sprong explained.
"They establish the standards they need to live up to, and that leads to respecting one another while also loving to work hard and play together. It helped them realize that playing as a team is more powerful than relying on one guy."
The Bombers' chemistry remains strong, and the future is bright as Coach Sprong continues to instill the values of teamwork, respect, and faith in God and themselves as they pursue a third consecutive state championship in 2027.
