Immediately after winning the 2016 NYSPHSAA Boys Lacrosse Championships, former Jamesville-DeWitt attacker Ryan Archer was elated.

After losing in the state title the year before, he had finally accomplished what he and his father and head coach, Jamie Archer, had strived to do: win a New York state title together.

“There’s a lot of top 10 moments in your life and (winning the state title has to be one),” the older Archer said. “To work as hard as you can and to share the glory with your son … it’s special.”

Ryan, now a college freshman, will lead Hobart College (4-5, 1-1 Northeast Conference) into the Carrier Dome to face Syracuse (5-3, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) on Tuesday evening. Ryan committed to Hobart after his sophomore season because he didn’t want to stay in Syracuse. He has 14 goals and 11 assists through his first nine collegiate games.

He scored 348 career points at Jamesville-DeWitt High School, just a 15-minute drive from SU. Ryan had the opportunity to work with his father, a former Syracuse lacrosse player who won two national titles with the Orange, all the way through high school. With his father and family in his corner, he will look to build on an impressive freshman season against his hometown school.

“I grew up a Syracuse fan and went to as many games as I could,” Ryan said. “I’m definitely motivated to play in the Dome … there should be a lot of people I know there.”

Jamie had a “strong relationship” with his son through his youth, Ryan said. While Jamie did not officially start coaching his son until the fourth grade, the two would often practice skills in their backyard.

From the beginning, Jamie wanted to make sure he established the fundamentals of lacrosse in his son.

“I wanted Ryan to have the best habits possible,” Jamie said. “We would play catch and shoot on a net a lot.”

As the younger Archer grew older and the lacrosse intensified, so did his recruiting popularity. Entering his sophomore year, Ryan’s biggest recruiting interest came from Hobart, Drexel and Richmond. While his father had played at Syracuse and Ryan grew up in area, SU was never really an option, he said.

“Coach Desko talked to me, but it was nothing too serious,” Ryan said. “I wanted to get out of the area, and we told him that pretty early on.”

After choosing his collegiate future early in high school, father and son were able to focus on the feat they could accomplish together: winning a state title.

Jamie had already accomplished that goal in his J-D past. He had coached his 2011 team to a state title. He was also the high school coach of former Syracuse players like Scott Firman and Jordan Evans, so he had a history of coaching great players.

In the 2015 New York state semifinals, Ryan and his father were closing in on the opportunity to win a state championship together when they faced Victor (New York) High School and now-Syracuse sophomore Jamie Trimboli. The Archer duo was defeated, 11-9.

In 2016, Ryan’s junior year, he got another shot. In the state finals against Yorktown (New York) High School, he capitalized. He scored three goals and assisted two others in a 9-6 win. He was crowned most valuable player of the tournament.

After the final buzzer sounded, Ryan and his teammates stormed the field, created a mosh pit and celebrated their long-awaited success. They had finally accomplished their goal.

“The other state championship teams I coached were special, but doing it with your son, it adds something else to it,” Jamie said.

Now a freshman at Hobart, Ryan has translated his 198 goals and 150 assists totaled in high school into an immediate success in college. He ranks second on the Statesmen in assists.

As Ryan has evolved from a Jamesville-DeWitt lacrosse standout to an offensive focal point at Hobart, he knows his father played a large role in his current success.

“It was definitely a tough transition to college lacrosse,” Ryan said. “I think the fact that I work hard and had a strong lacrosse IQ helps a lot.”

Published on April 2, 2018 at 10:25 pm

Contact Adam: [email protected] | @_adamhillman