By Chris Goldberg – Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/17/25
Chris Layne, a former All-American at Malvern Prep and National champion at Loyola University, has been named head boys’ lacrosse coach at Downingtown East.
Layne has been coaching since he began playing in college, from youth to high school, and also girls’ lacrosse. He coached with the former PYLA and HEADstrong Lacrosse Club for several years and was a Freshman coach at Malvern Prep in 2015. He then moved to New York where he worked in software sales and coached in New Jersey with the NJ Riot, Madison Youth, and then in Connecticut with 2Way, the Greenwich Warriors (B/G), Greenwich High School and also in New York with Mamaroneck.
Layne was a key member of Loyola’s 2012 National title team and an All-American at Malvern Prep (in 2008) where he helped the Friars to the 2006 state (Keystone) title.
Layne was a varsity player for four years at Malvern Prep where he also played four years of football (captain of both teams in the 2007-08 seasons) and basketball. In lacrosse, he helped Malvern Prep win the 2006 Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association and Keystone State championships and the 2005, 2007, and 2008 Inter-Ac League titles. He was an All-Phillylacrosse.com First-Team pick and a US Lacrosse and Under Armour All-American in 2008.
He moved back to the Philly region 4 years ago and has been coaching with Blue Ox training and Lionville Youth Association.
Layne is now a paraprofessional working with Special Education students in the Downingtown School District.
Layne will take over a program that won the past three Ches-Mont League championships (with an undefeated 12-0 record) and had appearances each season in the PIAA Class 3A tournament under coach Joe Horvath.
“The program has been very successful and hasn’t lost a Ches-Mont game in 3 years,” said Layne. “The coaches before me have built a great foundation, we are just looking to take the next step with the foundation they’ve built. We have a lot of work from now till the end of the season. We want to pick up where they left off.
“Also, I have a lot of friends from Downingtown East going back to when I played (the Cougars won the state title in 2007). I played youth lacrosse here and I have always been a friend of the Downingtown East program.”
Layne said his football and basketball backgrounds were integral in his development as a lacrosse player and believes playing multiple sports can help any lacrosse player.
“I was a football player with a lacrosse stick,” he said. “There are so many skills that translate from other sports to lacrosse – such as football, wrestling or any sport. I was a point guard in basketball and I got good at my lacrosse split dodge by trying to mimic Allen Iverson’s crossover.”
Layne started all 19 games on the Greyhounds first midfield line in the memorable 2012 championship season at Loyola and tied a career-high with three assists in the XXX NCAA Championship Game triumph over Maryland. Layne also had 14 goals and 10 assists in his senior year.
Layne played at North Carolina as a freshman and a sophomore and had 5 goals and 2 assists as well as 18 groundballs in 29 games, playing mostly short-stick midfield.
