Messiah College Men's Lacrosse

The 2026 season marks Jerry Standford's 10th season as the Head Coach of Messiah men's lacrosse. Standford was the first men's lacrosse coach in program history from 1997-2005. Standford returns to Messiah after three years as the Head Coach at Trinity High School.  COACHING INSIGHTS OVER THE YEARS Two NCAA Tournament Appearances First Round (2001, 2004) Two Conference Championships 2001, 2004 Three-Time Conferene Coach of the Year 2001, 2004, 2005 Coached Seven All-Americans Justin Moe (2001), Kevin Dennstaedt (2004), Jono Linebaugh (2004), Jono Linebaugh (2005), Josh Scouten (2005), Chris Gilbert (2005), Josh Hoffman (2005) Coached Three Conference Players of the Year Justin Moe (2001), Jono Linebaugh (2004, 2005) Coached One Conference Rookie of the Year Jason Weisdenborn (1998) Coached 47 All-Conference Players COACHING BIO Standford started his coaching career at Messiah University, transitioning the club lacrosse program to NCAA varsity status in 1997. Standford led the Falcons until 2005 and finished his first coaching stint with the Falcons with an 89-46 overall record. Under Standford, the Falcons won the program's only two MAC Championships and led the Falcons to two NCAA appearances. The Falcons also finished with 13 wins in 2004, which is still the highest win total in program history in a single season.   As before mentioned, Standford recently coached at Trinity High School in Camp Hill. During his three years as head coach, Trinity went 64-10 with three Keystone Conference Titles, two Mid Penn Championships, two PIAA District 3 Championships, and the PIAA State 2A Runner-Up in the 2025 season.    Standford has also helped coach at multiple spots, including Dickinson College for two seasons. He also helped coach central Pennsylvania Youth Lacrosse in 2021 and 2022. He also coached numerous programs at Watertown Immaculate Heart Central School in Watertown, New York from 2006-2019. Standford also helped as an assistant coach at Messiah during the 2019 season. COACHING BY SEASON Men's Lacrosse Season Overall Record Conference Record Finish NCAA Appearance 1997 8-6 - 1998 12-2 4-2 1999 7-7 2-5 2000 6-8 3-4 2001 11-5 6-1 MAC Champions NCAA First Round 2002 8-7 6-2 MAC Semifinals 2003 11-4 6-2 MAC Runner-Up 2004 13-4 9-1 MAC Champions NCAA First Round 2005 13-3 10-1 MAC Runner-Up Seasons: 9 89-46 46-18 Two Conference Championships Two Appearances Updated: 8/5/25

Johnson is in his second season as graduate assistant for the Falcons in the 2015-16 season. Originally from Canandaigua, New York, Johnson graduated from Eastern University in 2014 with a degree in Communication Studies.   He was a four-year starter and captain during his senior year for the Eastern University lacrosse team. Johnson had an impressive collegiate career compiling 65 goals, 58 assists, and received All-Conference honors his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. He also led Eastern to their first conference title and NCAA appearance.   Johnson has previous coaching experience with the John Nostrant Fever Lacrosse Camps and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. When it comes to a specific coaching style, Johnson says, playing and coaching lacrosse is a form of worship. I take joy in coaching and working with players to perfect their game for an audience of one.