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Rockbridge County High School has named two experienced coaches to lead the boys lacrosse program. The county School Board on Jan. 11 approved hiring Jay Whitelock as head coach and George Ray as assistant coach. Both coaches have been involved in the local lacrosse scene for a long time.
Whitelock, 69, replaces Robert Hull, who coached the Wildcats for the last five years before stepping down.
While Hull was head coach, Whitelock served as an assistant coach. Whitelock got to know Ray, a 1979 Lexington High School graduate, through the Lex Lax Lightning youth lacrosse program, for which both men serve as board members. Ray had served as an assistant coach to Jake Adams, who coached the Wildcats before Hull took the helm. Ray’s son, Griff, graduated from RC in 2021 and is playing Division III lacrosse at Hampden-Sydney College.
“He’s been around Lexington lacrosse forever,” said Whitelock of George Ray. “He’s coached youth ball and has coached at the high school for a while.”
Whitelock said the head coaching job appealed to him because he knew the Wildcats needed a coach and was encouraged by RC athletic director Adam Haynes to apply for the job.
Growing up in the Annapolis, Md. area, Whitelock played high school lacrosse in Randallstown and then two years of Division I college lacrosse at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, before playing club lacrosse for his final two years at UMBC.
Whitelock went on to coach at two high schools, one of which has won the last five public school championships, and he has taught at UMBC. Many of his high school players went on to play college lacrosse. In addition to coaching, Whitelock refereed for about 20 years. In Rockbridge County, he’s been involved with the school system as a substitute teacher.
Whitelock and his wife, Cynthia, have two sons who played college lacrosse. Whitelock decided to wait until his sons graduated from high school to coach lacrosse at the high school level.
At RC, Whitelock and Ray are taking charge of a team that went 9-7 last season, which ended with an 11-5 loss to Cave Spring in the Region 4D semifinals. The Wildcats graduated just three seniors from last year’s team, with two continuing their careers at the Division III colleges.
Looking forward to the season, which will start in March, Whitelock has several early goals. “I want to win more than 10 games,” he said. “I’d like to go deeper in the playoffs.”
The Wildcats also hope to grow their junior varsity team and are currently looking for a JV coach. Whitelock said he and Ray will try to recruit more lacrosse players at the youth level through the high school level.
