Change is nothing new for high school rosters, but this fall La Conner’s biggest shakeups are on the sidelines.
La Conner High School is entering a season of transition, with new head coaches leading soccer, football and both basketball programs.
Girls’ soccer coach Leslie Swanson, football coach Kirk Melton, and boys’ and girls’ basketball coaches Danny Crosby and a soon-to-be-hired successor to Lance Lopez will guide the Braves after a summer of turnover.
Girls soccer
Swanson, a career educator who grew up playing select soccer and competing at powerhouse Mount Vernon High, brings extensive youth coaching experience to the Braves sideline. She replaces Maddie Huscher, who stepped down after leading La Conner to postseason play last year.
Huscher had battled lingering effects from an accident in which the Braves’ team bus was struck in traffic on the way to a 2024 playoff match.
Despite graduation losses, Swanson said she is optimistic about the team’s playoff prospects.
“I think we’ll be competitive. We have some real good athletes on this team,” she said.
Swanson will be assisted by Olimpia Zuniga.
Football
Veteran coach Kirk Melton takes over as head coach, succeeding La Conner alum Charlie Edwards, who stepped down last spring to focus on his full-time role with the Swinomish Boys & Girls Club.
Melton has coached at Everett and Stanwood and works for Magnum Construction Services.
“This program will be about creating a positive, safe environment where athletes are able to learn and improve as people, students, and players,” Melton said.
He will be assisted by Mike Hurn, La Conner alum Ernie and Eddie Almaraz, and Operations Director Gena Seaberg.
La Conner will again compete as an independent eight-man team.
Girls and boys basketball
Both Braves basketball programs also face change.
Girls’ head coach Joe Harper, who led La Conner to a fourth-place State 2B Hardwood Classic finish and two regional tournament appearances, resigned in May after compiling a 48-25 record in three seasons. Harper said he remains committed to growing the local boys’ youth basketball program.
Danny Crosby, a veteran coach who most recently led the Concrete High boys’ hoops team, will succeed Harper as La Conner girls’ head coach.
Boys’ coach Lance Lopez resigned Aug. 11 after accepting the head softball coaching position at Skagit Valley College. He posted a 30-18 record in two seasons, with each campaign highlighted by a regional tournament berth.
In his resignation letter, Lopez said he “will always hold La Conner close. La Conner gave me the opportunity to become a head coach and I will forever be grateful for that.”
La Conner Middle & High School Principal and Director of Athletics Christine Tripp said Lopez’s resignation will be formally accepted before the position is posted and a committee formed to review applicants.
Stability in other sports
Not all Braves programs are in flux. Boys’ soccer coach Galen McKnight and volleyball coach Pam Keller return to their posts this season. McKnight will welcome a new assistant, Hunter Tautvydas.
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter who covers Town government, schools, and spot news.
