Woodstock High Lacrosse, Baseball Programs Get New Coaches

WOODSTOCK, GA -- The boys lacrosse and baseball programs at Woodstock High School will be under new leadership beginning next school year.

Coach Russ Armistead brings more than 10 years of high school and college coaching experience to his new role as head coach for the school's lacrosse program. He also will add depth to school’s physical education department and football staff.

Armistead has coached high school lacrosse for eight years and high school football for 10 years including serving as the strength and conditioning coach for Lassiter High School’s lacrosse and football program from 2004 to 2006. Armistead said this was a valuable learning experience in building a championship lacrosse program, as Lassiter was named lacrosse state co-champion in 2004, runner-up in 2005 and outright champion in 2006.

“I am excited for the future of Woodstock lacrosse,” Woodstock High School Athletic Director Tonya Sebring said. “Over the past year, Principal Mark Smith and I spent many hours vetting potential candidates for the vacant position. We did not rush the process because we wanted to find the perfect fit for our community. We believe Armistead is that guy. I have high hopes that his experiences in lacrosse as well as strength and conditioning will take our program to the next level.”

Armistead followed his success at Lassiter by earning a dual master’s degree in exercise and sport science and secondary education at the University of Georgia. While a student, he worked as a graduate assistant and teacher in the kinesiology department and served in the football recruiting and strength and conditioning departments, as well as in the Olympic sports division.

After completing graduate school, he coached football at Centennial High School for two years, football and lacrosse at River Ridge High School for two years and football and lacrosse at Cambridge High School for two years. As of 2016, he has had the distinct honor and privilege of having coached 121 athletes who went on from high school to play their respective sports at the college and or professional level. He said he hopes that total continues to rise substantially through working with Woodstock High School’s athletics.

A Sequoyah High School class of 1996 graduate and football and basketball player, Armistead earned his bachelor of science degree in exercise and sport science from Kennesaw State University.

In addition to his high school and college coaching experience, Coach Armistead worked for Velocity Sports Performance for eight years and Rapid Sports Performance for three years.

His strength and conditioning certifications include National Strength and Conditioning Association - Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA - CSCS), National Academy of Sports Medicine - Performance Enhancement Specialist (NASM - PES) and USA Weight Lifting Coach Level 1. Coach Armistead and his wife, Miranda, have two sons, Mercer, 8; and Asher, 2.

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The Woodstock High School baseball program will be led a familiar face: Coach Jeff Brown, who has served as varsity pitching coach for the last three seasons.

After completing the interview process, Sebring said she and Principal Mark Smith realized the best fit as head coach for the baseball program was already on staff.

Brown, she said, brings knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm to the program.

“I was impressed with Brown’s pedigree, baseball IQ, and competitive nature,” she said. “Coach Brown believes our Wolverines can win a Region title, and I believe he is the best candidate to lead that charge. He knows how to win, and that is half the battle.”

Brown grew up in a baseball family: his father, Jimmy Brown, served as the head baseball coach at Brunswick High School for 23 years and was inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame in 2008.

As a player at Brunswick High School, Brown was a four-year letterman in baseball (infielder and pitcher) and a two-year letterman in basketball. This experience afforded him the opportunity to attend Young Harris College as a pitcher and utility player. During his tenure he served as captain and was a part of two 50-plus win seasons. At the time, Young Harris College was ranked second in the nation.

After earning his associate’s degree in science, Brown transferred Kennesaw State University where he continued his baseball career. He played his final two years at KSU as a relief pitcher and was elected team captain his senior year. At KSU, he also earned the prestigious Vicky Martin Total Person Award. Brown spent time in the summers playing for the Wilson Tobs of the Coastal Plains League.

Brown graduated with a bachelor’s degree of science in health and physical education and continued his education at Georgia State University, where he earned a master’s degree in health and physical education. He currently is pursuing his education specialist degree in coaching pedagogy from Valdosta State University.

Brown enters his fifth year of teaching this fall, and has taught physical education the past four years at Woodstock Middle School, where he also has coached the seventh- and eighth-grade girls’ basketball teams. In 2016, his seventh-grade girls’ team went undefeated and won the county championship.

He joined the Woodstock Wolverine baseball program four years ago, serving as the junior varsity coach in his first season and as the varsity pitching coach for the last three seasons. He has led the pitching staff to an ERA of 3.41 in 2014, 2.69 in 2015, and 1.97 in 2016.

“I am excited to embark on this new journey,” Brown said. “I am looking forward to helping these young men to reach their personal athletic goals and a build strong baseball program. I am looking forward to engaging the local community and student body in our upcoming season. But, most importantly, I am looking forward to cultivating an environment that values good character, teamwork, and work ethic above all things.”

Coach Brown and his wife, Ashley, live in Canton.

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Photo 1: Jeff Brown
Photo 2: Russ Armistead
Photo credit: Cherokee County School District