When you hear the words “Watertown” and “Lacrosse”, you probably automatically think of Matt Branski, a coach who has devoted much of his life to The Game in his hometown. From 1966 to 1988, Matt carved out a record of 244 wins and 108 losses as head coach for Watertown High School. From 1988 until his retirement in 1995, Matt assisted his brother Jim in coaching the varsity and also worked with the young players at the modified level.

Since 1966, Matt has been the assignor of officials and has developed a rating system for lacrosse officials. He spends two to three hours a day reviewing schedules and double-checking assignments. He also attends as many games as possible to chart the progress of his officials.

As Watertown’s head coach, Matt’s teams competed in four different leagues: The Upstate League, Central New York Cities League, Independent League, and the Frontier League. He won championships in all four leagues and in 1987 was named Section III Coach of the Year.

At Watertown High School, Matt Branski is more than a name. He’s a fixture.