WELCOME TO

HEADstrong Lehigh Valley Lacrosse Club

Over the past 18 years the lacrosse club has established itself as a preeminent lacrosse organization that has grown nationally to provide an unmatched standard of excellence both athletically and academically. HEADstrong Lacrosse Club identifies, recruits, trains, teaches and coaches players capable of, but more importantly committed to playing the sport of lacrosse at its highest level.

  • Receive top qualified coaching from pro players, college coaches, high school head coaches and current NCAA players.

  • Local training available all year around for players of all ages and skill levels.

  • 501(c)3 non-profit classification ensures all cost are minimalized

  • Players represented by all Lehigh Valley programs

  • Proudly sponsored by:

Mike Bender, General Manager

Bender has served as the Head Coach at Parkland High School since 2018. Prior to taking the job at Parkland, he served as an assistant coach at Southern Lehigh from 2016-2018. An assistant coach for the Hong Kong National Team at the 2018 Men’s World Championships in Israel and 2016 u19 World Championships in Vancouver, Bender was drafted by the Connecticut Hammerheads of Major League Lacrosse in 2020. 

Collegiately, Bender won a National Championship during his career at Maryland while making two trips to the Final Four. He saw action in 28 games in two seasons for the Terrapins after transferring from Bellarmine University. in his first two collegiate seasons, he saw action in 26 games, including 14 starts as a sophomore.

A four-year letterwinner at Emmaus High School, Bender helped lead the Hornets to four Lehigh Valley Lacrosse League championships. He finished his senior season with 16 goals and 11 assists and totaled 40 points on 24 goals and 16 assists during his high school career. A four year member of the All-Conference team, he was named league MVP and first team All-State as a senior.

Tournament Schedules

June 8-9, 2024

Laxapalooza (2025/2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, 2031)

TBD

Allentown, PA

June 15-16, 2024

Lehigh LaxFest (2025/2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2029/2030, 2031, 2032, 2033)

TBD

Lehigh, PA

June 22-23, 2024

Radar Invitational (2025/2026, 2027)

TBD

Mercer County, NJ

June 22-23, 2024

East Coast Cup Trilogy (2029/2030)

TBD

Mercer County, NJ

June 29-30, 2024

Victory Rising (2028, 2029, 2031, 2032, 2033)

TBD

Chester, PA

July 6-7, 2024

NXT Cup (2029/2030)

TBD

Downingtown, PA

July 13-14, 2024

Summer Sizzle (2025/2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2031)

TBD

Bel Air, MD

July 13-14, 2024

Hogan Hersey (2032, 2033)

TBD

Hershey, PA

HEADlines

HEADstong Box All-Star Team Coming Soon!

Tryouts for the HEADstrong Box All-Star team is coming soon! It is open to players from all club/rec/school teams. This is an annual winter lacrosse program focused on overall exposure to the box lacrosse game. Our goal is to maximize a player’s complete development with high level instruction and competition. Register: HERE Teams Available: 5/6 Grade, 7/8 Grade and High School Team Tryouts: November 19th 10:00am – 1:00pm  Location: St. Luke’s Sports Rink, 3323 7th Street,

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HEADstrong Lehigh Valley Tryouts

Tryouts for new players interested in the HEADstrong Lehigh Valley program will take place on July 11th! Date: Tuesday, July 11 with a rain date of Thursday, July 13th Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm Location: Nitchmann Middle School Turf Field 1002 W Union Blvd, Bethlehem, PA 18018 Registration: Open to new players only. All ages and positions welcomed from 3rd though 11th grade. Sign Up: http://headstronglehigh.leagueapps.com/events/3936631-headstrong-lehigh-tryouts-2023-24   Questions? Please contact  [email protected]  

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HEADstart Lehigh Valley Summer 2023

HEADstart is back in the Lehigh Valley this summer! Starting June 7th and running for 5 weeks, boys and girls ages 3-7 can learn the basics of lacrosse and sharpen their skills. Dates: June 7, 14, 21, 28 & July 12 Time: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Location: St. Luke’s Sports Center, 3321-3323 7th St., Whitehall, PA 18052 Price: $100 All sessions will be broken up into two groups – learn to play with no equipment needed and

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Coaching Staff