Boys Varsity Lacrosse

Bill Ball, who previously coached and worked at Loomis from 2008 to 2012, returned to the Island in 2021 to take over as the head coach of the boys lacrosse program and an Associate Director of Admission.

Before coming back to the Island, Coach Ball had a successful five-year stint at the Friends School of Baltimore, where he led the Quakers to their first Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship since 2011 in his final season. In his four full seasons at Friends, Ball compiled a record of 43-16. Prior to his time in Baltimore, Bill led The Calverton School to four straight Maryland Independent Lacrosse League championships from 2013 to 2016, and the Cougars were regarded as one of the top teams in the DMV area. While in Maryland, Coach Ball coached dozens of collegiate recruits, over 20 of whom competed at the Division I level, including the nation’s No. 1 men’s lacrosse recruit in 2016. 

In his three seasons as the head coach at Loomis, the program has risen to the top of the Founders League, winning their first league title in fifteen years during the 2024 campaign. The ‘24 season was a banner year for the Pelicans, as the team went 16-2 and finished the season ranked second in New England and #12 in the nation, according to Inside Lacrosse.  Under his tutelage, the program also saw its first New Balance/Nike All-Americans since 2006 (Joe Hobot ’24 and Nathan Cobery ’24).

A graduate of Bates College, Ball played both football and lacrosse for the Bobcats. A midfielder, he helped the Bobcats achieve their first national top-20 ranking in over a decade in 2005. Following his playing career, Ball worked for two years as a graduate assistant football and lacrosse coach at St. Lawrence University, where he earned his master’s degree in education. After a year as a teaching fellow at Phillips Exeter Academy, Coach Ball made his first stop on the Island, where he served as an assistant football, basketball, and lacrosse coach, and was a dorm head in addition to serving as assistant athletic director.

Bill lives in Simsbury with his wife, Marianne, and two children, Elle and Will.

Steve Colgate has been a coach in the Loomis Chaffee Lacrosse program since his arrival on campus in 2002.  He has coached at every level of the program from Thirds to Varsity, and he has been a fixture on the lacrosse fields for decades.  Steve is the only person to have walked the sidelines with every coach in the history of Loomis Chaffee lacrosse, from James “Grim” Wilson, to Ted Garber, to Bill Lee, to current head coach Bill Ball.  Steve also serves as an assistant in the Varsity Football program.  He currently works as the Chair of the Loomis Chaffee English department, and he lives on campus with his wife Dana, daughter Sarah, and son Kai.

Wyatt Prominski has coached boys’ lacrosse since 2018, beginning with lower teams at Westminster School (CT), to helping form and direct a program at Hyde Park School (TX) where the Varsity team advanced to the THSLL Class D State Playoffs in each of the team’s first two seasons. In addition to his coaching duties at Loomis, he teaches in the English department and works as a videographer in the Communications Office. Wyatt is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, where he played goalie for the club team, and he most recently attained his MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU. He lives on campus with his partner, Claire, and dog, Pickle.

Kenn Tarantino ’93 played lacrosse for Loomis Chaffee School where he was captain and earned All American honors. He went on to play at Williams College where he was named to the Western New England All Star Team and chosen for the Annual North-South All Star Game. Recently, Kenn spent two years as the Boys Director of San Francisco Lacrosse, coached at the club level for both the Alcatraz Outlaws, Fog City Lacrosse, and currently for 2-Way. Kenn has been coaching lacrosse since 2017 and joined the Loomis Chaffee Boys Varsity Program in 2022.

Chris Howes joined Loomis in 2024 as the dean of community life. Prior to Loomis, Chris served as the dean of community wellbeing at Tabor Academy, the assistant head of school at Mercersburg Academy, dean of student life at Cushing Academy, and dean of students at The Severn School. He has been in the educational field for over 25 years and has worked with a variety of age levels ranging from preschool to the college level including serving as vice president of the board at Chambersburg Montessori Academy, a pre-k through 8 school in Pennsylvania. Chris is a certified instructor in restorative practices, mental health first aid, healing-centered engagement, mindful practices, and in diversity, equity, and belonging instruction. Chris also has worked as a consultant with Cultures of Dignity, leading workshops and providing professional coaching on dignity and belonging to schools around the world. Chris holds degrees from Bates College, Wesleyan University, and Johns Hopkins.