About Us

We are #AllFightNoFlight

West Coast Starz

Athletes choose to play on WCS to play with the best players, play against the best team, and compete at the top tournaments in the country! Our teams are regularly ranked in the top 10 according as US Club Lacrosse and Inside Lacrosse. WCS has set the standard with more NCAA commitments than any other club program in the country.

The club runs through senior year of high school, culminating with our heralded Tropics committed player program. Rosters are made up of the most elite players of strong character and academic prowess who aspire to play at the collegiate level. WCS players compete in the nation’s top summer/fall recruiting events against the best clubs in the country where they receive the ultimate collegiate exposure. Players are also granted priority access to Adrenaline’s top recruiting showcases, which boast significant College Placement Success Rates (CPSR).

Interested in joining WCS?

Players join WCS by participating in a formal tryout, are recommended by local and college coaches, and are evaluated at Adrenaline events over the year by the Adrenaline Evaluation Team (AET). Click below and fill out the recommendation form.

FAQS

Why play on West Coast Starz?

How are teams selected?

We do tryouts once per year in August. Athletes are invited for a select amount of trips based on their availability. CLICK HERE to register. Please check the US Lacrosse Age Verification Chart to see what grad year your son should register for.

Where do our players come from?

We are NOT a National but a larger Regional team. Our rosters consist of mostly California, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. We will also have players from Texas, Colorado, and Idaho.

How do you evaluate the tryouts?

WCS is different from the most local/regional tryouts where evaluators cross off the kids that aren’t up to par and keep everyone else. There will be over 100 athletes trying our per grad year. Athletes need to stand out in order to make a team. The most athletic, skilled, and smartest players will make it.

Do you have to play on a certain club in order to be eligible to play?

No. We are looking for the best players in the West regardless of who they play with. Affiliated clubs are more involved because they will have representation on our coaching staff and have a better idea of what the teams are looking for. We also work with the affiliated clubs to de-conflict schedules and will require players stay with those clubs when there is a conflict.

Can I play with other teams?

You can and should play as much as you’d like. We expect athletes to make WCS the priority and play with us when there is a conflict. In fact, it is important that players stay with their local/regional clubs in order to get regular practice and keep improving.

What if I cannot attend the tryouts?

Athletes can provide us with film and/or a coach’s recommendation in order to be considered. They can then be invited to a training camp or tournament as their tryout.

Are returning players guaranteed a roster spot?

We are not looking to create completely new teams each year. Our coaches evaluate the current player’s in our system throughout the year. We use the tryouts to improve at various spots.

What is the cost for the year?

High School (9^th-12^th grade) is $5,750 for the year which includes two training camps, five tournaments (two in fall and three in summer), game film, IMCLA player’s profile, and two uniforms (fall & summer).

Middle School (5^th-8^th grade) is $4,750 for the year which includes two training camps, five tournaments (one per season – fall, winter, spring and two in summer), and two uniforms (fall & summer).

What if I know I cannot make an event?

We do not want players paying for something they know they cannot attend. If you know you cannot attend a trip let admin know and we will pro-rate the fee.

How does the team connect throughout the year?

We hold two training camps per year (October and June). We have team practices the night before each tournament. We hold zoom meeting between tournaments to install team concepts, do film review, and cover mental performance skills.

New to this year we will hold in-person micro-trainings each month for players looking for more skill development. These will be held in Orange County. Info will be released after tryouts.

Do coaches stay with the teams each year?

Typically, coaches will stay with the kids throughout Middle School (5^th-8^th grade) and then High School (9^th-12^th grade). This may change based on the coach’s availability and team success.

Do you always have two teams per grad year?

This is determined based on the success of the team, talent at tryouts, and athlete availability. If we believe we have 50 amazing players that can attend all trips we will do two teams. If we do not feel like we have two competitive teams we will do a player pool with players being invited select tournaments.

What is the difference between the Gold and Navy teams?

Gold is our top team but both are teams are routinely ranked as top 20 teams in the country by US Club Lacrosse and Inside Lacrosse. In our most recent graduate class of 2024 we had 52 NCAA commitments! CLICK HERE to view our list of college commitments.

What process does WCS play in the recruiting process?

We have a full time recruiting director in Jono Zissi who has over a decade of experience. Jono has established himself as a trusted resource within the college coaching ranks. Once athletes reach high school they will be set up with IMCLA Player Profiles and we will have zoom meetings to discuss the recruiting process and establish a path for the athletes. In addition, we will assist players in getting into premier showcases.

leadership

Jono Zissi

Recruiting

Enters his 11th season at the helm of the Torrey Pines Falcons staff and runs the RC & WCS club programs. In nine seasons at TP, Zissi has amassed a record of 158 – 36, won four CIF titles (’11, ’13, ’18, ‘19), three CIF Finalist trophies (’12, ’15, ’16), six Avocado League titles and a western ranking of #1 four times. In 2020, the Falcons were ranked 16th in the country in the National preseason Rankings. Before covid hit, they were the #1 team in the West and in CA. They were off to a 3-0 start with a combined 48-12 goal differential and were the heavy favorites to capture CIF. In 2019, TP finished the season with the strongest strength of schedule (SOS) in the Western US for the 8th time in his tenure. They were ranked #16 Nationally, #1 in the Western US, #1 in CA and beat teams from 6 different states. In 2019, 2018, 2013, 2011, the team was also ranked in the National Top 25, a virtually unheard of accomplishment for a West Coast based school. Zissi has earned Coach of the Year Honors in 2011, 2013, 2018 & 2019.

Zissi has coached 25 US Lacrosse All Americans, 34 All CIF players and placed countless boys in college programs in his tenure at Torrey Pines. He is the winningest current Head Coach in San Diego section CIF.

In 2010, Zissi was the Offensive Coordinator at NCAA Division III Tufts University, where he lead the Jumbos to the schools first ever National Championship, a NESCAC league Championship and a 20-1 record. Tufts had the highest scoring offense in the country in 2010 and produced five All Americans.

Prior to that, he was the Co-Head Coach and faculty member at the Bishops School from 2006-2009, where he won two Coastal Conference championships.

His coaching career began in 2003, when he started the program at University of San Diego High School, where he stayed until 2006. Zissi is also the Nike National Allstar Games Pacific South West Coach and has been since the inception of the tournament. Zissi was featured on ESPNU last summer.

Zissi graduated from Tufts University, where he was a 3 year starter, a 2x All New England Attackman, and scored over 100 career goals. He earned a degree in Psychology and Sociology. He also holds a Masters Degree in Education & Literacy from University of San Diego. Zissi is from Winchester, MA and attended Winchester High School & PG’d at Avon Old Farms School, where he was a three sport standout in Football, Basketball & Lacrosse. Zissi was inducted into Winchester High School Athletics Hall of Fame in May of 2017 and the Tufts University Athletics Hall of Fame, as a coach, in April of 2018.

Jesse Foss

Operations

Jesse Foss has led the Concordia University Irvine men’s lacrosse program to a MCLA National Championship and into the NCAA DII era since taking over as the head coach prior to the 2019 season.

Foss navigated the Golden Eagles to their second national title in 2023, as his team won four games in five days in Round Rock, Texas to close the chapter on the program’s impressive run as a club team. Starting with the 2024 season, Foss led CUI to seven wins in the team’s first year as a NCAA DII-sponsored sport. The Golden Eagles joined the RMAC in men’s lacrosse and capitalized on the opportunity as the first California school to boast men’s lacrosse as a NCAA DII sport.

Before coming to CUI, Foss spent the previous two seasons at the helm at San Diego State University and prior to that position, the Levittown, N.Y. native established himself as a leader of one of the most successful high school lacrosse programs in Southern California.

For the 2019 season, Foss came in strong and led the team to an overall record of 12-5. With the second game of the season, CUI took down No. 3 BYU 16-13. A few days later, Foss led Concordia past No.1 Michigan State 12-10 for the program’s second statement victory over a nationally-ranked MCLA team.

Before joining the Aztecs, Foss spent 14 years coaching lacrosse at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, Calif. After serving as an assistant coach for the Mavericks for eight years, Foss was promoted and compiled a record of 103-31 as LCC’s head coach during a six-year span. While in charge, Foss led the Mavericks to three CIF championships, two additional CIF championship appearances and six straight league titles.

A graduate of Stony Brook University, Foss was a two-year starter for the Seawolves at attack and midfield during his playing days. Foss also played attack and midfield at Nassau Community College, where he helped NCC win a NJCAA National Championship in 1997.

Hometown: Levittown, NY. Current City: Carlsbad, CA.