Coaching Staff
KEIREN KELLY "Coach Beard" – 14U Head Coach
Coach Kieran, AKA “Coach Beard”, was born in Lansdale, PA but grew up in Maryland. Coach attended Patuxent High School in Lusby, MD. His dad was a coach and both Coach Keiren and his dad helped build their local lacrosse programs. These past 2 years he has had the role as JV Assistant coach on Corona’s staff.
Coach Beard continued his lacrosse career playing club lacrosse at the University of Maryland. In addition to playing, he refereed lacrosse and spent four years as a lacrosse referee.
Coach Beard relocated to Phoenix, AZ in 2020 and works as a Fire Protection Engineer. Coach Beard is entering his first year of coaching high school lacrosse and his passion and coaching principles are well aligned with our Corona staff. In his free time, Coach Beard is a sports fan, who enjoys fly fishing and mountain biking.
Coach Beard’ Favorite Snack: Sweet Chili Doritos
TOMMY ZILLES – 14U Assistant Defensive Coach
Tommy has played lacrosse for 10 years and is going into his fourth year of coaching. He played youth, high school, and club lacrosse. His coaching experience includes coaching with Lion’s Lacrosse, working at Powell camp for four years, coaching 8u, 10u, and 12u teams, and he will be coaching 14u this year.
Tommy's coaching approach focuses on strong leadership and mastering the basics of lacrosse, believing that a solid foundation helps players grow. He hopes players gain knowledge of the game and the strength to become better players and people. His primary value is making kids into strong young men by instilling good leadership and hard work ethics.
Outside of lacrosse, he loves watching all kinds of sports and golfing. He's a big Wisconsin sports fan and an avid F1 and tennis fan.
SETH EATON – 14U Offensive Assistant Coach
Seth has 11 years of lacrosse experience, playing midfield for Aztec Lacrosse and Hot Sauce Lacrosse. Coach Seth has also been a referee for the past 5 years for the AYLL and a referee for the High school ALL. This is his first year coaching youth lacrosse.
He approaches player development by building skills and lacrosse IQ. Seth hopes to help his players gain a strong work ethic and learn how to keep working hard even during difficult practices.
Outside of lacrosse, Seth enjoys flying airplanes, spending time with friends and family.
SCOTT SMITH – 14U Offensive Assistant Coach
Scott grew up in Buffalo, New York, and has been involved in lacrosse for over 15 years since his sons started playing. Though he never played the sport himself when he was young, both of his sons have played throughout the past 15 years. He previously coached the 12U Tempe Sol team for 5 years and has been a board member for Corona Lacrosse for the last nine years. He also served as a commissioner for the Arizona lacrosse league for two years.
His coaching philosophy centers on skill-building and teaching life lessons. He prioritizes sportsmanship and he encourages effort over participation. Coach Scott promotes framing mistakes as learning opportunities. His goal is to foster a positive, growth-oriented environment focused on teamwork, effort, and fun, rather than solely on winning.
Outside of lacrosse, Scott enjoys spending time with his family, camping with his sons, and friends.
JUSTIN PETERSON – 12U Head Coach
Justin has 6 years of coaching experience, guiding his son's teams from 8U through 12U. A former D1 wrestler at Arizona State University, he was part of a team that won a Pac-10 championship during his four years. While he never played lacrosse himself, he was exposed to the sport through his father, a D1 midfielder at Michigan State.
Justin's coaching philosophy centers on skill-building and teamwork. He preaches that players can control two things on the field: their attitude and their effort, a lesson he believes is valuable for life. He hopes players gain a deeper knowledge of the game and become strong leaders both on and off the field. Justin's goal is to prepare these young men to be future leaders.
When he's not on the lacrosse field, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children and cheering on his daughter at her soccer games.
MATHEW BLEVINS – 12U Defensive Assistant Coach
Matthew has been involved in lacrosse for 20 years. He played d-pole with the Warriors (now SOL) and Corona. He has been coaching 14u since 2023.
Matthew's coaching philosophy centers on friendly competition. He hopes his players learn how to work with others. His overall philosophy is, "I can’t change you, I just want to help you become the best version of yourself".
Outside of lacrosse, he is a drummer.
KADEN LENTZ – 10U Head Coach
Kaden has 12 years of experience in lacrosse, playing midfield at the youth (Lighting), high school (Corona), club (Outlaws), and college (NAU) levels. He has two years of coaching experience at the youth level.
Kaden approaches coaching with a "servant heart," aiming to teach kids how to work together, be selfless, humble, and competitive. He hopes players gain a sense of brotherhood and confidence in themselves. His coaching philosophy emphasizes values from his faith, focusing on building hardworking, respectful, and competitive young men.
Outside of lacrosse, Kaden enjoys lifting, spending time with friends and family, and attending church events.