Setting & Soaring to New Heights
Coach of the Year - Jay Lazaro
“Forgetting who you are and making everyone else great” is the coaching philosophy of Jay Lazaro, our amazing head volleyball coach at Horizon Christian School. “Leaving no one behind and taking the whole team with you” is what defines him as a coach and inspires his players. Over the last three years as our head coach, Jay’s players have loved his heart, style, and unmatched experience as a strong leader in the sport.
Jay’s love of volleyball goes back to his early days in the Philippines and on through to California when, as a junior in high school, he was asked to “teach” the volleyball class while the “teacher” listened to baseball games in his car. This got him hooked! In 2008, Jay moved to Oregon where he was invited to coach club sports and he has never looked back. In 2012, he started his own club in Sherwood, called Empower, and he is currently traveling as a National Team Coach for college recruitment teams, where he helps develop players to get them recognized by college recruiters. 
All three years as coach, Jay has led his teams to 1st or 2nd place in League and they have won the League Playoffs the last two years. Each year they have made it to State: 6th the first year, 7th the second year, and then this year, with their best team yet and having won the League Playoffs again, they were set to do extremely well had COVID not prohibited the State Championship tournament. Winning League and League Playoffs, let alone going to State, is not an easy task in high school sports and we are extremely proud of Jay’s leadership and the hard work of our players.
Recently, Jay was voted “Coach of the Year” for the second time by his coaching peers in the 3A Lewis and Clark League. He also coached senior Alyssa Smith to “Player of the Year” for the league, which again speaks to his incredible skills as a coach and the respect of his players. Even with all his success, Jay says his greatest achievement so far has been twice being voted as “Coach of the Year” by Horizon Christian’s ASB.
In the three years that Jay has been coaching at Horizon, the interest and passion for volleyball has skyrocketed among our Horizon Christian girls and allowed for both varsity and junior varsity teams. He is outstanding at taking players from basic to advanced play, and bringing out the very best in each team member. 
We are so thankful for Jay’s heart, passion and love for our school and his team.
Volleyball is a fall sport, and we invite you to come check out the teams in September.
