Chris Hogue coached boys varsity lacrosse teams in the Corning-Painted Post School District to 13 sectional championships and saw a number of his players compete at the college level, including some of the nation’s top Division I programs.
He didn’t gauge his career by those achievements, however.
“I think I did a good job of maintaining that interest and enthusiasm and love of the game. Making it fun,” Hogue said when asked about his coaching impact.
Hogue, 57, retired as head coach of the Corning-Painted Post boys varsity lacrosse team at the end of the 2026 season. He coached the Hawks to nine Section 4 titles after going from assistant to head coach in 2014, which followed a nine-season run in which he guided Corning West to four sectional championships. He made the decision to retire as both a coach and physical education teacher at Corning-Painted Post High School in January.
Corning finished with a 13-4 record this season, coming up just short of a seventh consecutive Section 4 title after Ithaca rallied for an 8-7 win to take the Class A final.
His coaching career in the district began in 1993 as a JV assistant at Corning West. Hogue was a teacher in the district for more than 33 years.
Hogue, a 1986 Corning West graduate, lives in Big Flats. His family includes wife, Jean; son, Brendyn; daughters Morgan and Hannah; and two grandchildren. He coached Brendyn at Corning, where his players also included grand-nephew Kohl Hogue.
Question: What went into the decision to retire?
Answer: Obviously as you get older you think about retirement. This year happened to be a contract year. The worry was the insurance was going to go up a lot.
I knew when I retired from teaching, I was going to retire from coaching as well, just because a huge part for me was the relationship with the kids. Having them come to my office every day to visit, being able to talk to them. I thought being the head coach that would be really hard to do if I wasn’t around every single day with them.
Q: How tough was it to say goodbye?
A: It still hasn’t set in, I don’t think. As the summer goes on it is really going to.
With all the relationships you develop and all the ones you’ve had throughout the years, the competition of game night, getting kids ready, I think that’s going to be a little difficult, especially the first year. I think it would have been hard any year.
My wife (dean of students at Erwin Valley Elementary School) is going to retire as well, so decided this was the year to do it.
Q: What was it like coaching knowing it was your last season?
A: The seniors and I talked a lot about it at times. They’re like, ‘Hey, coach, this is your last year, too. You’re going out with us.’ That kind of thing.
For most of the season you don’t think about it a lot. The spring is so busy you’re just trying to get game plans around, watching game film, scouting, getting everything ready. So you’re not really thinking about anything but that until you start those last (games). You’re like, ‘OK, now we’re down to the nitty gritty’ and to start to think about it a bit.
Q: Was the loss in the sectional final something that hung with you?
A: I still think about it every day (laughs). That was tough. Just didn’t go our way. I couldn’t fault the way we played effort-wise. You can’t fault the kids, they worked hard. It’s just everything seemed to not go our way. Obviously it was a close game, we lost right in the last second, and Ithaca is a good team. That was a tough one.
Q: What stands out about coaching there?
A: I enjoyed it a lot. Working with the kids, that was all year round. They’d come into my office and we’d develop those relationships as far as giving them a good sense of ownership as well. We’d come in and draw game plans up. It’s really fun.
And obviously the competition. Going out there on game day, going out there and practicing. The challenge of preparing them each year in the offseason. All the box work and seeing them grow. That’s been a big deal for me.
Then there’s individual games. Like when I was at West, we beat East High for the first time ever. The kids I had on that team still will call me up and remind me of that. A couple took the videos and made them into digital and things like that for me for when I retired.
Getting the first sectional championship ever at Corning as a combined program. Going to the final four a couple times and having those opportunities in big situations. It’s the competition and working with a group of kids to get to that goal.
I think a big thing, too, especially this year we talked about it, is enjoying the process, enjoying the journey. Only one team is super happy at the end of the year. Understand that and enjoy playing with your friends. I think we did a good job of trying to ensure everyone had a great time, learned a lot about life, learned a lot about lacrosse.
Q: What stood out about the players you coached?
A: I think the ability to give them an opportunity to play at the highest level. Obviously in a league you’re pre-scheduled for 12 games, you don’t control that. But then your four non-league games you have the ability to schedule some of the toughest teams in the state. That’s what I always tried to do to give them that competition, playing the Victors, the Fairports, the Canandaiguas. … Give them the opportunity to compete at the highest levels, as well as just enjoy playing with their friends, enjoy playing with their teammates, and help them understand what hard work does.
Q: How about seeing so many of your players compete in college?
A: That’s cool, too. It’s hard sometimes to watch them because we’re playing so often in the spring, as well as they are. Now that so many games are broadcast on TV, you can pick up so many different games. This year I watched Ethan Hart at Boston U, Chris Grimaldi down at Mount St. Mary’s. They’re all on TV, so you can just turn on the TV and watch them. I’m like, ‘Wow, these guys played here.’ The same thing for the kids who are playing right now for me. They’re like, ‘Coach, we’re watching our guys on TV.’ That’s always fun.
Q: What do you hope the school and program gained from having you as a coach?
A: First, obviously time and commitment and hard work. I’d say as far as the lacrosse program, puts in a ton of extra work all offseason.
As far as me giving the kids an opportunity, I’d say I think the culture of our lacrosse program was one that the kids really enjoyed playing the sport, they enjoyed coming to practice every day. And I think that’s a huge one. That was our goal, to make them love it, to love playing with their teammates, to love playing the sport, whether it’s practice, whether it’s summer box, whether it’s midseason games, they want to come every single day and be there.
Q: Do you know what’s ahead in retirement?
A: Everybody keeps asking me that and I don’t. I think I’m going to have to do something. I’m not the type of person to just sit around, so I think whether I coach as an assistant or some other level where I don’t have be in control of everything but just go out there and teach kids the game of lacrosse and have fun with that, that might be an option.
Or something part time where I can enjoy my grandkids and do something to keep that competitive thing I have still going and make me feel good.
Q: What will you miss most about teaching?
A: The kids for sure. You have kids up in the weight room, whether it’s working out with them on my free period or just giving them the opportunity to come up to the weight room and enjoy themselves and work out. It’s always been about the kids and I love that part of it.
Q: What does it mean to be part of such a strong legacy of lacrosse coaches at Corning?
A: It’s a pretty cool feeling. Obviously when you take over as coach at Corning, there’s some high expectations and you try to instill that in the kids right away and understand you’re committed to a program that’s used to playing at high levels and they better be able to work and better be able to coach at that high level. Definitely some pressure there that you have to do well, with alumni that are used to doing very well.
But it’s been cool. I played for Joe Stratton, I played for a guy named Tom Moffitt, and those two really taught me a lot about how to handle kids, about how to teach the basics and really do all those little things really well. Basics are more important than a huge game plan. Do those little things really well, better than everybody else, and you’re going to be really successful. And treat the kids well.
Follow Andrew Legare on X: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Corning’s Chris Hogue made lacrosse fun during his championship-filled run
Reporting by Andrew Legare, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Andrew Legare, Elmira Star-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
