​It’s impossible to separate the tradition and excellence of Irondequoit lacrosse from one of its longest-tenured coaches. In that respect, Ernie Lisi belongs on the sport’s Mount Rushmore.Lisi, who coached the then-Indians to nearly two-dozen titles and over 200 wins during his monumental career, died last Friday. He was 95 years old.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLisi is a member of several halls of fame, including the USA Lacrosse Rochester Chapter Hall of Fame, the Geneva Sports Hall of Fame, the Hobart and William Smith Hall of Fame, and the ESL Ballpark Walk of Fame.While his résumé suggests otherwise, Lisi’s attraction to lacrosse didn’t come until 14 years old, when he watched his first box lacrosse game in his hometown of Geneva.After graduating high school in 1950, Lisi joined the Marine Corps for a four-year term that included a tour in Korea. In 1954, he was discharged with the rank of sergeant.Because Geneva didn’t have a field lacrosse varsity team then, Lisi’s playing career didn’t begin in earnest until his time at Hobart. His greatest feats as an athlete were, arguably, on the gridiron where he led the Statesmen to a 27-2-1 record during his collegiate career. Lisi contributed at several positions, including fullback, linebacker and offensive line, and was a team captain.Ernie Lisi, left, poses for a photo with Hobart coach Eddie Tryon in 1957.”Ernie Lisi is as good an offensive guard and linebacker as we have ever had at Hobart,” then-Statesmen offensive line coach Bob Teague told the Democrat and Chronicle in 1957.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLisi graduated from Hobart in 1958 with a degree in mathematics, which he later taught for the West Irondequoit school district.In 1961, Lisi took over Irondequoit’s relatively new varsity boys lacrosse team, prompting one of the most successful coaching tenures in New York state history. While historical sources differ on the exact length, Lisi won somewhere between 40 to 47 straight games to start his coaching career.Irondequoit coach Ernie Lisi, right, gives some pointers to players Lance Whipple, left, and Steven Jackson in 1966.In 1970, when capturing his 100th career win, Lisi had only nine defeats. In 1977, Lisi’s final season with Irondequoit, he became the first Rochester-area lacrosse coach to reach 200 career wins.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter Irondequoit defeated Fayetteville-Manlius in the 1972 Upstate New York league championship, the Times-Union wrote, “Ernie Lisi is to high school lacrosse what Vince Lombardi was to pro football. Lisi’s dynasty is virtually unmatched in high school sports.”Irondequoit’s 1972 team likely stands as Lisi’s best. That team, which featured five future All-Americans, went 19-0, winning the Upstate league title and Monroe County championship, the Indians’ third consecutive local crown. The ’72 squad was inducted into the USA Lacrosse Rochester Chapter Hall of Fame in 2021.Lisi’s last few seasons as Irondequoit coa