At the beginning of the year, Auburn boys lacrosse assistant coach Mike Losani had over two dozen kids to look after on the field.

By the end of the season, the Maroons' family had added another two.

Losani's wife, Jenny, gave birth to twins, Charlie and Ella, on May 4 at 8:45 and 8:46 p.m. after nearly two months of strict bed rest. By 6 p.m. the next evening, Losani was back on the bus ready to coach Auburn against Nottingham.

“I was absolutely not expecting him to be there,” said Maroons' coach Steve Crosby. “Mike is a committed and dedicated coach and he has been for many years. To say that he'd be there within 24 hours of that is - I don't even have words for that.”

Losani says his wife is the hero of the story.

“She was very supportive, she knows how passionate I am about the game and how much I love the team,” he said. “She kept saying, ‘Go, go, go. I want you to go.'”

All four of the Auburn coaches, Crosby, Losani, John Montone and Matt Smith, have young children. Crosby's sons were born before and after seasons, while all three of Losani's (his daughter Grace just turned 4) were born during.

Smith's daughter Caroline was born at the beginning of the season when he was still coaching the men's program at Cayuga Community College. Baby No. 2 is on the way within the next three weeks.

“It's very frustrating, especially when you have a wife who works - all day - comes home and is very pregnant and she also has to take care of a very active two-and-a-half-year-old,” he said. “A coach is really asking a lot from his wife.”

“All of us are blessed with wives who understand the career field that we've chosen and are very supportive of what we all do as coaches,” Crosby agreed.

To give their wives time off and to sneak in some quality time, the dads have started taking their kids, toddlers now, to practice.

“Not seeing her all day - it's good having her around,” Smith says of Caroline. “I like her being around the players. It's good for her social development to be around people as much as possible and it gives my wife a break as well.”

And maybe getting a head start on the lacrosse field. According to Crosby, kids Zack and Sam are already chasing each other around with sticks. Caroline Smith is on her way too.

“We have sticks in the house - she is starting her correct throwing motion,” said Smith, who'd like four more kids but has been nixed by wife Melissa. “She's a very active two-and-a-half-year-old. She really loves anything where a ball is involved; she's completely engaged.”

Family life has almost become therapeutic to the fathers as well. Auburn had a stellar season this year that ended with a 15th ranking in the state, a 17-4 record and runners-up in Section III, Class A. Though everyone was disappointed when the run ended, they had their families to go home to.

“After the loss we suffered to West Genesee, the only bright spot was coming home the next day and seeing my daughter,” Smith said. “Coming off a tough game or a tough practice, a two-and-a-half-year-old's face makes you forget pretty quick.”

In the future, all wouldn't mind coaching their kids on the field - if that's what they choose. For now they will juggle their families, careers and coaching.

“Obviously it was kind of stressful for our family, but I was blessed with two beautiful babies and we had a great season at the same time,” Losani said. “It was a gratifying experience.”