Staff

Chris Custer

Varsity Head Coach

Sam Gruber

Varsity Assistant Coach

Mike Krautzel

JV Head Coach

David Smeins

Freshman Head Coach

Marty Meenan

Volunteer Assistant

Max Behl

Volunteer Assistant

Hilary Boyce

Athletic Trainer

Brandon Herr

Athletic Trainer

Varsity Head Coach: Chris Custer

Chris Custer enters his third year with the Jaguars, having spent the previous five years at Garnet Valley with the girl's soccer program. Coach Custer is a Health and Physical Education teacher in the district who mostly traveled from the high school to Bethel Springs Elementary, but now works solely with high school students.

In 2024, during his second year at the helm, Custer and the GVBS staff led the Varsity team to their first winning season in 8 years with a 9-8-1 record.

While working at Garnet Valley, Chris spent over a year with the Philadelphia Union Youth Academy where he had his own youth team and trained the goalkeepers whose ages ranged from 10-18. Prior to his time with both GV and the Union, Custer was a collegiate coach at the DIII and DI levels. From 2013-2016, he was an Assistant Coach for the Men's Soccer team at St. Lawrence University, working under DIII NCAA National Coach of the Year, Bob Durocher. While at SLU, they won three Liberty League titles and entered the NCAA National Tournament three times, which included two sweet-16 appearances and one Elite Eight appearance. While coaching the Saints, Custer earned his Master's Degree in Educational Leadership.

Following his time at SLU, Chris became an assistant coach for Trevor Gorman at DI UAlbany. During his time with the Great Danes, the team won the University's first American East league title and made their first appearance in the NCAA National Tournament. During this season, UAlbany had notable wins over #2 Syracuse University and #12 Boston College and made it all the way to the sweet-16 where they eventually fell to #3 Clemson University.

Throughout his college coaching career, Custer had several opportunities to work with professional teams and learn from some of the best goalkeeper and field coaches in the world. He spent time with the Portland Timbers and their youth academy, as well as the Ottawa Fury in Canada. Most notably, Chris was invited to attend an international goalkeepers conference in Bilderberg, Netherlands, where he was trained by goalkeeper coaches from Juventus, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Benfica.

Prior to his coaching career, Custer played at DII Lock Haven University where he earned his Health and Physical Education Degree as well as a Bachelor's Degree in Coaching.

Chris now resides at a farm in West Grove, PA with his wife Bethany where they raise their son Nekoda and their twin daughters Cordelia and Sloan.

Varsity Assistant Coach: Sam Gruber

Sam Gruber is a dedicated and versatile professional with a strong background in both healthcare and education. He currently serves as a Paraprofessional at Garnet Valley High School, where he supports students facing physical, emotional, and intellectual challenges. Drawing on his credentials as a Physical Therapist Assistant, earned from Harcum College, and his experience in personal training, Sam excels in developing customized programs focused on sport-specific performance, injury prevention, and rehabilitation. He embraces a collaborative, team-based approach to help individuals achieve their goals.

Outside of his professional life, Sam has been happily married for nearly 15 years and is the proud father of twin boys who play travel soccer. In his free time, he enjoys watching soccer—often with his loyal pug, Penny, by his side.

"The amount of passion that Sam has for a team that he has yet to work with is undeniable. It is rare to find someone who is so excited to get started and is profound in their desire to improve the boys as a team and as individuals. I will be leaning on Sam's physical fitness background in order to build a stronger team of fit soccer players, the likes of which Garnet Valley has not seen before. I look forward to having Sam work closely with me, the rest of the staff, and the team. He has been a good friend for years and I am happy to call him Assistant Coach of the GVBS program." - Custer

JV Head Coach: Mike Krautzel

Mike Krautzel is entering his 29th year of teaching and coaching. He is a graduate from West Chester University and Wilmington University. Mike has coached at every level from 8 year old soccer to collegiate all stars. Along with soccer, Mike has coached Baseball and Basketball in the Garnet Valley School District where he has supported a lot of student athletes whom have gone on to compete in state championship games.

When Mike Krautzel is not teaching or coaching, he is home with his amazing wife Jean and seven children who all have gone through Garnet Valley School District. His son, Josh, is currently the team manager for GVBS. Mike has two mini golden doodles that keep him busy at home. His hobbies include Horticulture and Aquaculture and ha sa collection of rare and exotic plants and fish from around the world.

Mike has a passion for education students and players about the importance of sportsmanship and team commitment. He is excited to be a part of the coaching staff for 2025 and looks forward to a fun season.

Athletic Trainers

Hilary Boyce Brandon Herr

Hilary graduated from Neumann University with a BS in athletic training and a minor in strength and conditioning. With over 10 years of experience, she has worked with athletes competing from the youth level to DI college athletics. She has previous soccer experience working with the Philadelphia Union Youth Academy.

Brandon graduated from Messiah University with a BS in athletic training, where he played club soccer. He worked with the 2012 DIII NCAA National Tournament Field Hockey Champions. Prior to starting at GV, Brandon worked at Penncrest High School.

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