Brian Looney, Bradley Orban, Chris Russo, Kevin Warnock bring decades of collegiate, professional and club-level experience to Cheshire Academy’s athletics program.
CHESHIRE, Conn.— Cheshire Academy has announced the appointment of four new varsity head coaches to lead the Cats for the 2026-27 year: Brian Looney, baseball; Bradley Orban, boys’ tennis; Chris Russo, girls’ soccer; and Kevin Warnock, boys’ lacrosse. Each brings a distinguished record of playing and coaching experience to the Academy.
“I’m really excited about the overall talent and expertise of our new coaches,” said Jim McCarthy, Cheshire Academy’s Director of Athletics. “They have a wealth of playing and coaching experience, at the collegiate, high school and club level, and are committed to helping our student-athletes reach their potential.”
Meet the Coaches
Brian Looney — Head Coach, Varsity Baseball
A Connecticut native and graduate of Cheshire High School, Brian Looney brings one of the most accomplished baseball resumés in New England to the Cheshire Academy diamond. Looney pitched at Boston College, where he led the Big East in virtually every pitching category before being selected in the 10th round of the 1991 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos. He went on to a professional pitching career spanning 18 years, including major league appearances with the Montreal Expos and the Boston Red Sox, as well as stints with the Pawtucket Red Sox, Columbus Clippers, and organizations across multiple MLB affiliates.
Since returning to Connecticut, Looney founded Hamden Yards, one of the premier baseball development facilities in the state, where he has served as owner, operator, and director of pitching, developing numerous players who went on to compete at the college and professional levels. He has also coached at the college level and remains one of the most respected pitching minds in the region.
Looney joined Cheshire Academy as head coach during the Spring 2026 season and has since signed on full time for 2026-27. He has already begun to make an impact on the program, and the Academy looks forward to what his expertise will bring in the year ahead.
“Brian’s playing experience at the collegiate and professional level, as well as his vast coaching background, will be a great benefit to our program,” said McCarthy.
Bradley Orban — Head Coach, Varsity Boys’ Tennis
Bradley Orban arrives at Cheshire Academy as one of the region’s most accomplished tennis players and coaches. Ranked among the top 100 junior tennis players in the nation, Orban compiled a 97-3 high school record, earned All-American recognition, and won six state championships before being recruited to play No. 1 at Fairfield University, where he finished with one of the best records in program history. He went on to compete in professional tournaments and train alongside WTA professionals, including Danielle Collins and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Most recently the director of tennis at North Haven Health and Racquet, Orban has also served as assistant director at the Fairfield County Hunt Club and senior high performance coach at the Intensity Club in Norwalk, where he managed a 20-plus player academy and coached numerous athletes who went on to earn college tennis scholarships. He holds a BA in environmental studies from Fairfield University.
“Bradley brings a strong playing and coaching background to our Boys’ Tennis program and will be an excellent resource and mentor for our students,” said McCarthy.
Orban steps into an accomplished program built and grown over 35 years by Robert “Chip” Boyd P’98,’10, whose dedication and leadership shaped Cheshire Academy’s Boys’ Tennis program into what it is today. The Academy extends its gratitude to Boyd for his lasting contribution to the program and its student athletes.
Chris Russo — Head Coach, Varsity Girls’ Soccer
Chris Russo joins Cheshire Academy with more than 25 years of experience developing soccer players from the youth level through high school, most recently as girls’ varsity soccer coach at Farmington High School. There, he elevated the program from a four-win season to a 13-1 record and a State Cup quarterfinal appearance, and helped guide the team to a No. 16 national ranking behind a 12-0 start to the 2025 season. A former Division I athlete at Central Connecticut State University, Russo has built his career on a lifelong commitment to teaching respect, discipline and a love of the game.
Russo has also served as head coach for multiple age groups with the Connecticut Football Club (CFC) and as head coach of Farmington Soccer Club, leading travel teams to State Cup championships and division titles, including a State Cup win for the 2011 Boys team he helped develop from the ground up. In 2014, he founded Soccer Done Right, a private coaching and development program offering lessons, training and clinics across Connecticut, through which he also mentors volunteer coaches to elevate youth soccer standards statewide. Russo began his coaching career in 1998 with the Glastonbury Hartwell Soccer Club and holds a degree from Central Connecticut State University.
“Chris has great experience at all levels of soccer. His passion is infectious and I’m confident he’ll do a great job building on the proud tradition of our program,” said McCarthy.
Kevin Warnock — Head Coach, Varsity Boys’ Lacrosse
Kevin Warnock joins Cheshire Academy with more than a decade of experience in private school education and coaching, specializing in mentoring student athletes and guiding them toward academic and personal success. Most recently, Warnock co-founded Alturos Athletics Group, developing programs that support student-athletes’ academic achievement, personal development and social-emotional growth. He previously spent six years with the Premier Lacrosse League as an account manager for partnerships and player experience, managing key sponsor and player relationships for a tour-based professional season.
In independent schools, Warnock served as assistant dean of academics and boys’ varsity lacrosse coach at Suffield Academy, and spent seven years as a history teacher and varsity lacrosse coach at Hamden Hall Country Day School in the highly competitive Fairchester Athletic League. His coaching experience also extends to the collegiate and club ranks, including Western New England University, Saint Leo University, Bates College, Manhattanville College, Boneyard Lacrosse, and the Stallions Lacrosse Club.
Warnock holds a BA in American studies and American literature from Springfield College and an MA in physical education and sports pedagogy from Manhattanville College.
“Kevin has been working in the lacrosse world at every level — high school, club, college and professionally — and is the right person to build and sustain our boys’ lacrosse program,” said McCarthy.
Looking Ahead
With Looney, Orban, Russo, and
Warnock now in place, Cheshire Academy’s athletics department enters the 2026-27 year with renewed depth and expertise across four varsity programs.
“These additions reflect Cheshire Academy’s ongoing commitment to pairing high-level competitive experience with the mentorship and academic support central to our student-athlete experience,” said McCarthy.
