Champions at it again
Familiar look at top
“Repeat after me” is an appropriate expression when it comes to boys lacrosse in the Bay State.
Lincoln-Sudbury this spring will be looking for its third straight Division 1 state title. Medfield, meanwhile, is seeking a fourpeat in Div. 2, and Dover
Sherborn is gunning for its third consecutive Div. 3 state championship.
“Every year is different, different kids have different roles,” said Dover-Sherborn coach Brian McLaughlin. “We really don’t worry about (repeating), we’re more concerned with becoming a better team every day.”
D-S return star attack Bailey Laidman, midfielders Joe Paolatto and Jack Mahoney along with defenseman Zach Gustafson.
Weston will lean heavily on midfielders Ben White and Andrew Hall, while David Bartkus is the top returnee for Bedford.
In Div. 3 South, Cohasset will be led by midfielders Will Thomas and Jimmy Farren along with goalie Mason Fitzgerald. Hanover brings back a pair of solid midfielders in Abdul Nassif and Tim Mullane as well as attack Neal Calkin, while J.T. Gamberoni and Alex Small will put up big numbers for Nantucket.
In Div. 3 North, Ipswich returns Charlie Gillis, Duke Kriksceontis, Kilian Morrissey, Tommy Ginolfi and Tyler Starr back from a sectional championship squad. Pentucket reached the finals and have midfielders Liam Sheehy and Chris Muollo back along with goalie Robert Porter.
Newburyport and Hamilton-Wenham are two more solid teams from the Cape Ann League.
L-S is riding a 38-game winning streak against in-state competition. The Warriors will depend largely on senior captains Dan Ryan, Junior Almeida, Ryan Donlan and Hayden Frey to navigate through a competitive Div. 1 North field.
If anyone in the North can overtake Lincoln-Sudbury, the best bet may very well be Reading. The Rockets will be solid in the midfield with Jack Geiger, Kevin Tobin and Michael Tobin, while Nick Tango and Anthony D’Avoilo anchor a defense in front of standout goalie C.J. Hart.
Billerica returns Drew Brooks and Gus Gobiel, while Derek Laundry and Henri Behaeghel are the top defenders. Andover returns midfielders Mike Biddle, Tom Rockwell and Thomas Mapstone as well as defender Ryan Puglisi. Quinnipiac-bound midfielder Sam Witt is back for Acton-Boxboro, while
St. John’s Prep is looking to rebound from an uncharacteristic 4-13 season.
BC High looks to defend its Div. 1 South title behind the dynamic defensive duo of Will Bowen and Tommy Joyce. Pat Bulger gave the Eagles a nice boost with four goals in a season-opening win over Needham.
The Eagles will be pushed in the Catholic Conference by Catholic Memorial and
Xaverian. The Knights return Colin Casey, Kevin McCarthy, Colin Droney,
Cody LeBlanc and Henry Morrill, while the Hawks will be paced by Sean Sperzel, Jared Grier, Andrew Lee, Connor Sullivan and John Blomquist.
Needham has one of the top defenders back in Sam Eisenstadt along with Jason Child and Anthony Trabucco. The 1-2 brother punch of Bryce and Hunter Adam will make Newton North tough.
Duxbury return a solid nucleus keyed by Bobby Maimaron, Riley Bergstrom, Nick Lo-Conte and Quinn Schomp up front, John Antaya on defense and Henry Weld in the net. The high-scoring tandem of Gavin Admirand and Neal Parry are back for Marshfield as are defender Andrew Fithian and transfer Cole McKenzie.
Medfield returns a solid nucleus in its quest to be the last team standing in Div. 2 once again. Jack Cahill, Mark Nevins and Owen Murphy figure to lead the offense, while Matt Dold and Andrew Garfield anchor a stout defense. Dylan McNally and Liam Gately are exceptional at faceoffs.
Foxboro has a ton of experience back in midfielders
Colin Spinney, Brendan Tully and Trey Guerrini, attack Louis Piccolo, defender Patrick Kaveny and goalie Jacob Addeche. Owen Hunter, Alex Lucas and Jake Hurley are back for Walpole, which opened some eyes with a solid season-opening win over Xaverian, while Concordis traditionally tough.
The clear-cut favorite in Div. 2 South is Hingham. The Harbormen return midfielders Marc O’Rourke, Jack Hennessey, Devin Irvin and Jake Quilty along with solid defenders Frank Higgins and Nate Bosnian.
Scituate should be much improved this year as a veteran cast returns led by goalie David Theodore, attack Jake O’Brien and midfielder Joe Messuri. Midfielders Collin Almeida and Nolan Enneguess are back for Falmouth.
In Div. 2 North, Beverly advanced to the sectional final and return midfielder Sam Abate. The Panthers will have to likely deal with a pair of contenders from the Middlesex League.
Defending sectional champion Winchester will look to midfielder Walker Huff to get the Sachems back to the state semifinals. Middlesex Freedom champion Wakefield will be strong in the midfield as Brendan Langlois, Austin Collard and P.J. Iannuzzi are back along with defender Ty Collins.