Nauset builds winning culture
Warriors (13-3) now a Division 2 power
Each year, it seems the same lacrosse contenders emerge this time of the season. Come late May, it is common to see the usual collection of schools bracing themselves for what they presume will be a deep playoff run.
However, if you were to take a pilgrimage along Route 6 to the end of the Cape, you might just find a new program on the rise, one which has taken the Commonwealth by storm in recent weeks.
That would be Nauset, which has established itself as the school to beat in the Cape and Islands League. If Jesse Peno’s group has a say, they could just be on the verge of making history if things pan out.
“This is definitely (the) number one (team),” said Peno. “Just as far as overall depth, the highs they’ve reached in the power rankings, the state rankings. With leading the league, cochamps last year. We’re most likely winning it outright this year. We have one more league game, and we’re in first right now. (This team’s) definitely at the top.”
When Peno first took over the program at the start of the pandemic, the Warriors were essentially starting from scratch. It was a brand new chapter for the school’s community as a whole. Prior to his arrival, Nauset was a sub .500 program, and had missed out on an opportunity to compete in the Div. 2 South Sectional playoffs in 2019.
Since then, Nauset has made the playoffs each of the previous two seasons. This included a run to the Div. 2 Round of 16 last year, when the Warriors fell to the state’s runner-up, Billerica, a 13-6 loss last June 10.
Now? Peno’s group suddenly finds itself sitting as the top-ranked team in the Div. 2 power rankings. If you were to slot each of the MIAA’s top schools by school rating, Nauset would be slotted seventh overall (11.0983), and the Warriors believe they can compete with just about any squad in the Commonwealth.
“It’s super exciting for the program,” said Nauset senior Andrew Berardi. “We’ve obviously never been ranked this high before. It’s really rewarding for our team to be ranked this high.”
Slated to continue his lacrosse career at Babson next year, Berardi has had a breakout season. The senior has already sniped 64 goals and dished out 34 assists. The Warriors (13-3) have also been powered by fellow senior attackmen Quinn Mucha (31 goals, 39 assists) and Cooper McIntire (35 goals, 17 assists).
“The class of 2023 is really the first large group we’ve ever had,” Peno said. “They treat lacrosse as, not necessarily as their main sport, although it is for a lot of them, but a lot of them are multisport athletes. They play club, they put time into it during the offseason. The sport had been around at Nauset long enough that a lot of these guys played together in the youth leagues coming up … we’re kind of seeing that snowballing forward.”
Nauset has enjoyed key victories over some of the top programs in the state, and at multiple levels. The Warriors have slayed the likes of rising Div. 1 teams, most notably Catholic Memorial (a 10-8 win April 6), and went on to split their annual season series with perennial Div. 4 powerhouse Sandwich.
However, the defining victory of the moment for Nauset came on April 28, when the Warriors stunned fellow Div. 2 rival Scituate in a wild 14-13 game on the road. That night, Mucha buried the winning goal in the closing minutes. In doing so, the Mass. Maritime commit sent a statement in the process.
“That game was very important to me,” said Mucha. “They’ve been a powerhouse school for who knows how long, and I just really wanted individually to beat them. We came out strong, and I feel like whenever we play as a team, we can beat anyone, no matter who’s in front of us. That’s what we did.”
Recently, the Warriors gathered for a meeting. It was then that Peno looked at his group, and said that the journey was truly just beginning.
“Everyone’s pretty motivated,” said Berardi. “We talked about it the other day. Our coach was like: ‘We’ve got a legitimate chance at a state title. We’ve got to lock in and prepare for this … we’re not practicing for the game tomorrow, we’re practicing for a potential playoff run and a state title.’ ”