St. John’s Prep, BC High among heavyweights
Division 1 powers may be on a collision course again
Dating back to 2021, the BC High and St. John’s Prep boys lacrosse programs have clashed in the state championship each spring, with SJP winning three consecutive crowns. The latest installment might have just been the greatest battle, as the school rallied from a four-goal deficit in the final minutes for a stunning 16-14 victory in front of a packed house at Burlington High School.
The rivals could be on a collision course to meet once again. St. John’s Prep may have lost a few key contributors, most notably Johns Hopkins commit Jimmy Ayers and goaltender Gavin Kornitsky. However, the Eagles welcome back some noteworthy stars, including Brendan Powers and Jake Vana.
“We want to come out and practice every day,” St. John’s Prep coach John Pynchon said. “We have a pie chart that we talk about, with which the season is 70 percent about practices. So if we can focus on having great practices, the 18 games, plus the playoffs will take care of themselves. If we do everything the way we believe it’s instilled in the program to do it, I think we are going to find ourselves in a position to compete at the end of the year. That’s kind of the goal. Focus on the dayto-day things, and then put yourself in a position to compete for a state championship in June.”
Meanwhile, BC High brings back a crop of talent as well. Watch out for the emergence of Bates College commit Max Galvin offensively, while Charlie McCullogh, a Rutgers commit, remains in net for the Catholic Conference powerhouse.
The usual list of publics should also vie for some hardware, with Acton-Boxboro leading the charge out of the Dual County League. Following a breakout sophomore campaign (42 goals, 43 assists), attacking midfielder Trey Clayton is poised to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Tyler, and has the Revolution in position to succeed. Jack Roche will lead the team defensively (24 caused turnovers, 60 ground balls).
Lincoln-Sudbury sustained a few losses, but will be powered by the comeback of senior captain and a Union College commit in Peter Rossi. Gettysburg commit Drew Laguerre is expected to shoulder things on the offensive end.
Other schools to keep an eye out for in the early going include Xaverian, which witnessed the departure of Henry Hasselbeck and Brendan Owens, but saw the return of decorated coach Tim Gardner.
Franklin might have had stars like Jayden Consigli, Luke Davis and Tyler Sacchetti leave for the collegiate ranks, but Quinnipiac-bound Drew Hansen now takes over as one of the state’s top scorers at Beaver Pond, alongside fellow midfielder and Saint Anselm’s commit Eddie O’Brien.
Andover, Catholic Memorial, Chelmsford, ConcordCarlisle and Needham are each candidates to make noise as well.
The Div. 2 field is a bit harder to project due to a series of changes within some legendary programs. Last year, Reading fans rejoiced after the Rockets made history by defeating Duxbury in the title game, 9-4. It was a fitting end to the career of head coach Charlie Hardy, who rode off into the sunset following a 22-year stint at the helm.
Now, Rob Parkin will look to carry on a successful tradition. A tall task? Of course, but with a few key names sticking with the group, including juniors Cullen Granara and Ben Diemer set to lead the way, the path to a repeat becomes a bit more clear. The Rockets should still be in contention come June. But there will be some hurdles.
Put simply, the field is now deeper than before. Even with some premier programs exiting, Hingham has been added to the fold, a perennial Div. 1 title contender looking to exert some damage against new competition. The Harbormen might take the role of a defensive juggernaut this year, with Swarthmore College commit Nate Hoffman playing a stonewall in net, and athletes like Gunner Corey standing in the backfield. Offensively, the school will look to Rocco Egan, who returns after dealing with an injury-plagued 2023 spring, looking to get back to dominating the faceoff circle.
“I really think our expectations are to play to the best of our ability,” said Hingham coach John Todd. “Given that we have another great group of guys, (the goal) is to compete for another championship. But the bottom line is to compete at a high level, day-in, day-out. Our regular season schedule hasn’t changed one bit, so we’re still playing to the level we want to play at there. That sets us up to compete in the tournament for whoever we play against.”
Does the aforementioned Duxbury make a charge back to Div. 2 prominence after a runner-up finish in 2023? One would have to think. The Dragons will have one of their top snipers in Colin Hulett coming back, plus an array of newfound talent among their underclassmen.
Billerica will remain a possible team to target this year, along with Longmeadow, which has enjoyed its latest hot start in the Western Mass. side of the state. Marblehead, Marshfield and North Andover could pose problems for opposing schools as the season progresses.
Players to Watch
Mike Calvo (Acton-Boxboro); Trey Clayton (Acton-Boxboro); Gunner Corey (Hingham); Matt Corvi (Franklin); Ben Diemer (Reading); Rocco Egan (Hingham); Nick Emsing (BC High); Kevin Gailius (BC High); Max Galvin (BC High); Michael Garrity (Hingham); Aidan Gibbons (Billerica); Cullen Granara (Reading); Drew Hansen (Franklin); Nate Hoffman (Hingham); Colin Hulett (Duxbury); Derek Labadini (Concord-Carlisle); Drew Laguerre (LincolnSudbury); Kal Lonergan (Concord-Carlisle); Austin Lynch (Wellesley); Charlie McCullogh (BC High); Eddie O’Brien (Franklin); Ben Palli (Wellesley); Brendan Powers (St. John’s Prep); Jack Roche (Acton-Boxboro); Peter Rossi (LincolnSudbury); Tripp Schuhwerk (BC High); Alex Trierweiler (Framingham); Kameron Tremblay (Billerica); Jake Vana (St. John’s Prep).