At Reading, Parkin takes reins from legendary Hardy
Charlie Hardy essentially grew Reading lacrosse from a seed of a program to a Division 2 powerhouse before retiring after 22 seasons in the wake of the Rockets’ second state title in five seasons.
Reading opened practice Monday with new head coach Rob Parkin at the helm after spending the past nine seasons as Hardy’s assistant.
A lifelong lacrosse aficionado with over 20 years of coaching experience, including a stint as Burlington’s head coach, Parkin spent the past four seasons as Reading’s defensive coordinator.
Parkin said he plans to instill the same principles that have led to success for the program over the past two decades, characterized in a slogan called “The Three Cs”: Community, Culture, and Competition.
“Listen, Charlie’s a legend, and taking over for a guy who won 400-plus games and is considered the father of Reading lacrosse, it’s not easy shoes to fill,” said Parkin, a history teacher at Burlington High.
“But I know the system and the process of what it takes to become champions. So I think it’s really good to have that understanding when you’re laying out expectations, and it should make for an easier transition.”
The Rockets return several key pieces on the back end, including Matthew Goodreau, Ian Leonard, Ben Diemer, and Jack Filipski. Cullen Granara returns as one of the top attackmen in the state, and Aidan Koster came on strong last June with two goals in a 9-4 win over Duxbury for the D2 state title.
Along with Parkin, the rest of Reading’s assistant coaches are back, and Hardy is expected to spend plenty of time with the program in an advisory capacity.
“Winning two titles in five years puts us in the conversation of being a lacrosse town, and we absolutely want to maintain that culture,” said Parkin. “I believe it takes a village to move a program forward and we have that blueprint.” Spring practices opened across the state this week with other boys’ lacrosse programs looking to set the tone in their title defense, and many more looking to take another step forward:
■ Duxbury only graduated five seniors after making a run to the D2 state final last season. The Dragons return star midfielders Sam Wien and Zach Falls are back along with twins Braeden and Colin Hulett, forming a fierce offensive front.
■ Coming off an incredible season that featured 21 straight wins, Marblehead brings in a corps of players that are fresh off a run to the D2 hockey state championship as the Magicians look to replace All-Scholastic midfielder Connor Cronin. Charlie Grenier and Reece Moore will try to pick up the slack on attack and JJ Pollender will lead the defense.
■ BC High is looking to break through in D1 after falling to Catholic Conference rival St. John’s Prep in the state final last spring. There are some new faces on offense for the Eagles, with Luke Allen looking to take charge and Nick Emsing following the footsteps of his older brother, Will Emsing. Marshall Rice, the younger brother of Syracuse middie Carter Rice, is one of the top midfielders in the state.
■ Franklin lost a star trio of attackmen, but has four players who have been waiting in the wings for a chance to show their stuff. Jack O’Connor, Dylan McEvoy, and Zach Langevin are the names to watch for the Panthers.
■ Norwell is loaded up after winning a second straight D3 title. The Clippers return senior poles Charlie Booras, Will Morse, and midfielder Aedan Coyle, while sophomore Jake McGuirk and junior Oliver Rice step in at attack.
■ Sandwich is another team to watch in the South Shore League with junior twins Cole and Luke Rodgers leading the way. Senior goalie Shane Corcoran, an Assumption commit, is one of the best in the area, and Avery Richardson returns as an experienced senior attackmen.