Nantucket is going the distance for wins
Nantucket is comfortable playing the role of underdog, but when the MIAA Power Rankings debuted in late April with the Whalers sitting atop Division 4 boys’ lacrosse, the 23 players on the squad knew they had to work even harder.
In the past week, Nantucket (9-1) took down defending D3 state finalist Falmouth, 8-4, with a gritty performance, then scored an 8-7 win at King Philip on a late goal from four-year starter colton chambers, and handled Barnstable, 11-4, after another long commute via ferry and bus.
For Nantucket, extra travel can be a blessing and a curse, but its nine seniors are well versed with the process.
“I think everyone takes pride in it and we’re all just used to [the travel],” said senior pole griffin starr, a three-year starter. “When teams come play us, and we’re one of the few teams that still play on a grass field, they can be thrown off. they’ve also been sitting on a boat for an hour, and some kids might be seasick. It kind of takes you out of your game.”
Regardless of travel, Nantucket’s starters have to be ready to go the distance.
With 23 players, Whalers coach sam Aloisi is forced to run one or two shifts at midfield, while bigger programs might use three or four lines to keep those players fresh.
to compensate, Nantucket practices begin with custom conditioning sessions led by former Boston University rugby standout Wally lester, a chiropractor on the island.
“there’s only so much we can do when you get into deeper levels of the playoffs,” said Aloisi, a Nantucket native who was hired as an assistant in 2012 and became head coach the following season.
“We certainly have fewer kids to draw from, but it fluctuates, and every three or four years we get a big wave of talent like this group.”
Many of Nantucket’s seniors led a run to the D4 boys’ hockey state semifinals in 2023, with help from a stringent conditioning program run by Nantucket Cycling and Fitness owner stacey Moran.
Sandwich beat Nantucket, 3-0, in the semifinals, a year after making its own dramatic run to a state hockey title.
While they’re no longer league rivals (Sandwich left the Cape & Islands for the South Shore League two years ago), the schools are still closely tied, and Sandwich is right behind Nantucket at No. 3 in the latest boys’ lacrosse rankings.
Sandwich (10-2) is coming off back-to-back runs to the state finals under longtime coach Mike McNeil. It may be the deepest the school of roughly 700 students has made it, but the senior-laden squad is looking for more.
“two years in a row we’ve had heartbreakers in the finals, but we keep coming back harder,” said senior middie Jack connolly, the hero of Sandwich hockey’s state title run two years ago.
“We know we could’ve won both [state finals], but we didn’t beat ourselves up all offseason. We just tried to come out the other side better and it makes us more motivated.”
McNeil, in his 22nd year as a teacher at Sandwich High and his 19th as head coach, is also enjoying a bit of a golden age in terms of a senior class loaded with talent.
Avery Richardson recently returned from a shoulder injury with a hat trick, extending his program record to 154 career goals. cole Rodgers has led the offense with 51 points (33 goals, 18 assists), and shane corcoran(147 saves) remains rock solid in net.
McNeil has coached this year’s seniors since his son, Tyler, started youth lacrosse in first grade, so their final run together has extra meaning.
“It’s like a dream job to coach these kids,” said McNeil. “the last couple years have been a pretty awesome experience for me.”
the Knights have 50 players on their roster, doubling Nantucket with room to spare. So it might be strange to think of the Whalers as the favorites in a division that includes two-time defending D3 state champion Norwell, and reigning D4 champion Cohasset.
“When everyone saw those first power rankings we realized now we have something to prove,” said Starr, who will attend Mass. Maritime and major in marine transportation. “We want to prove we’re worthy of that and stay there the rest of the season. Everyone’s coming for us now, we’re not really the underdog anymore.”
Quick sticks
R Ty lescord went the length of the field to bury the shorthanded winning goal with four seconds left to give Haverhill a 11-10 win over visiting Dracut on tuesday night. It was the first Merrimack Valley Conference Division 2 loss for the Middies in nearly a decade.
Dracut handled Haverhill, 13-5, on April 9, and appeared to be well on its way to sweeping the season series, leading 7-3 at halftime and 10-6 in the fourth quarter before the Hillies mounted their comeback.
“the guys believe in what they can do in a way they have not in past seasons,” said Haverhill third-year coach Jeff Wasson, whose team has won seven of eight. “As the game progressed, we just kept gaining confidence, and in turn, started making more plays. By the end, we had really flipped the script on them, and you could feel that their sideline was stunned.”
Patrick Mcgowan netted four goals for the Hillies (8-3).
It’s been a quick climb for the Hillies, who went 3-13 in Wasson’s first year and 7-11 a year ago, including 0-4 against Dracut with each game decided by double digits.
“It means a lot to be the ones to break their streak,” said Wasson, whose has team clinched a spot in the Division 1 tournament for the first time since 2016.
R St. John’s Prep (11-1), Duxbury (13-1), Medfield (8-2), and Nantucket (8-1) topped the four divisions when the MIAA released its most recent power rankings tuesday morning.