Each of the previous two seasons, the MIAA boys lacrosse state championship has come down to a Catholic Conference showdown, with St. John’s Prep defeating rival BC High in both instances.
Could John Pynchon’s group have visions of a three-peat? Given the number of familiar faces returning, it’s hard to envision a precipitous dropoff for the Eagles, and the St. John’s Prep coach is hopeful that this squad can continue what is quickly trending toward a dynastic run. The Eagles (22-1) parted ways with a few key players, including Providence commit Tommy Sarni, but welcomed back Jimmy Ayers, Matt Morrow and Jake Vana, to name a few.
“We have a lot of returning guys,” said Pynchon. “But we have a ton of new faces on the defensive end. We’re really trying to balance out our high expectations with the reality that we’re in 2023, that we’re not our 2022 team. Just trying to stay focused on getting work done, and getting the kids to continually trust that we’re getting better each day.”
BC High (17-6) will have a tall task playing in a Div. 1 field that suddenly has become even deeper, but remain a dangerous threat. Expect the team to rely heavily on Georgetown commit James Carroll (18 goals, 16 assists), who emerged as one of the state’s most electrifying players. In addition to his talents offensively last year, the now-senior added 119 ground balls to go with 80 caused turnovers.
Xaverian (13-8) saw highly-touted prospect Henry Hasselbeck join its lacrosse ranks after a stint at Belmont Hill. Couple that with the return of Brendan Owens, Griffin Ready, Sebastian Reyes to go with a big junior class, and the Hawks suddenly have taken on the form of a juggernaut.
The usual publics should contend. Hingham enjoyed a run to the state semifinals before faltering to St. John’s Prep (a 12-8 loss last June 18). The Harbormen will rely heavily on Richmond commit Charlie Packard for offensive firepower, along with fellow senior captain Joe Hennessey.
Other Div. 1 schools to key in on include obvious candidates, such as Acton-Boxboro, Lincoln-Sudbury and Needham. Franklin is shaping up to make noise out of the Hockomock League, with other programs such as Concord-Carlisle, Natick and North Andover lurking as possible sleepers.
Billerica (18-5) embarked on a fantastic run to the Div. 2 championship last spring. While the Warriors saw their season end at the hands of Longmeadow (a 9-8 double overtime loss June 21), there is plenty of reason for excitement this year. The school boasts arguably the state’s top goaltender in Scottie Einarson (315 saves), who is bound for Bryant next fall. The Warriors will also turn defensively to Franklin Pierce commit Kyle Breitwieser and Nick Magliozzi, who is headed for St. Leo’s. Junior attackman Aidan Gibbons will provide a scoring spark after racking up 52 goals and 31 assists last year.
Longmeadow has made the state finals each of the previous two seasons, and won the title in 2022 with a goal by Coleson Hanrahan. Now, the Lancers will be relying on senior midfielder Dominic Veratti (a Pace University commit) and attackman John Wright (leading goal scorer from last season). Not to mention, the school also welcomes back Merrimack commit Antonio Izzo, and a defensive stalwart in Ryan Dzierzcowski.
With two Saint Anselm commits in long stick middie Nate Johnson and goaltender Finn Granara slated to make a comeback, Reading (18-4) as a strong candidate to reach the state semifinals for a third consecutive season, if not win it all. Last year, the Rockets surrendered an average of just 6.5 goals per game. Expect that trend to continue, as St. Lawrence-bound Mike Miele will anchor things on the defensive end as captain.
The Patriot League should also be well-represented in Div. 2. Duxbury (17-5) embarked on a voyage to the Final Four one year back, and will remain a contender due to its depth. Wyatt Glass is slated to lead the Dragons on attack, with long stick middie Parker Villarin and defenseman Christian Biggins shoring things up defensively.
Meanwhile, Scituate (15-5) will be looking to keep pace with their local rivals, and sees the return of key cogs such as James Sullivan (63 goals, 11 assists) and Will Robinson (42 goals, 23 assists). Other teams that could make a leap in this field include Marblehead, Nauset and Westwood.
Jimmy Ayers (St. John’s Prep)
Christian Biggins (Duxbury)
Ryan Blagg (Chelmsford)
Kyle Breitweiser (Billerica)
James Carroll (BC High)
Jayden Consigli (Franklin)
Luke Davis (Franklin)
Scott Einarson (Billerica)
Aidan Gibbons (Billerica)
Wyatt Glass (Duxbury)
Finn Granara (Reading)
Henry Hasselbeck (Xaverian)
Joe Hennessey (Hingham)
Anthony Izzo (Longmeadow)
Nate Johnson (Reading)
Mike Miele (Reading)
Matt Morrow (St. John’s Prep)
Jack O’Hanian (Concord-Carlisle)
Brendan Owens (Xaverian)
Charlie Packard (Hingham)
Griffin Ready (Xaverian)
Sebastian Reyes (Xaverian)
Tyler Sacchetti (Franklin)
James Sullivan (Scituate)
Jake Vana (St. John’s Prep)
Dominic Veratti (Longmeadow)
Parker Villarin (Duxbury)