Coming into the season, John Pynchon wasn’t exactly too sure what to make of his group.
Positive, St. John’s Prep was coming off back-to-back Div. 1 boys lacrosse championships, and he knew there was potential. However the Eagles had misplaced so many key objects he frightened if a three-peat was truly doable.
Seems it was. St. John’s Prep (22-1) is now formally inside the midst of a dynasty, having knocked off BC Excessive to win the crown as soon as extra.
The most recent title bout between the two Catholic Convention foes proved to be primarily essentially the most epic, as Johns Hopkins commit Jimmy Ayers (5 targets, assist) and junior star Jake Vana (4 targets, two assists) blended to rally the Eagles from a four-goal fourth quarter deficit to an unforgettable 16-14 victory. In doing so, St. John’s Prep avenged its lone MIAA lack of the season, and added one different piece of {{hardware}} to the trophy case.
Most pundits had been saying that if there ever was a 12 months for Studying to win the Div. 2 title, it was this one. The Rockets (22-1) delivered on their expectations, as a result of the trio of Cullen, Finn and Robbie Granara took the state by storm. They misplaced just one recreation all season, falling to the Div. 1 runner-up in BC Excessive in April.
After knocking off the reigning state champion with a 10-8 win over Longmeadow inside the Closing 4, Studying coasted by Duxbury all through a 9-4 victory inside the title recreation. It was the first championship for this technique since 2018. Regardless of missing one among their principal scorers in Ethan Haggerty (broken wrist), Robbie Granara stood up in his place, scoring a pair of targets to cap his stellar highschool career.
Few Div. 3 packages had been able to cope with Norwell in 2023. The Clippers dropped solely three video video games all 12 months, two of which received right here in opposition to Div. 1 powerhouses (Lincoln-Sudbury, Xaverian) and the third in opposition to the Div. 4 champion, Cohasset. Then, Austin Shea, John Mullen and their classmates launched into one of many dominant runs in present occasion historic previous, outscoring opponents at a 78-22 clip. Then, top-ranked Norwell knocked off an upstart program in seventh-seeded Falmouth, 10-4, inside the championship to cap an epic 12 months.
Cohasset (20-2) captured the Div. 4 title with an 8-4 victory over a perennial championship contender in second-seeded Sandwich. It was the faculty’s first lacrosse crown since 2018, when the Skippers dominated the Div. 3 ranks beneath the earlier MIAA playoff system.
Major takeaways
There was a great deal of debate as as as to whether or not the MIAA should arrange a Tremendous Eight space for all sports activities actions, nevertheless you’d should take into account that one ought to just about positively be thought-about for lacrosse. No less than now, given the swap to a statewide occasion. Because the switch, the Catholic Convention has dominated the Div. 1 ranks with two schools always battling it out for the crown. Examine that with the final decade earlier to the pandemic, when a public school acquired seven of 10 doable championships at that diploma, with Lincoln-Sudbury having enjoyable with a sustained run of success. May a Tremendous Eight quell the eventualities the place we see the “chalk” teams cruise to titles? It’s completely doable, if not attainable. The statewide occasion could present top-of-the-line championship matchups, nevertheless the road there, considerably on this sport, can usually be thought-about a cruise for the premier packages.
This 12 months, the state decided to look into selecting championship locations conducive to the place the participating schools themselves had been situated, reasonably than merely selecting dates at specific schools scattered throughout the Commonwealth. The switch was met with a mixed response, with the ladies participating of their title video video games at Babson School. In the meantime, the boys carried out their finals at Burlington Excessive College. Whereas the choice might need appeared unorthodox to some, the native venue proved to be an essential host spot, and the title video video games all went off with no hitch for primarily essentially the most half. Whereas a return to using schools in Japanese Mass. is maybe hottest for some followers, the choice to pick neutral stadiums primarily based totally on the place the colleges are is definitely a protection the MIAA ought to take a look at conserving in-place. Comfort is important, and usually it merely doesn’t make sense for two teams from the North or South Shore to make the pilgrimage to Worcester for a showdown.
Plainly lacrosse diehards have formally adjusted to the model new statewide lacrosse vitality score system. There was a great deal of confusion as all people grew to change into acquainted with how the rankings had been determined, and the place their school truly belonged. In the end, the cream rose to the best in 2023, with the top-rated packages having primarily essentially the most success. Whereas minor tweaks will proceed to be made with the system itself, it seems to be like identical to the state has found a profitable format for the foreseeable future.
Gamers to have a look at in 2024
Liam Appleton, Cohasset
Joe Bartolotta, Medfield
Charlie Booras, Norwell
Tim Collins, Medfield
Fisher Gadbois, Essex Tech
Michael Garrity, Hingham
Aidan Gibbons, Billerica
Cullen Granara, Studying
Henry Hasselbeck, Xaverian
Nate Hoffman, Hingham
Declan Lee, Cohasset
Cam McCarthy, St. John’s Prep
Shane McDonnell, BC Excessive
Cam McKenna, Hingham
Will Morse, Norwell
Avery Richardson, Sandwich
Oliver Rice, Norwell
Willy Robinson, Scituate
Cole Rodgers, Sandwich
Braeden Sutton, Medfield
Kameron Tremblay, Billerica
Jake Vana, St. John’s Prep
