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CANTON, Mass. -- It was a moment frozen in time. The members of the Canton boys' lacrosse team crouched underneath the scoreboard at Memorial Field for a picture in the late afternoon of last Thursday. Even though the junior varsity game was about to begin, the scoreboard remained unchanged from the previous one. The Bulldogs had just beaten Hockomock League rival Foxborough for the first time since the 2007 season -- in double overtime, nonetheless -- and they were content to savor it.

"This is a banner win for us," head coach Bill Bendell said following the Bulldogs' momentous win, their first against the Warriors in 12 tries . "In 2008, we lost a couple of one-goal games to them, but since then it hasn't been close."

He isn't kidding, too. The memories of some of the absolute drubbings Foxborough doled out against Canton remain fresh. Canton's seniors had registered an oh-fer in six games against the Warriors entering last week. The average margin of victory in those Foxborough games was more than nine goals per. "Pretty slaughtered" was how senior attack Pat Ward described the previous encounters.

But even after a psyche-shifting victory the Bulldogs have kept rolling. After Wednesday's 10-5 win over King Philip, Canton improved to 9-0. It's the longest such unbeaten streak in program history and, as a result -- for a program which has enjoyed just one winning season in its last eight -- the Bulldogs are rapidly approaching their record for wins in a season this millennium (12, in 2011).

“We haven’t won the league or anything, and there’s a long road ahead of us," said senior Kurt Leavitt, who scored the overtime game-winner against Foxborough, "but it’s definitely something to build off.”

It's been a steady build for the Bulldogs, and it hasn't come easy.

Bendell was tasked with finding a new starting goaltender for this year. With no apparent candidates to fill the role, he turned to then sophomore attackman Ben Lodge. It happened nearly by accident. Lodge was horsing around during a summer lacrosse camp when Bendell had the inkling for a radical idea -- this kid might actually be the solution. It turned out to be a stroke of genius. Through the nine-game winning streak, Lodge and the Bulldogs defense has allowed just shy of six goals a game.

To his credit, Lodge has done it at less than 100 percent as well. After suffering a knee injury, which may require offseason surgery, he's forced to play the position with a bulky knee brace.

"He's been clutch," Bendell said. "He's been lights-out. He's been a little dinged up, but he's a tough kid."

Aside from the on-field success, Bendell talked about importance of changing the perception of the program within the school community. He pointed to senior defensive midfielder Dexter Green as a prime example. The All-League football player hardly had ever picked up a stick before some of his friends on the team persuaded the hard-hitting, physical defender to try lacrosse.

Bendell believes that converts such as Green are the key to perpetuating the success his team has experienced this season. He credited his senior core for having toughed it out during some rough stretches in recent years.

We just kept thinking that, if they stick together, stick with us and they persevere, we could get somewhere," Bendell said.

He continued, "It's part of the culture change in that kids want to play lacrosse. Hopefully, this will help us build this program long-term, in that the kids will motivated to join and want to be a part of it."

While the Bulldogs entered the season with best intentions, their early season success has even caught them by surprise. "We didn't expect that we'd be undefeated right now," Ward said following the win over Foxborough. It hasn't come without complications either, as Canton has played three overtime games, including back-to-back, double-overtime epics against Sharon and then Foxborough. Even in their historic win against the Warriors, Canton had to erase a two-goal deficit in the final two minutes of regulation to tie it.

“I think winning this can give the boys a new mentality," Ward said of the team's resiliency. "With any team that we play, any team in Division 3, if we play our game, and we’ve had a couple of close ones, but if we play our game, we can hang.”

There remains a strong possibility the Bulldogs will remain undefeated in Hockomock League play heading into their May 15 rematch with their nemesis. Then, the Bulldogs will carry a different kind of burden -- no longer the wanting of knocking off the league power from their perch, but rather defending their newfound pole position.

"We know they’re going to be ready to go again come the second game," Ward said.

Longmeadow makes quite a splash, entering this week's MIAA boys' lacrosse Top 25 poll at No. 11 while making its season debut.

The Lancers crack the rankings this week after notching a Top 25 victory over Central Mass Power Algonquin. However, they weren't the only Western Mass. squad entering the poll this week, as South Hadley -- only a half-game behind Longmeadow in the Wheel standings at 5-0 -- also makes its season debut at No. 22.

(Editors note: Rankings do not reflect Tuesday's results or the adjustment in records made in accordance with Foxborough's forfeited win over No. 12 Reading.)

A BIG WIN
Aside from Longmeadow, the team covering the most ground this week is Dover-Sherborn. The Raiders hop up 10 spots to No. 15 after a huge 6-3 win over Tri-Valley League rival Medfield -- showing why they're to team to beat (again) in Division 3. Now, we could have been more harsh on the Warriors, but we still believe Medfield is the team to beat in Division 2, so we're keeping them in the Top 10 at No. 7 -- for now. Also drawing a significant boost from a conference win last week is Andover, which moves up seven spots to No. 16 after a thrilling overtime victory over Merrimack Valley rival Billerica.

WESTWOOD, Mass. -– The ever-suspenseful coaching rematch between Leslie Frank and daughter Meredith showed both how far the Notre Dame of Hingham program has come, and why Leslie's two-time defending state champ Westwood remains the standard for girls' lacrosse in Massachusetts.

In a tight defensive battle between the top two ranked programs in the state, No. 1 Westwood (10-0) again edged No. 2 NDH (8-2), 7-4, to win the regular season rematch of the last years' south sectional semifinals at Flahive Field last night.

“We wanted the ball back so furiously,” said Westwood coach Leslie Frank. “You could just see the teamwork. When someone was going in for a shot the double was coming.”

Westwood outscored the Cougars 5-1 over a 23:42 span to pull away from an early 2-2 tie.

Junior Ela Hazar (foul goals) bounced in a free position to start the run at 3-2 with 15:36 left in the first half. A minute and a half later junior Kim Egizi drew three defenders away from the net and setup a backhanded 4-2 score by Hazar along the post to help guarantee the Cougars would never equalize.

“We just tried to play a little bit more aggressive,” said Meredith Frank. “Last time we played them we sort of turtle'd. We kept up our intensity defensively.”

After allowing a deep free position score by Notre Dame junior Kelsey Bowen, Westwood scored twice in the final minute of the first half to go ahead 6-3. Egizi finished a backdoor tally at 53.8 seconds. The junior then hit Hazar in motion along the net where she knocked the ball out of the air and into the inside of the top post for a 6-3 goal.

“Lots of shooting drills are done in two's; quick feet (and) quick shots,” said Leslie Frank. “It is to her credit that (Hazar) can stick that with a swarm of defenders on her. She has legit soft hands, beautiful stick control and beautiful finishing work.”

R'Askin A Lot In Net: Meghan Raskin was absolutely the difference for Westwood in the victory with 14 saves. The Cougars controlled possession and peppered the junior with shots all second half, including nine shots-on-goal, but were only able to score once.

Raskin opened the later half by shifting to catch ND (H) senior Julia Simmons along the post on a dangerous pass from freshman Charlotte Allard. Within four minutes of play Raskin just swung her net low enough to save her second free position in two minutes.

“Stepping up to the occasion is something that is really important,” said Raskin. “We always do eight-meter shots so we are prepared for that. You just have to keep a good head on you shoulders.”

Cracking a Defensive Stalemate: Westwood sophomore Colleen Burke worked her way through a gap in the defense and snuck horizontally past the front of the net to open up a high 7-3 scoring effort after 16 minutes of play in the second half. Fifty one seconds later Cougars' sophomore Lexi Lenaghan caught a high lob from Allard and buried it along the back post for the 7-4 final.

“(Raskin) was dominate on her low saves,” said Meredith Frank. “I wish we could have shot the ball a little higher. This is just one more step in where we want to take this program.”

Lenaghan ripped an open shot off the top crossbar with 4:55 left, while junior Isabella O'Connor bulldozed her way past two defenders to force a tough low save from Raskin.

Up and Coming Family Rivalry: Meredith played on two of her mother's six Division 1 state champion teams before playing four years at juggernaut Northwestern University. Last year was a breakthrough season for the program, but the Cougars were brought back down to Earth with a tough 18-8 south sectional semifinal loss in Meredith's first matchup against her mother.

The tight loss last night showed another step in the right direction, as the two squads remain the favorites for the South region and the state as a whole this season.

“I am following the lead of my girls and my school,” said Meredith Frank. “This is just one more step in where we want to take this program. My mom has done this for a long time and she has earned that respect and discipline from her players and that is what I am trying to instill.”

WEST ROXBURY, Mass. – Jack Sharrio had never experienced anything quite like it before. Last week, the St. John’s Prep senior attackman was driving his car when he realized he couldn’t see quite as well as usual. It turned out he was suffering an allergic reaction to the eye drops he’d been taking.

Thankfully, Sharrio was fine, but it forced him to miss the Eagles’ Saturday game against Division 2 power Hingham – a game they lost, 9-5.

On Monday, he made his return to the Prep lineup and put on a show, leading the No. 9 Eagles with a four-goal, five-point performance in their 14-10 win over Catholic Conference rival No. 19 Catholic Memorial.

“His presence was missed [on Saturday],” Prep head coach John Roy said. “So tonight I think there was a little bit of wanting to step up and it showed. He was aggressive all night.”

The Eagles (8-3) halted a two-game losing steak with a renewed emphasis on ball movement, while sending the Knights (6-7) to their third straight defeat – all coming against Catholic Conference competition.

Shawn Waldon compiled a four-point game (3 G, 1 A) while Andrew Gallahue (2 G, 1 A) and Ben Anthony (1 G, 2 A) each had three points. Princeton-bound midfielder Drew O’Connell also dished out two key assists on fourth-quarter goals, providing the Eagles some insurance.

“When we started to cut, Drew O’Connell had his head up and was making the looks,” Roy said. “For us, that’s something that we’ve been looking for.”

While Prep’s streak of games not having allowed a man-up goal was broken on Monday — with CM cashing in on three man-advantages in the first half — the Eagles closed the game with authority, holding while down two men in the final two minutes of the game. Eagles goaltender Tom Casale made two of his seven saves on the game during that man-down situation, snuffing out any thought of a comeback bid.

Derek Osbahr and Anthony Merullo also were instrumental in the victory in their support on faceoffs, winning a combined 16 ground balls.

A FULL DECK
Sharrio, who quarterbacked the Eagles football team to an Eastern Mass. Super Bowl championship in the fall, has been a key cog to the lacrosse team in each of his four years.

However, this is the first year he’s shifted up to attack. And while Prep has been averaging more than 10 goals a game, they struggled offensively against Hingham.

With a full complement of players, including Sharrio, the Eagles were able to get back to what’s made them effective.

“We were dodging pretty well, trying to find the open man,” Sharrio said. “There were sometimes we could’ve caught and scored a little bit better than we did, but that’s something we can work on. I think it just shows that if we keep this up in the future we’ll be alright.”

New Hampton (N.H.) post-graduate lacrosse player Alex Stanko has signed a National Letter of Intent with the University of Vermont, the school announced this afternoon.

Stanko is a Newton resident who entered a PG year at the New Hampton, N.H. campus following a standout career at Dexter School, in Brookline.

New Hampton Director of Communications Will McCulloch passes along the following press release regarding Stanko's signing.

NEW HAMPTON, N.H. -– New Hampton School's Alex Stanko ’13 signed a letter of intent to play lacrosse at the University of Vermont on Friday. Stanko, a native of West Newton, Massachusetts, is a dynamic scorer and leader. Stanko has led the Huskies to a 6-3 start this season with 28 goals, including the game-winner in a 14-13 overtime victory over league foe Proctor on Saturday. It was one of six goals he scored in the back-and-forth contest.

[+] Enlarge
Courtesy of New Hampton SchoolNewton resident Alex Stanko signed a national letter of intent with University of Vermont lacrosse on Monday afternoon.

"I chose the University of Vermont because of the opportunity I will have on the field and in the classroom," said Stanko, who attended the Dexter School before New Hampton. "Coach Ryan Curtis also had a large impact on my decision because of the vision he has for the lacrosse program. I am looking forward to a successful four years."

Stanko credited his parents and his time at New Hampton for allowing him to develop as a player and a student-athlete.

"Whether it was driving me to practice every weekend since I was six years old or allowing me to explore a postgraduate year, my parents have always been there for me and I know that they believed in my dream of playing lacrosse at the Division I level just as much as I did," Stanko said. "I can't tell you how thankful I am for that. I would also like to thank Coach Simon here an New Hampton for everything he has done. He pushes me to be at my best every time I step on the field and that is a trait I will carry on to the next level. He provided me with a home here at New Hampton."

Simon, on of the top young coaches in New England, believes Stanko will only get better at college level given the amount of time he has put into his game over the winter months at New Hampton.

"Alex is an incredibly dynamic lacrosse player," Simon said. "He is a player that does it all. Off the field he is always in the gym shooting, lifting, and playing wall-ball to work on his craft. He demands the ball on offense, like all good goal scorers do."

Stanko played for the 3-D Club Lacrosse program this past summer before leading the Huskies as an elected captain. He's provided a guiding presence for a New Hampton School team that s packed with talented young players.

"He is a player that understands that if you want to make it to the next level, you need to work for it," Simon said. "I am very proud of him and his work ethic. He set a goal to play Division I lacrosse and he achieved it."

Four Central Mass boys' lacrosse teams are joining for a doubleheader of games to benefit the One Fund on Friday, May 17.

Here's more from the release from Northbridge lacrosse head coach Steve Falconer:

Four Central Mass boys' lacrosse teams have agreed to play a Varsity doubleheader on Friday night, May 17th, 7 p.m. at Kevin Vulter field on the campus of Grafton High School to raise funds for the “One Fund” created by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and City of Boston Mayor Tom Menino in the wake of the tragic events surrounding the Boston Marathon.

This event was conceived by the Northbridge High School boys' lacrosse team as their annual community service project and has quickly grown into an event supported by three other schools.

In lieu of admission, donations will be collected at the gate and given to the One Fund in the name of all four programs.

All teams will wear the Boston Strong stickers on their helmets to show their support for the victims of the attack.

We hope to attract a large crowd that is reflective of the participating schools and their communities. The schedule of events will be as follows:

Grafton vs. Westborough 5 p.m.
Northbridge vs Blackstone Valley Regional Tech, 7 p.m.

JV level games between the four schools will start in the afternoon at Grafton High School also, Grafton vs Westborough @ 3:30 and Northbrigde vs BVT @ 5:00 on an adjacent field.

There will also be two half-time exhibition matches featuring youth lacrosse players from Grafton, Northbridge and Westborough.

For additional information or to donate to this cause, contact Steve Falconer, Varsity Lacrosse Coach. Northbridge High School, 427 Linwood Ave., Whitinsville, MA 01588 or by email at sfalconer@nps.org.

SUDBURY, Mass. - For a moment in the early minutes of the second quarter, Lincoln-Sudbury lacrosse fans would have been excused if they suddenly experienced flashbacks to the team's previous meeting against Acton-Boxborough.

On April 4, the Colonials came storming back after L-S had opened up a six-goal advantage, actually taking the lead late before the Warriors rallied to come back for a 12-11 victory.

Saturday, L-S came flying out of the gates once again and built a 6-0 lead with 3:03 left in the first quarter. Thomas Cotter scored twice in a row, followed by a dodge-and-rip by Scott Rogers that cut the deficit to 6-3 with 5:36 left in the second.

This time around, however, there would be no comeback as the second-ranked Warriors reeled off seven of the next eight and went on to finish with a 19-8 victory over No. 5 A-B at Myers field.

"No one was worried," said L-S midfielder Greg Roder, one of three players to score four goals in the game. "We knew what happened last time and how it was a close game and we knew we were going to take it right back from them."

Take it right back L-S (9-0) did, as Henry Guild (four goals, three assists), Jordan Dow (two goals, three assists) and Roder all scored to close out the first half with a 9-3 lead.

Guild and A-B's (10-2) Hunter Arnold traded goals to open the third, then L-S stuck three in a row - two from Roder around one from Dan Delaney (four goals, two assists) - to push the advantage to 13-4.

Cotter completed his hat trick to temporarily stop the bleeding, but the Warriors responded with scores from Dow, Guild and Delaney to push the lead back into double digits (16-5), before both coaches mutually agreed to start emptying the benches.

"I think they are a very good team," L-S coach Brian Vona said of Acton-Boxborough. "I think they are a well coached team but I think our kids were just ready, they were ready for tonight. They’ve been practicing hard. I know its age old stuff, but they’ve been practicing hard, they’re working hard, and they’re playing together."

DOVER, Mass. -- Medfield senior Sarah Honan thrives in situations where most keepers would feel uncomfortable.

Succeeding against a medley of free position shots and one-on-one breakaways last night, Honan made 12 difficult saves as she battled defending Division 2 state champion Warriors (8-2, 5-2) to a 10-6 besting of Tri-Valley League foe Dover-Sherborn (6-2, 3-2), at Nora Searle Field.

“I love free position shots,” said Honan. “I like to stay on my toes, just watch the ball all the way to my stick and hopefully I come up with the save. Crashing together as a team and moving together.”

Honan's impressive outing was aided with five goals from fellow senior Katelyn Noschese and a strong showing from the Warriors' man-to-man defense.

Looking Like Defending Champs: The Warriors were looking to bounce back after a poor second half on Wednesday that lead to a tough 14-9 loss to fellow league power Hopkinton (6-2). Medfield was ahead for 46:01 of the 50 minutes on Friday as they edged away for good off a four goal streak in the first half.

Sophomore Lauren Tschirch crashed the net then lowered her head into a group of defenders to draw Medfield's first free position. She buried the effort top-net for a 2-1 lead at 18:11.

Noschese cradled her way past two straight defenders to net a 5-1 goal and end the run with 7:13 left in the first half.

“Not only does it physically prepare us, but it mentally prepares us to stay in games and not let up,” said Noschese. “First of all move the defender (and) get her off track then fake the goalie and just shoot to the corner she is not protecting. It forces them to crash on you.”

Noschese cut out in front of the goal from behind the crease and nailed a 10-yard effort to help clinch the game at 10-6 with 5:07 left in the game. The Warriors moved into their "stall" offense after that score as they wasted of the rest of the clock.

“I was very proud of how smart they were,” said Medfield coach Kathleen McCullough. “It is kind of like a stall if we are in a situation where we need to maintain possession. No shots (allowed).”

Senior Management: Lauren Harrity's two goals and one assist did little justice to show the senior midfielder's influence on Medfield's offensive management. Harrity played a role in half of the Warriors' scores, including the two straight tallies that put her team ahead 9-5 with 13:47 left.

The senior looped around the crease to setup both goals as she lobbed passes to freshman Grace Crowell and sophomore Hailey Tschirch for 10-yard scores and the 9-5 advantage.

“She is just very dynamic,” said McCullough. “If she gets covered too hard she knows that she is going to have to feed the ball and if they are not playing hard defense on them she knows to go to goal.”

Unable to Gain Ground: Dover-Sherborn struggled to pull even as they twice scored two scores then gave up a pair of goals.

Senior Nora Klemmer (three goals) converted a breakaway off a personal draw victory with 21:50 left in the game. Within 44 seconds, she lost two defenders as she cut away from net and produced enough space to sneak a 7-5 score along the post to finish the second run.

“Her first two shots did not go and she was able to adjust to the type of shot that was going to work,” said Dover-Sherborn coach Erin Newton. “We need to make sure we are capitalizing on fast breaks. Our offensive end needs to be quicker in terms of our cuts and our of ball movement.”

TVL As A Playoff Standard: Five of the eight teams in the Tri-Valley League made last years' postseason. The TVL has represented both of the two available girls' lacrosse state titles for the past two years.

In league games like last night's represent a good example of postseason play especially for the two Division 2 squads that played.

“We know that every team comes out strong against us (and) we can't really let up,” said McCullough. “We learned a lot just from our last game against Hopkinton.”

CONCORD, Mass. -- Acton-Boxborough lacrosse trailed by four goals with less than six minutes to play in Thursday’s Dual County League rivalry game against Concord-Carlisle.

The Colonials attack was snuffed out for the great parts of three quarters before breaking off a string of three goals within a minute and nine second to get themselves within a goal. A-B parlayed the momentum into the game-tying goal, scored by T.J. Kelly with 2:34 remaining in regulation. After playing through one overtime period, Scott Rogers (2G, 1 A) made it a happy bus ride home, scoring the game-winner at the 3:14 mark of overtime No. 2.

As for the sudden change in the Colonials’ attack? A-B head coach Pat Ammendolia swears he had nothing to do with it.

“This is word for word,” Ammendolia said, emphatically gesturing with his hands. “I told them that I’m not good enough a coach to get them out of it [the deficit]. Fact, that’s verbatim.”

There was no magic wand that cured all of the Colonials’ ill from the first half. Instead, A-B (9-1) began doing the little things. The decided ground ball advantage the Patriots (5-5) enjoyed in the first half diminished in the fourth. Colonials face-off extraordinaire Joe Cormier won draws – directly or indirectly – setting up their string of three-straight goals from 5:16 to 4:07.

And then, there was the matter of patience on the attack.

“All season, we’ve been averaging pretty high in terms of scoring,” Rogers said. “We were shut down pretty much the whole game and we kept forcing plays, trying to do everything ourselves. We just needed to play as a team and move the ball around, dodge, throw it back, re-dodge.”

MASTER OF THE X
Cormier had as big a hand as any in the Colonials’ comeback with a key stretch of five straight face-off wins in the fourth quarter. It’s a performance that Ammendolia has come to expect.

“He’s excellent,” he said of Cormier. “He was great for us again today. He’s guy that we can count on and usually that’s at 75-, 80-percent [won faceoffs] each game. He’s meticulous and he’s really technical.

“But he’s a hell of a complete player, not just a face-off guy.”

PLAYING TO PACE
C-C did its best to control the pace of the game throughout the first half. Although the Colonials attack didn’t do themselves any favors at times, the Patriots pressed the issue and won nearly every ground ball that was to be had behind long-stick midfielder Nick Brozowski, who scooped up five ground balls in the first half alone.

Cognizant of C-C’s willingness to grind down a high-flying A-B attack, which had scored 102 goals in nine games entering Thursday’s action, the Colonials sought to respond with a bit of the same.

“They like to hold the ball on offense,” Rogers said of C-C. “So we wanted to counter and get it the offensive zone and hold it. Again, we really weren’t doing that. We were forcing plays, taking shots that weren’t there.”

DUXBURY, Mass. -- Despite enormous turnover on the roster that left coach Chris Sweet with mostly first-year starters, the on-field product seems to indicate that members of the Duxbury lacrosse team must be acing their chemistry tests.

Both offensively and defensively, the Dragons showed tremendous cohesion and seemed to have a knack for anticipating where teammates would be despite having just half a season to get used to playing with one another.

That chemistry was certainly evident on the attack where senior C.J. LoConte and sophomore Mickey Fitzpatrick often set each other up, each finishing with three goals and two assists to lead top-ranked Duxbury to a 13-5 victory over nonleague rival Billerica at Calabrese Stadium Wednesday night.

Brendan Burke and Nick Sisioan each added a pair of goals for the Dragons (7-3), while Jeff Trainor paced the Indians (6-3) with two goals and an assist.

"It's definitely been a process but I think we're definitely starting to perfect it," LoConte said of the bond developing between himself and Fitzpatrick. "We've been working a lot after practice just feeding each other. We've been working pretty hard all year to perfect this."

That they've been working hard together was evident in the first quarter as LoConte scored twice, both with assists from Fitzpatrick, and the senior returned the favor by assisting on Fitzpatrick's tally as the Dragons built a 3-1 lead.

Fitzpatrick would add his second in transition and Burke scored off a turnover to push the Duxbury lead to 5-1 before Kyle Leclair stopped the bleeding for Billerica.

Duxbury junior Trevor O'Brien slowed any hopes of the Indians gaining momentum, athletically dodging his way through three Indians defenders to make it a 6-2 game. Freshman Drew Laundry scored a transition goal for Billerica and the Dragons closed the half on a score from Sisioan.

Despite strong efforts from faceoff man Kevin Farrell and goalie D.J. Smith (seven first-half saves), it was all Duxbury in the second half. LoConte (from Fitzpatrick), Bobby O'Brien and Burke all cashed in during the third, and Fitzpatrick (from LoConte) Hunter Marston and Sisioan buried chances in the fourth.

The Dragons formula was simple: once they got the ball, they didn't do anything to hurt themselves while relying on a terrific ride to force Billerica into making errors that they were able to exploit.

"We were patient with the ball," Sweet explained. "We did a great job of valuing possession and didn't mistakes by throwing the ball away and that's huge. Just be patient and let the other team make the mistakes and then capitalize on them."

Added Indians coach Craig Flynn, "I don't know if it was their ride or if we were just dropping balls. We were just throwing the ball away and giving them the ball right back." We had a tough time winning the faceoffs at first. Kevin was beating them on the initial faceoff but on the loose ball fight, we were losing the ball on that. D.J. [Smith] played great in that first quarter. We just didn't help him enough defensively."

Last Wednesday was an emotional day for those associated with the Foran High School baseball program, and it had little to do with Foran's 5-0 loss to rival Law.

<img src="http://a.espncdn.com/espncitysites/boston/prod/assets/hs_connect_110.jpg" alt="Connecticut" class="floatright" />Earlier that day Foran named its baseball field after Ken Walker, who served as Foran's baseball coach from 1986 to 2003, and then from 2011 to 2012. He passed away last June at age 60.

Walker won 279 games during his tenure as Foran's baseball coach – all of his teams qualified for the state tournament – but he also guided the Foran football team to the 1994 Class M title.

Walker graduated from Milford High School in 1969 and then played baseball at Central Connecticut State. He was a three-sport athlete in high school (he also played football and basketball) and coached at all three Milford high schools: Milford, Foran and Law.

“I saw, probably, every public school athlete that came through Milford in the last 48 years,” former Milford baseball coach Dick Jeynes told the Connecticut Post. “In my opinion, he's arguably the best all-around. That's my opinion because he was outstanding at all three – football, basketball and baseball.”

Walker's son Garrett replaced is father as Foran's baseball coach.

“I've never thought about it as anybody else's field except his,” Garrett said. “In my eyes, it's finally getting the name I think it deserves.”

DIAMOND GEMS
Ten players to watch during the 2013 CIAC baseball and softball seasons:

Baseball
"Anthony Alicki, P/1B (Foran): Senior has committed to play at Franklin Pierce, one of the top Division II programs in the country.

"Charles Ameer, P/SS (Weston): Has been clocked in the low 90s. Will continue his baseball career at St. John's.

"Matt Blandino, P (Bristol Central): A possible selected in June's MLB draft, Blandino has committed to play at Central Connecticut State.

"Michael Concato, P (Amity): Concato, a senior, posted an 11-2 record with 108 strikeouts and a 0.61 ERA last season. He will play at Brown.

"Manny Cruz, P/INF (Wolcott): Hit .503 with 28 RBIs, and was 6-0 on the mound last season. Has committed to Southern New Hampshire University.

"Kyle Dunster, P/OF (Greenwich): Dunster, a junior, has committed to play at Boston College.

"Griffen Garabedian, OF (Notre Dame-West Haven): Batted .403 and stole 12 bases as a junior last season. Has committed to play at the University of Connecticut.

"Aaron Hill, INF. (Fitch): Hill has also committed to play at the University of Connecticut. He hit .395, scored 21 runs, collected 19 RBIs and stole 11 bases last season.

"Will Rios, P (St. Bernard): Only a sophomore, Rios has already committed to the University of Maryland.

"Ryan Testani, P (Shelton): Helped Shelton win the Class LL state championship last season, when his posted a 9-3 record and a 1.31 ERA. Testani has committed to Seton Hall.

Softball
"Fallon Bevino, OF (Foran): A three-year starter, Bevino hit .450 with 22 RBIs last season as a sophomore.

"Sydney Ferrante, SS (Southington): Batted .453 with 46 RBIs as a junior last season.

"Hannah Ford, C/3B (New Fairfield): Ford, a junior, hit .525 with 25 runs scored and 21 RBIs last season.

"Katelyn Haff, 2B (Waterford): Senior led her team with a .477 average last season, when she collected six triples, four home runs and 33 RBIs.

"Jess Harkness, P (Foran): Posted a 23-2 record with 270 strikeouts in 186 innings last season.

"Kaitlyn Lajoie, P (Rockville): Had a 22-2 record and a 0.76 ERA to help the Rams win the Class L title as a junior.

"Erika Leonard, SS (Rocky Hill): Hit .494 with 40 hits and 19 RBIs for last year's Class M champion.

"Katie Petroski, INF (Seymour): Had a .505 average with 55 RBIs and 45 runs scored last season as a sophomore.

"Jenn Vazquez, C (St. Joseph): Has committed to play at Manhattan College. Hit .468 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs last season.

"Kayla Votto, 2B (Coginchaug): Senior led her team in batting average (.500), triples (12) and RBIs (36) last season.

GREENWICH GIRLS START STRONG
The Greenwich girls' lacrosse program has won the last two Class L championships, and, judging by the early results, this year's team appears capable of extending that streak.

Greenwich is off to a 5-0 start and has outscored its opponents 84-36. Greenwich's latest victory was a 16-8 triumph over Stamford on Friday. The Cardinals were without leading scorer Emily Johnson (hamstring) for that contest, but senior Emma Christie stepped up and scored a career-high five goals against Stamford.

The Greenwich program has won nine games in a row, dating back to last season.

BOYS OF SUMMER
Players selected in the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame Classic Military Bowl draft for the game that will be played June 29 at Rentschler Field:

Connecticut Marines Team: Quinn Fleeting, Windsor, QB; Cole Ormsby, Windsor, DE; Kevin Dean, Xavier, OL; Jeremy Clarke, Woodland, OL; Sean Merrill, Sheehan, OL; Mike LaSala, Wilton, OL; Ryheime Moore, Windsor, WR; Raeshaun Finney, Ansonia, WR; Teno Simpson, Hillhouse, LB; Rahmi Roundtree, Woodland, WR; Denzel Moscova, St. Joseph, WR; Devonte Dillion, Windsor, RB; Isiah Swain, Middletown, LB; Joe Pacheco, New Fairfield, RB; Andre Gee West Haven, S; Lamont Waites, New London, LB; Brandon Marquis, Farmington, DL; Nick Spitz, Southington, LB; Donery Evans, Hyde, DL; Eddy Williams, West Haven, LB; David Campbell, Bloomfield, RB/CB; Akeino Chamberlain, Middletown, LB; Caleb Camacho, New London, WR; Dennis Flanagan, Amity, OL; Sixto Acosta, Newington, LB; Jesse Adelberg, Greenwich, K; Mike Alexander, Bulkeley, S; Ian Auger, Coginchaug, LB; William Barrett, West Haven, OL; Nathan Bonafonte, Southington; S; Andrew Campbell, Middletown, LB; Brennan Diaz, Oxford, QB; Nygel Gladney, Crosby, LB; Cam Gravina, Hand, OL; Zak Hedberg, Newington, OL; Spencer Hill, Windham, FB; Rakim Jordan, Prince Tech, LB; Jevon Lawrence, Manchester, DL; Brandon Marquis, Manchester, DL; Terrance N'Dabian, Bunnell, CB; Emmett Odegard, Greenwich, LS; Lance Ormsby, Windsor, LB; Christian Outlaw, Middletown, OL; Rashad Ramsey, Windsor, WR; Roy Ricahards, Manchester, RB; Miguel Santos, Xavier, DL; Mike Semacik, Fitch, OL; O'Brien Sinclair, Middletown, WR; Carlton Steer, East Hartford, TE; Shane Steinman, Rocky Hill, RB; David Tanner, East Hartford, RB; Jh'mel Trammell, Ansonia, LB; Chris Traore, Windsor, LB; Jalon White, North Haven, QB; David Wilcox, Waterford, DL; Chuck Wooding, Glastonbury, RB.

Head coach: Rob Fleeting, Windsor. Assistant coaches: John Ferrazzi, Sheehan; Roy Roberts, Newington; Sal Morello, Middletown; Duane Maranda, New London; Harry Bellucci, Hartford Public; Scott Jenkins, Windsor; and Derrick Lewis, Bassick.

Connecticut National Guard Team: Tim Boyle, Xavier; QB; Nick Gaynor, Northwest Catholic, DB/RB; Zack Creeron, Xavier, OL/DL; Je'Vaughn Moore , Hillhouse, QB/DB;; Max Schumann, Xavier, OL/DL; Justin Potts, Platt, RB/DBback; Max Tylki, Xavier, LB; Terrell Huff, Windsor, DB; Chris Luster, Xavier, WR/DB; Jonah Dorsey, Xavier, OL/DL; Kyle Wilson, Ledyard, OL; Terrell Fairweather, Hillhouse, LB; Kadialy Toure, West Haven, LB; Marc Wildman, Housatonic, DL; Brandon Robertson , Montville, TE; Daequane Clark, New Britain, WR; Ed Croft, Shelton, K; Sam Miranda, New London, WR; Alex Borkowski, Branford, LB; Mick Pernell, Naugatuck, WR; Derek Villard, Cromwell, RB; Dan Herbert, Newtown, WR; Jelani Roman, Notre Dame-Fairfield, LB; Jake Pelletier, St. Joseph, WR; John Shannon, Bullard Havens, RB; Mike Nichol, Wolcott, QB; Saffwan Davis, Fitch, RB; Austin Kingsbury, Windsor Locks, FB; Antonine Byrd, Capital Prep/Classical Magnet, WR; Dillon McMahon, Derby, WR; Hector Rodriguez, Berlin, OL; Ryan Murtha, Montville, OL; Justin Pelazza, Branford, OL; Robert Roehrich, St. Joseph, OL; Mitch Blanchette, Berlin, OL; Ben Morales, Ledyard, OL; Bobby Bozym, Ledyard, OL; Abdullah Dukalay, Hartford Public, DB; Kevin Main, Berlin, DB; Justin Develis, Newtown, DB; Mustaphe Noibi, Fitch, DB; Christian Clark, Windham, DG; Cal Karpi, Ledyard, DB; Mike Pulaski, St. Joseph, LB; Chris Golger, Fairfield Prep, LB; Devin Stewart, Northwest Catholic, LB; Alex Kyprianou, New Milford, LB; Patrick Kirkwood, Fitch, LB; Miles Pompeii-Grove, Holy Cross, LB; Al Harris, Windsor, DL; Andrew Klarman, Branford, DL; Eric Collodel, Woodland, DL; Bryan Monaco, Masuk, DL; Lester Smith, Fitch, DL; Colton Schilling, Guilford, DL.

Head coach: Jim Buonocore, Ledyard. Assistant coaches: Sean Marinan, Xavier; Jemal Davis, Norwich Free Academy; Tim Shea, Woodland; Duncan Dellavolpe, Warde; Tanner Grove, Montville; John Marinelli, New Canaan; Andy Guyon, Xavier; Chris Silvestri, New Canaan; and Chris Eckert, Cromwell.

FITCH PICKS PANUCCI
Jodan Panucci, 26, was named Fitch's varsity football coach last Tuesday.

Panucci has spent the last five years as an assistant coach with the program. He was an offensive lineman at Fitch and a team captain in his senior season.

Panucci replaces Mike Emery, who stepped down last year after 17 seasons as Fitch's head coach.

FAIRFIELD LUDLOWE SELECTS DAILEY
John Dailey has been named the varsity boys basketball coach at Fairfield Ludlowe. He replaces Brian Silvestro, who retired following the 2012-13 season.

Dailey has been with the Fairfield Ludlowe program as a freshman coach, a junior varsity coach and a varsity assistant coach for the last six seasons. He coached the varsity team for four games last season while Silvestro dealt with a medical issue.

Roger Brown is a staff writer with the New Hampshire Union Leader, and has been covering high school sports throughout New England since 1992.

SUDBURY, Mass. – A 16-3 win by Lincoln-Sudbury boys’ lacrosse over North Andover in the final of Saturday’s Coaches Challenge Cup can only tell you so much about this Warriors team.

The enduring image – outside of the game’s score as the scoreboard hit triple zeroes – came about a half hour following the win. On a nearby practice field, a group of Warriors players were helping to the clear the field for Monday’s practice. Youth soccer games left a set of nets on the field. As part of a challenge issued during Friday’s team practice by head coach Brian Vona, the losers of a drill were going to be forced to perform odd jobs on Saturday, including the clean up of the practice field and clearing the 8-yard by 8-foot frames. The nets dwarfed the team members scurrying underneath them, like a colony of ants moving leaves on the forest floor.

“I feel like we’re building,” Vona said following the team’s Cup win, the progam’s second. “We’re not where we’re going to be in June, not even close. We have a long way to go. We’re slowly improving on some things that, maybe things that you might not see, but we’re improving on things that we had to work on.

“So I feel good, knowing that we’re progressing.”

That progress was set in motion two years ago when the Warriors’ seniors were sophomores. Many of them were pressed into immediate service that season, before they might have otherwise. due to a rash of (at times, freakish) injuries. One player was cut severely on a plate glass window at his church and missed time in 2011.

That chain of events gave a deep and talented class a running start while growing into one of the state’s Division 1 title favorites this season.

“I think a huge part of that is the confidence knowing that we’ve played together … almost all of our starters have played together since sophomore year,” said Henry Guild, a Yale commit who led the Warriors with a hat trick and six points on Saturday. “We’ve played in big games and we have confidence in knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”

Vona maintains there’s room for improvement, even with the Warriors’ offense, which operates with the efficiency of a Swiss watch.

But with a slew of high Division 1 recruits on offense, including Dan Delaney, Matt Hall, Chris Giorgio, among others, there’s not much that can slow down L-S.

“When we possess the ball on offense,” Vona said, “we control our destiny.”

The Warriors have also taken care of business in their own end. There’s plenty of talent to be found among L-S’s poles, including Sam Chen, Eamon Hunter and John Sexton. And they’ve been able to keep it out of their own cage.

“The key thing is that we’re talking,” Hunter said. “You hear it on the bench, you hear it on the field. You hear it from Dario [Morando]. When we’re talking, we play more aggressively. We’ve motivated to grab the ball, turn it over to the offense and get them started.”

CONCORD, Mass. -- Charlie Painter is an attack player by trade, but with teammate and top midfielder Will Blumenberg still recovering from a football injury, Painter proved pretty adept as a middie in his own right despite next to no practice time at the position.

Painter and Blumenberg each recorded hat tricks to help lead the Patriots to an 11-6 victory over Winchester in the final game of Day One of the Coaches Challenge Cup tournament at Doug White Memorial Field.

Blumenberg, a three-sport star who quarterbacks the football team and serves as the basketball team's point guard, suffered a foot injury during the Patriots Thanksgiving football game against Bedford. He missed the hoops season and is playing at far less than his full capacity thus far on the lacrosse fields. C-C coach Tom Dalicandro elected to move him to attack to save him some wear and tear while turning to Painter, one of the team's captains, to handle midfield duties.

"We kind of yo-yoed (Painter) because he's a really smart kid," explained Dalicandro afterward. "We put Will at attack and we let him play middie without really coaching him that much. He's a really smart kid, he knows how to play and he's a kid we can move around a little bit. We expect him to compete for us and do a good job as one of our captains."

The move also benefitted Blumenberg, who turned in his best effort so far, adding a hat trick and 10 faceoff wins to his game totals.

"This was the best he's played all year," Dalicandro said. "Will's probably about 50 percent athletically of what we was from last year because of his foot injury. Will's a middie but for us he's been struggling getting up and down the field so we played him mostly at attack and he took some faceoffs. Sometimes he just makes plays, which we need. He can carry the ball a little bit and has a good shot. I thought this was the best he's played. This was back to the Will from last year."

Winchester (3-2) was the team that got off to the stronger start, however, as Tim Mangano and Evan Carey both scored to stake the Sachems to a quick 2-0 lead. Concord-Carlisle (4-2) responded with the first of two goals from Jack Barrett and proceeded to run off six straight before Gerald Nluve stopped the bleeding for Winchester right before the half.

The Patriots blanked the Sachems in the third while scoring five of their own as Painter, Blumenberg, Barrett, freshman Aidan Cyr (two goals) and Peter Anastos all found the back of the cage to push the lead to 11-3. Winchester fought the entire way and made things interesting in the final frame as Tyler Calnan got one and Dan Marx scored twice, the second coming with 2:56 to go, but C-C was able to hold on from there.

"The thing I was very pleased about was that, even in our youth and our immaturity and our inexperience, we competed hard," said Winchester coach John Pirani in praise of his team. "I don't think we competed smart for 48 minutes but we competed hard for 48 minutes. And you could see our inexperience. Three sophomore attackmen, a couple of freshmen playing at midfield and we just didn't take advantage of what a good team gave us. They gave us a few things, we just didn't take advantage of it. But the thing that comes through here in the middle of April, and hopefully in preparation for the end of the season, is that we'll learn those lessons and get more consistent and tougher all the way through."

WELLESLEY 7, ANDOVER 4: New players stepping means new nicknames for kids who will go by "Risky Biz" and "No Name Bobby" for the time being. The hope is that those players, and others whose nicknames we've yet to learn, will help the Raiders continue to improve with each practice and game day.

Tucker "No Name Bobby" Dietrick scored twice, as did John Caraviello, and Mike "Risky Biz" Riskind made 12 saves to lead Wellesley (3-3) while Andrew Eriksen had two goals to pace the Golden Warriors (2-2).

Andover built a 3-1 lead at the half on goals from Eriksen, Jesse Greaves and Justin Bresnan while the defense did a tremendous job of limiting the Raiders to just a lone tally from Kerry Lyne.

Senior captain Andrew Volkman changed the momentum by owning the faceoff X in the third quarter, sparking Wellesley to a four-goal spurt that gave them a 5-3 advantage to take into the final frame.

"Volkman did a great job at facing off today, had some good help from the wings," praised Raiders coach Rocky Batty. "Tucker Morgan, who was out there with him on the wing, I thought did just a fantastic job of keeping it on the ground and giving us a chance to win the ball."

Eriksen fired in his second score early in the fourth to pull his team to within a goal but Caraviello put in his second, then Brian Pedersen capped the scoring with a beautiful transition goal off an Andover turnover with 55 seconds remaining.

"At the end of the third, I think we had taken the lead by then," Batty recalled. "The three coaches got together and said, 'We're still not running an offense. We're kind of getting hustle goals.' And I can't think of the last time a coach argued about a hustle goal, but after that we had to run some offense. We had possession, we struggled with transition all day and then we finally got that last one which, maybe that leads to a lot of transition from here, we'll find out."

CONCORD, Mass. –- With seven players finding the back of the net on Wednesday, Lincoln-Sudbury (5-0) showed off one of the most balanced and productive efforts of the young 2013 season as they defeated Dover-Sherborn, 15-4.

No. 2 Lincoln-Sudbury, playing at full strength for one of the first times this season, used a 7-0 second quarter run to pull away from No. 13 D-S (5-1) in the first round of the 2013 Coaches Challenge Cup.

“It was just a team effort today,” L-S head coach Brian Vona said after the game.

L-S was led in scoring on the day by senior attack Jordan Dow, who netted four goals to go with one assist.

“When we get both the midfielders and attack going we can be a tough team to beat,” Dow said.

Middies Dan Delaney, Brendan McCartthy, Harlan Smart, and Henry Guild each scored two goals and Greg Roder added one for the victors.

“It is what we talked about,” Vona said. “We had a couple of kids trying to do it all and we just talked about sharing the ball and we did.”

Two-Way Middie: Fairfield-bound middie Chris Giorgio (2 Goals) scored the games opening goal, eight seconds into the first quarter, on an aggressive dodge off a John Sexton face-off win.

As good as Giorgio looked on the offensive end it was work on the defensive end of the field that drew praise from his head coach.

“He is a very good player,” Vona said. “We did not get him into to many offensive sets today because we had him coming in on the wings so much and I did not want to gas him. He took the ball away from kids with the short stick a few times. The kid has worked really hard for us so I am proud for him.”

Opening Quarter: It may not have been how Vona drew up the start of the game but D-S came out moving and possessing the ball as they lead 2-1 after the first quarter.

“In the first quarter we were just trying to do too much,” Vona said. “Every one person was trying to do it themselves but when we sit back and trust each other and move the ball I think we are a good team.”

D-S, playing without senior attack Brandon Jaeger, who was out with an injury, got a strong opening effort from attackmen Grant Gregory (1G) and Matt Davies (1G, 1A).

From the second quarter on it would be all L-S as they used their depth, balance and strong two-way play to control the game.

“We settled down in the second quarter, got the quality dodges we wanted and executed,” Dow added.

L-S will take-on long-time neighboring rival Concord-Carlisle in the 4 p.m. semifinal game of the Coaches Challenge Cup on Thursday at Andover High School.

North Andover Advances: North Andover had finished in last place (Eighth) during the past two years of the Coaches Challenge Cup. On Wednesday they took a big step toward changing recent history as they defeated Division 2 power Hingham, 7-6, in the day’s closest contest.

After an opening half that saw both teams score only one goal each North Andover coach Ryan Connolly knew that his team had to start taking advantage of opportunities if they were going to prevail.

“We knew they would come around as long as we could start burying our opportunities,” Connolly said. “We were a little stagnant and we did not come out of the gates flying like I was expecting the guys too. Then we really started turning it on.”

Both teams came out of the second half more aggressive as Hingham middie Caleb Broadie (3 G) and North Andover attack Nick Pino (4G) matched each other goal for goal in a battle of two of the top talents in Eastern Massachusetts lacrosse.

Trailing 6-4 with 7:26 remaining in the game North Andover received three unanswered goals from attack Dante Querci (2G) and Pino to give them the final lead of the game.

The North Andover defensive unit of goalie Cosmo Capabianco and defenders Colin Cronin, Tom O’Mara, and Joe Samuelman all played very well down the stretch for NA in the win.

North Andover will take on Wellesley at 2 p.m. in the other semifinal match-up on Thursday at Andover High School.

Danvers, Mass. -- Ben Alpern eyed the signal from ball-handler Jack Sharrio as he worked his way the opposite direction behind the goalpost. Catching a pass yards in front of Beverly keeper Kevin Lally, the St. John's Prep midfielder faked left then quickly flicked the ball into the right side of the net.

As the Eagles sideline erupted, the senior embraced his teammates' to celebrate their first lead of the game -- a 12-11 advantage with 1:56 remaining. Playing catchup for 41:15 consecutive minutes, the Beverly native played a crucial role for the Prep boys' lacrosse team (4-1) by scoring both the equalizer and winner in what was a 13-11 comeback against their 32-year-old rival and former Northeastern Conference opponent, Beverly (5-1).

“We have been working a lot with picks on the crease,” said Alpern. “They lost me on the crease and I put it in. We knew we had another half to play once we were down by six (and) we kept focusing on getting one goal.”

The Eagles went on a nine to one run over the final 22 minutes and netted the last six goals to comeback from what was an early second-half six-goal deficit.

SJP junior Andrew O'Connell used his back to lose his man then bounced a shot past a sliding defender to start the six-tally streak with 2:49 left in the third quarter. Alpern equalized at 11-11 nine minutes later off an assist from junior Andrew Gallahue.

Gallahue lead all-scorers with four goals and an assist, while teammate O'Connell and Alpern netted three goals.

“It came down to momentum”, said SJP coach John Roy. “We did a little better on offense possessing the ball and moving (it). We needed to be better shooters.”

DIFFERENT TEAMS WITH DIFFERENT HALVES
Beverly dominated the first half by scoring the first three goals, including a 10-yard rocket from the side of the net by senior Dom Abate for the opening tally at 10:53 in the first quarter. The Panthers scored five straight during the second quarter starting with an isolated effort for a goal by Brendan Flaherty at 6:12 in the second quarter.

The senior assisted a score then ripped a 15-yard rocket from just inside the attack area for the 9-3 advantage with 1:02 left in the first half.

“We do a lot of transition in practice and everyday getting the ball into unsettled situations,” said Beverly coach John Pynchon. “We have a lot of dynamic midfielders and they did a good job beating their men. They know when to make the next pass.”

Flaherty converted a defensive turnover into a breakaway tally for the Panthers' second six-point margin and a 10-4 lead after 1:33 in the second half.

The senior scored three goals and assisted one, while teammate sophomore Nick Albano netted two goals and assisted one. Panthers keeper Kevin Lally was a force throughout with 17 saves.

“Some of our seniors who played football this is the first time they have lost this year,” said Pynchon. “[Lally] is very mature about his preparation and has great eyes. You take him out of the game when kids are throwing at him from three yards away.”