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This afternoon, the MIAA unveiled the girls lacrosse seedings for the North and South districts. Lincoln-Sudbury (19-1) and Winchester (19-1) grabbed the No. 1 overall seeds in North Divisions 1 and 2, respectively; Needham (19-1) and Duxbury (13-4-2) took the top seeds in South Divisions 1 and 2.

To view all the brackets, CLICK HERE.

Central Mass. will unveil its seedings tomorrow; Algonquin is expected to take the No. 1 overall seed. Western Mass. will unveil its seedings on May 31.

Here is how the North and South shaped out.

North Division 1
1. Lincoln-Sudbury (19-1); 2. Andover (17-3); 3. Reading (16-4); 4. North Andover (14-5); 5. Masconomet (15-3); 6. Westford (16-4); 7. Central Catholic (13-5); 8. Concord-Carlisle (12-6); 9. Framingham (11-8); 10. Chelmsford (13-7); 11. Arlington (12-8); 12. Beverly (12-6); 13. Peabody (11-5); 14. Lowell (8-9-2); 15. Medford (9-7); 16. Haverhill (5-11)

North Division 2
1. Winchester (19-1); 2. Ipswich (13-3); 3. Wayland (13-4-1); 4. Marblehead (14-4); 5. Belmont (10-5-1); 6. Bishop Fenwick (11-5-2); 7. Newburyport (10-5); 8. Danvers (12-5-1); 9. Shawsheen (9-2-3); 10. Manchester Essex (10-6); 11. Arlington Catholic (12-7-1); 12. Hamilton Wenham (9-6); 13. Austin Prep (11-8-1); 14. Burlington (10-7-1); 15. Tewksbury (4-11); 16. Wakefield (10-8)

South Division 1
1. Needham (19-1); 2. Notre Dame (19-1); 3. Westwood (18-2); 4. Natick (16-3-1); 5. Franklin (13-5); 6. Wellesley (11-7); 7. Newton North (12-5); 8. Walpole (11-7-1); 9. King Philip (13-7); 10. Hingham (13-7); 11. Dartmouth (16-2); 12. Marshfield (12-3); 13. Plymouth North (10-7-2); 14. Norwood (10-8); 15. Braintree (10-8); 16. Whitman-Hanson (12-6); 17. New Bedford (10-6-2)

South Division 2
1. Duxbury (13-4-2); 2. Sandwich (15-2-1); 3. Hopkinton (13-4-2); 4. Medfield (13-5-0); 5. Norwell (12-7-0); 6. Apponequet (18-0-0); 7. Scituate (15-5-1); 8. Nauset (16-4-0); 9. Archbishop Williams (18-2-0); 10. Ursuline (15-4-0); 11. Ashland (12-5-1); 12. Cohassett (10-4-2); 13. Hull (13-4-0); 14. Dover Sherborn (8-7-3); 15. Foxboro (10-7-1); 16. Canton (9-8-0); 17. Nantucket (9-9-0); 18. Martha's Vineyard (8-1-7); 19. Hanover (8-8-0); 20. Bourne (8-7-3); 21. Cape Cod Academy (7-6-1)

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Over the past six years, Duxbury has found itself a great opponent for the final game of the regular season in perennial New Hampshire power Bishop Guertin.

All but one of the six meetings have been highly competitive, and Tuesday afternoon saw the two squads put together a defensive masterpiece. All six starting long poles and three long-stick midfielder's on each side are committed to play at the Division 1 college level next spring, and they were the key factors for the majority of this interstate showdown.

Ultimately, a three-goal spurt midway through the fourth quarter decided it as top-ranked Duxbury rallied from a 5-3 deficit to take a 6-5 triumph over the Cardinals at Babson College's MacDowell Field.

"It felt like we were playing Garden City's defense there," Sweet laughed when asked about the high level of defense. "[Bishop Guertin] were tough to beat one on one, they played great team defense, they packed it in and they got key goaltending. That's a good formula for keeping the score down. It was a great high school lacrosse game and it could have gone either way. I'm glad that we had that little run and were able to get some key defensive stops at the end."

The Cardinals (15-3) tried to break open what was a 3-3 game when Tommy Vailas made a beautiful alley-dodge to free himself up for a goal late in the third, then opened the fourth with a nice rip down near the baseline by Luke Roever.

The way Guertin was playing defensively, it was going to prove difficult for the Dragons to make one of their patented runs, but sure enough, they did exactly that. In an extra-man situation, Will Siefert fed Seamus Connelly down low and the big attackman used a great stick fake to pull Cardinals goalie Colin Dulea out of position for a score.

Henry Narlee won the next faceoff and James Burke swooped in on the ground ball, as he has done all season, and fed Siefert for an easy look in transition to tie the game. Just over a minute later, Sam Sweet produced a tremendous individual effort to get free and set up Jack Sullivan for a goal that not only put Duxbury in the lead for the first time, but also held up as the game-winner.

"We were just moving around on the crease and my guy slid early and went to Sam and he just made a great look in the crease," described Sullivan. "It was kind of nerve wracking on the crease with the ball. We worked hard, we're a fourth quarter team and we gave it our all at the end. Narlee did great on the faceoffs, won those three in a row to get us those three goals."

BIG MAN GOES OFF ON THE BIG STAGE
It seemed the like the impressive size of the Guertin poles fed right into the best aspects of Seamus Connelly's game. The 6-foot-2, 200-plus pound Duke commit was able to body up against the Cardinals poles and use his exceptionally talented hands to rifle shots home to the tune of a four-goal game.

He even showed a little of his flashy side, using a nice stick fake where it looked as though he would shoot behind his head, then whipped the ball around from the front on the first score of the Dragons' game-deciding run.

"Shay [Connelly] played great today," praised Sweet. "He played with some energy, he played smart and he hit his shots. Lacrosse is funny. You can have great players out there and its really a game of matchups. They were a little bit slow to slide to him on those goals and they paid a price for it and Seamus stuck his shots. It was awesome. He played a great game."

Added Connelly, "One of our things is to keep believing. We knew we could pull it out. We've been down a lot in games and we've always come back. It's just a matter of our seniors looking each other in the eye and knowing we could do it. Our offense was really helping me get the space I needed to shoot. It was the kind of day where it was my turn to shoot. Any other day it could have been Sief or Sammy or anybody else."

DEFENSE STEALS THE SHOW
Connelly popped in the second of his four goals with 24 seconds remaining in the second quarter and the game ended up tied, 2-2, at the half. Fans who weren't at the game might look at that score and say, "Good thing I didn't go. Must have been a boring game."

Not even close. You missed brilliance on display.

The fans who did make the trek to Babson College saw two defenses playing at the highest of levels a pair of New England high school teams are capable of. We've come to expect this from the Dragons, who have been all year long by close defenders Max Randall (Dartmouth commit), Matt O'Keefe (Johns Hopkins) and Jay McDermott (Syracuse), as well as lethal LSMs Reilly Naton (Yale) and James Burke (Penn State).

For perhaps the first time all season, aside from Garden City and Irondequoit, the Dragons met their match in the defensive zone. The Cardinals are led by long poles Bob Fahey and Kyle Karaska, both of whom are UMass-commits, and LSM Jay Krzyston (R.I.T.).

That unit was able to force turnovers, bad shots, and keep Duxbury's transition opportunities to a minimum for all but that two-minute stretch in the fourth.

"I have so much confidence in those kids," praised Guertin coach Chris Cameron. "They've been with me for four years and I know what they can do. They play against top-notch caliber all summer. We try to get them as many competitive games as possible so I knew that at this level of play they could handle their attack."

Algonquin Regional senior attack Carly O'Connell netted her 500th career point this afternoon, in the Tomahawks' thrilling 12-11 double-overtime win over archrival Westborough.

O'Connell, a University of Oregon signee, sat at 499 points headed into today, and joins an exclusive club of 500-point scorers in Massachusetts that includes Westwood's Kelly Rich and Wellesley's Blake Dietrick. Current Notre Dame of Hingham head coach Meredith Frank is the state's all-time leader in points with 552 (306 goals, 242 assists) doing so over four seasons at Westwood High (2002-05).

Coming into the season, the Tomahawks had not beaten their archrivals since May of 2008, going 0-9 against the Rangers since that moment. With today's win, they sweep the season series, move to 17-1 on the season, and will likely grab the No. 1 overall seed in Division 1 Central when brackets are unveiled for the MIAA tournament.

The rankings crew at ESPNHS released the latest boys' lacrosse FAB 50 poll this morning and here's the skinny.

Massachusetts No. 1 Duxbury shifted up two spots to No. 17, after the Dragons outscored their three opponents from last week by a 42-9 margin. No. 11 Darien (Conn.) sits just outside the top 10 as the only other New England-based team represented.

However, MIAA No. 2 Concord-Carlisle received votes from the national panel as the Patriots ran their record to 15-0.

BILLERICA, Mass. -- Brian Vona has been around long enough to know that if his Lincoln-Sudbury lacrosse squad is going to make a deep run in this year's postseason, the Warriors defense is going to come up with big stops in key spots.

Led by sophomore Notre Dame commit John Sexton, the D did just that in the third quarter of last night's nonleague clash with fellow Div. 1 power Billerica. Goals by Peter Walters and Dan Trainor to open the third quarter helped pull the Indians to within two goals of the Warriors at 9-7. With Kevin Farrell dominating the faceoff X, it seemed as though Billerica was in the midst of what could have been a game-changing run.

The Lincoln-Sudbury (13-5) defense dug in its heels, worked hard to get ground balls and excelled in the clearing game after each of Dan Shaughnessy's 16 saves, and returned both momentum and confidence to the Warriors sideline. L-S then proceeded to score seven of the next eight goals and pulled away for a convincing 17-9 triumph.

"It was 9-7 where we were worried," Vona admitted. "They fought back hard and we knew they were going to make a run. They are very well-coached and very skilled. [Cam] Slatton, [Ben Melaugh], [Russ Tedford] and [Walters] - those are there four players who can bring it. We knew they were going to come back and they did. Our defense had to make a couple stops. We've been looking for that for a while from our defense."

He added, "Our defense really played well in the third quarter. That's when I feel like that we set the tone was set for the entire game.

Jordan Dow led the Warriors with five goals, while Colby Hall added three goals and three assists and Henry Guild chipped in with a hat trick. Slatton had three goals and two helpers to lead Billerica, with Walters and Trainor each adding a pair.

Vona also noted that, prior to the game, the Warriors dedicated their performance to program founder and now-retired former coach Andy Oleski.

FILLING IN THE MIDDLE
The wide-open style that Lincoln-Sudbury plays makes them a very fun to watch and has for years. The offensive players, both attack and middies, know how to fill lanes and zip passes back and forth until they find the right shooting opportunity. Such plays led to a 5-2 first quarter and a 6-1 fourth.

The key for the Warriors is maintaining in the middle portions of the game. While L-S outscored the Indians in all four frames, Billerica played its best during the middle quarters. One the defense got going, however, that gave the offense the spark it needed for a definitive closing stretch.

"We just need all the middle too," Vona said with a laugh. "We've been playing well the last few games. We went down to the Connecticut and played a real tough team down there, got off to a fast start and lulled in the middle as well but we came back at the end. I'm proud of the kids."

DIGGING A HOLE TOO DEEP
Although Billerica managed to close to within a pair of goals during that third quarter, having to play from behind all game created problems that, against a team of the caliber of L-S, are just too much to overcome.

The Indians found themselves trailing by as many as four goals at several points, and once the Warriors made a strong push at the end, Billerica simply couldn't hold on any longer. An early harbinger of things to come took place in the opening minutes when a clearing pass was sent back to the Indians cage only to find no goalie waiting to receive it and the ball rolled right in for the first L-S score.

Games like this in the final week of the regular serve as strong teaching tools, something Indians coach Craig Flynn undoubtedly will address with his charges before the tournament begins.

"We started off in the hole, gave them a couple of goals early that we shouldn't have, passing back to the goalie when he's not in the net trying to clear the ball," Flynn explained. "We felt like we could keep fighting back but their offense is very good. They have good attackmen and midfielders and our defense was getting lost in there. We had a lot of mental errors. They have a lot of motion in their offense and it looked like our guys were getting lost out there on defense."

"It's all learning experiences for our guys to get ready for the tournament," he continued. "We'll learn a lot from this and I think we can make a solid run at this thing once we get into it."

It's been a while, but we promise we made up for it with our latest edition of the ESPN Boston High Schools podcast.

Editors Scott Barboza and Brendan Hall caught up on the spring season action in baseball, softball and lacrosse, while taking a look at their "midseason" All-State teams, released last week. They also took a look ahead to the postseason with some predicitions for the upcoming MIAA tournaments.

SHREWSBURY, Mass. -- Algonquin lead 3-0 after one quarter and never looked back as they defeated St. John’s Shrewsbury (13-4) 13-6 on Saturday in a battle of Central Massachusetts powers.

The win gave the Tomahawks (15-1) their second victory over the Pioneers this season as they defeated their counterparts 12-8 in an early season match-up on April 7.

Ball possession was an important factor on Saturday as Algonquin senior FOGO Carter Guzzi helped the Tomahawks gain opportunities that led to four successful second quarter strikes and a 7-2 halftime lead.

Algonquin was consistent in each facet of the game as they played discipline team defense and took advantage of ample opportunities in their offensive zone.

“Lacrosse is a game of runs,” said Algonquin head coach Rich Luongo. “I just think we played so solid defensively we did not allow them to make any of those runs.”

The Tomahawks used strong rotating defense and patient offensive possessions to extend their lead in the second half and pull away with the 13-6 win.

“We were trying to slow them down in the second half,” Luongo said. “You want to play a paced game every once in a while, especially on defense.”

Algonquin Senior Conor Healey was the difference maker in the second half offensively as the athletic attackman used his speed to beat his defender and set up two of the three third quarter goals.

“We just came out and wanted to make a statement,” Healey said. “We all have trust in each other and that is important.”

Attack Unit: The Algonquin attack unit of Healy, Mike Wood and Keegan Gillis factored in on nine of the 13 Tomahawk goals.

“Our attack is one of the best I have ever coached,” Luongo said. “They will pick a team apart if they stretch out on us and that is what happened.”

Healy scored three goals on the day to go along with two helpers. Wood added four goals and one assist and Gillis also added a hat-trick.

“When you have three attackman that move the ball around like they do, if you want to stretch them, they will pick you apart,” said Luongo.

The Wall in Net: Algonquin goalie Giles Ober continued his strong play in net as the junior made seven of his 11 saves in the second half to preserve the victory.

“He is amazing,” Healey said. “He makes huge saves. The year before those would have been goals. It is good to have him.”

Ober’s solid play in net and quick clearing ability helped Algonquin thrive in transition on the afternoon.

“We rely on Giles to make some big saves for us,” Luongo said. “He made some stupendous ones today.”

The Road Ahead: Algonquin concludes their 2012 regular season campaign next week with games against North Middlesex and Westborough.

“We will not look past the next two game but we will focus on what we need to do in the tournament,” stressed Luongo.

St. John’s concludes their schedule on Monday with a home game against West Springfield.

MEDFIELD, Mass. –- Medfield lacrosse’s attacking mentality boils down to two letters: I and O. That’s short for what the Warriors like to call “Instant Offense.”

But in Medfield’s first performance this season against Tri-Valley League rival Dover-Sherborn, the Warriors’ offense was anything but, sputtering in a 7-5 loss.

With their second crack at the No. 5 Raiders on Friday, with the league title up for grabs, the Warriors lived up to their creed. Medfield translated a nearly instant 6-2 first-quarter lead into a 14-7 romp.

“We pick it up and we try to run to the sideline and get it out of the sticks as quickly as possible,” senior attack Calvin Given said, “and [we] try to make the extra pass to find that man on the weak side where he can just get that layup.”

Medfield (13-3) amassed their early lead thanks in no small part to their ability to win ground balls in the first quarter. The Warriors hustled and scooped their way to a 9-3 ground ball advantage in the period.

“That’s something we focused on in practice all week,” senior attack Chris Diana said. “It showed in the first quarter. We got off to a good start and we just kept the momentum from there.”

Twice in the first quarter, Diana was a beneficiary to the Warriors hustle play, turning ground balls into transition and two of his team-high four goals on the evening. Given also celebrated Senior Night with a hat trick of his own.

The Raiders (15-3) didn’t go quietly, however.

D-S whittled down Medfield’s lead to two goals late in the third quarter, after a three-goal run to open the second half. Raiders senior attack Jared Spence led the comeback charge with two of his four goals.

Yet, Medfield was able to close the deal, scoring the final five goals on the night.

“This game, we valued the ball a lot more,” Given said. “When we’d dodge, we didn’t force anything. We pulled it out if nothing was open. We were just always working it around, looking for that extra pass. “

Perhaps a little restraint can result in something instant.

X MARKS THE SPOT
Aside from the Warriors’ crisper offensive showing, Medfield also prospered with the recent return of one of its most skilled players to the lineup.

Although he was held without a goal on Friday, senior attack Connor Roddy’s presence was felt, particularly with his three assists. But even without the ball, the ESPN Boston Preseason All-Stater demands the defense’s attention.

After missing several weeks due to injury, it should come as no surprise that the Warriors’ offensive resurgence has coincided with Roddy’s return.

“He sees the field very well and he makes the right passes,” Diana said of Roddy.

A BETTER SITUATION
The Warriors backed into the postseason last year, after seeing their record TVL winning streak go up in smoke with back-to-back losses to both D-S and Hopkinton.

Maybe this year Medfield will enter with momentum.

In any event, as seemingly is the case every year in the lacrosse hotbed, the second season remains the most important season for the Warriors, who look for a third straight Division 2 state title.

“I think we’re in a good spot, as compared to last year,” Given said. “Last year, we lost this game and the previous game against Hopkinton, which are two TVL games and a huge deal to us."

Corrigan Sports Enterprises and Under Armour announced today the roster of the New England girls who will represent their region at the 2012 Under Armour Underclassmen Elite Stars Lacrosse Tournament. The sport’s most prestigious underclassmen tournament will feature girls and boys teams from Baltimore, Long Island, Midwest, New England, New Jersey, Philadelphia, South, Upstate New York, Washington, D.C., and West and consist of players from the graduating classes of 2013-15.

The event will take place June 29 through July 1 at Johnny Unitas Stadium on the campus of Towson University in Towson, Md. Over the three days, the teams will battle in a 10-team pool play tournament. The weekend is capped off on Sunday at 3:30 pm where the winner of each pool will face off for the championship.

“I'm excited to work with the great group and we are expecting big things from them," New England head coach Scott Biron said in a press release. "We have seven girls returning from last year’s team which had a very successful tournament.”

The Elite Stars tournament is part of the Under Armour All-America Lacrosse weekend, which culminates with 88 of the nation’s best high school senior boys and girls lacrosse players facing off in the title Under Armour All-America Game.

For the full release, CLICK HERE.

Below are the New Englanders scheduled to represent at the tournament:

Jaclyn Alois, D, Andover - 2013
Amy Arnold, A, Masconomet - 2013
Marina Burke, M, Westwood - 2013
Tess Chandler, M, Hopkinton - 2013
Meghan Collins, D, Marblehead - 2013
Madison Crutchfield, M, St. Paul's (N.H.) - 2014
Alexandra Dalton, A/M, Notre Dame (Hingham) - 2013
Jillian Doherty, A/M, Brooks - 2013
Eliza Dorsey, M, Governor's Academy - 2014
Jeanie Dwinell, D, Middlesex - 2013
Shannon Fitzgerald, FO/M, Newton North - 2014
Maura Grady, G, Pingree - 2013
Megan Hennessey, M, Winchester - 2013
Clio Kammerer, M, Governor's Academy - 2013
Callahan Kent, G, Thayer Academy - 2013
Kenzie Kent, A, Thayer Academy - 2014
Maeve McMahon, M, Groton School - 2013
Mary O'Connell, A, Norwell - 2013
Isabella O’Connor, A/M/FO, Notre Dame (Hingham) - 2014
Julia Simmons, D, Notre Dame (Hingham) - 2013
Sarah Smith, M, Acton-Boxborough - 2013
Madeline Soutter, M, Barrington (R.I.) - 2014
Mariel Teague, M, Notre Dame (Hingham) - 2013
Caroline Zaffino, M, St. Paul's (N.H.) - 2015

NORWELL, Mass. -- Kate Rich ducked one defender, saw the hole and jetted towards the net.

Quickly finishing over the keeper's shoulder, the senior pumped her fist as she yelled at her teammates to keep going. It was only Westwood's second tally, but Rich and her fellow Wolverines made it clear early that they were not taking their Division 2 South opponents lightly.

Rolling to an 18-6 triumph over host No. 12 Norwell (10-7), the third-ranked defending Division 1 state champs (16-2) added another
impressive girls' lacrosse victory to their belt on Thursday.

“We love to play teams that fight from start to finish,” said Westwood head coach Leslie Frank.“We were battling for the ball and working together. We work the zone then watch the opening behind or on the opposite side.”

The Tri-Valley champs put away Norwell by outscoring it 11 to one in the final twenty minutes. A pair of side net cuts for scores by senior Shelly Walsh and sophomore Ela Hazar caught the defense shifted off to put the Wolverines ahead 9-5 at 19:26.

A falling over finish off a counterattack by sophomore Kasey Keane
finished the run fifteen minutes later.

“We always stack up high and are looking for that one second where the defender turns her head,” said senior Laura McHoul. “You can not just shoot or just pass the ball. You (have) to be a threat from both.”

Sophomore Jamison O'Neil buried five for Westwood in the second half, including an front net cut for a 16-6 lead and her third consecutive goal at 8:09. O'Neil totaled seven goals and one assist, while McHoul was a constant threat behind the keeper with two tallies and six assists.

“If we can draw the shooting space (things) works a lot better,” said O'Neil. “You have to be really fast to run right through that. Keep your team moving (and) pump fake so it looks like you are going to shoot.”

Tough Draw: The Clippers out drew Westwood 10 to one in the first half. Despite producing one less shot on goal, Norwell fell victim to an early 4-0 hole. Westwood rolled away in the second half by besting 11 of fifteen draws.

“We started working together,” said Frank. “Everyone goes after the
ball high instead of one going after the ball high and the other low
like you should.”

Clipping Away At The Lead: The South Shore League champion Clippers were able to bring the score within a pair three times.

Sophomore Lexa Grasz opened the scoring for the Clippers down 4-0
with an upfront assist from teammate senior Ashley Allington and a set piece finish twelve minutes in. Norwell junior Devon Croke snuck through the side of the defense to slice the lead to 5-3 six minutes later, while junior Maddie Ward finished an impressive solo breakaway to push a 7-5 score at 22:03.

“It was difficult to control their offensive cuts,” said Norwell coach Kara Connerty. “We wanted to utilize all the speed we had offensively. Really just to push it and take it to the cage when we had it.”

Tricky Record: Norwell's record speaks more to difficulty of schedule than overall strength. The Clippers played seven games against Division 1 playoff-bound teams this season, including five losses against teams ranked in the top five of ESPNBoston's poll.

The 2009 and 2010 Division 2 champs will see none of these teams in
the postseason.

“This is the level we look to be at,” said Connerty. “This special
competition better prepares us for postseason play.”

With the regular season of MIAA lacrosse coming to a close at the end of May, here are our writers' picks for All-State selections based on production to this point:

BOYS LACROSSE

Scott Barboza
ESPN Boston High Schools Editor

Mr. Lacrosse – James Burke, Duxbury
Coach of the Year – Pat Ammendolia, Acton-Boxborough
Offensive Player of the Year – Kevin Blair, Hingham
Defensive Player of the Year – James Burke, Duxbury
Goaltender of the Year – Connor Darcey, Wellesley

Starting Eleven
Ryan Cassidy, Sr. D, Wellesley
Jeff Desko, Sr. A, St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
Doug Gouchoe, Sr. G, Concord-Carlisle
Paul Hellar, Sr. A, Duxbury
Kurt Hunziker, Sr. M, Masconomet
Cam Joyce, Sr. A, Archbishop Williams
Matt O’Keefe, Sr. D, Duxbury
Joey Pasquale, Sr. A, Weston
Billy Polk, Sr. M, Dover-Sherborn
Max Randall, Sr. D, Duxbury
Kyle Soroka, Sr. M, Acton-Boxborough

Faceoff specialist – Henry Narlee, Jr. M, Duxbury

Ryan Kilian
New England Prep Stars

Mr. Lacrosse – Max Randall, Duxbury
Coach of the Year – Tom Dalicandro, Concord-Carlisle
Offensive Player of the Year – Kevin Blair, Hingham
Defensive Player of the Year – Max Randall, Duxbury
Goaltender of the Year – Doug Gouchoe, Concord-Carlisle

Starting Eleven
G – Doug Gouchoe, Sr., Concord-Carlisle
D - Max Randall, Sr., Duxbury
D - James Burke, Sr., Duxbury
D/LSM- Ryan Cassidy, Sr., Wellesley
M - Kurt Hunziker, Sr., Masconomet
M - Billy Polk, Sr., Dover-Sherborn
M - Kyle Soroka, Sr., A-B
A - Paul Hellar, Sr., Duxbury
A - Jay Drapeau, Soph., Westford
A - Kevin Blair, Sr., Hingham

GIRLS LACROSSE

Brendan Hall
ESPN Boston High Schools Editor

Miss Lacrosse -- Madison Acton, Sr., Lincoln-Sudbury
Coach of the Year -- Beth O'Brien, Needham

Starting Eleven
Madison Acton, Sr. A, Lincoln-Sudbury
Catherine Conley, Soph. A, Needham
Anne Farnham, Sr. D, Andover
Ally Fazio, Sr. A, Andover
Megan Hennessy, Jr. M, Winchester
Laura McHoul, Sr. M, Westwood
Carly O'Connell, Sr. A, Algonquin
Caroline Rizzo, Sr. A, Notre Dame (Hingham)
Rachel Sexton, Sr. M, Lincoln-Sudbury
Maddie Stenberg, Jr. M, Needham
Annee O'Connor, Soph. G, Needham

At face value, the La Salle Academy boys’ lacrosse team should have been devastated last spring by graduation when six All-State players – including All-Americans Ryan Poirier (midfield) and Cody O’Donnell (defender) - departed via the cap-and-gown route.

Not quite.

Through games of May 15, the Rams were sitting atop Division I with an 8-0 record and were leading in both goals scored (107) plus goals allowed (48).

Most importantly, the Rams have established themselves as the team to beat in their pursuit of the first state championship since the school added the sport.

Over the previous four seasons, coach Steve O’Donnell’s team posted a combined record of 44-3. But the Rams have lost three times in the finals – in 2008 to North Kingstown, in 2010 to Moses Brown and in 2011 to Hendricken.

But the returning veterans have keyed La Salle’s run to a possible undefeated season.

For example, All-American attack Brady O’Donnell scored five goals in this week’s 12-9 victory over North Kingstown. And in a 7-5 non-league victory over Bishop Guertin, a Division I school from Nashua, N.H., O’Donnell collected a hat trick.

Second Team All-State midfielder Jack Collins fired home seven goals and assisted on another in a 12-8 win over Hendricken.

Senior midfielder Dan Lucchetti scored three goals and assisted on one when La Salle beat the Hawks, 11-7, in the teams’ rematch.

Senior midfielder Sam Ricci added one goal plus four assists in the second win over the Hawks.

Sophomore Peter DeSimone has played well at attack and recorded four goals plus an assist in that 11-7 win over Hendricken.

TOLMAN CLINCHES PENNANT
With three games left in the regular season, Tolman clinched the Division II-Central title on May 15 by blanking Mount Pleasant, 3-0, as Andrew Larson and Carlos Sanabria combined on a six-hitter.

That was the latest in a string of impressive victories for the Tigers (13-3 in league play and 14-3 overall).

Against arch-rival Shea, Sanabria tossed a two-hitter replete with one walk and 12 strikeouts as the Tigers prevailed, 10-0. Sanabria also went 4-for-5 at the plate with three RBI.

Earlier, Tolman received another solid mound performance from Larson who went the distance on a five-hitter as the Tigers edged Classical, 2-1.

(Read full post)

NEEDHAM, Mass. – From the way it started, its outcome would seem dubious.

No. 19 Norwood came charging out of the gate, scoring the game’s first goal against Bay State rival No. 6 Needham on Wednesday. The Mustangs also held a 2-1 lead midway through the first quarter.

Things simply unraveled from there as the Rockets coasted to a 13-2 victory.

“That third quarter was probably the best offense we’ve played all season, spinning the ball and keeping it hot,” Needham attack Nico Panepinto said of the Rockets’ six-goal third.

Panepinto and Jamie McGill paced the Rockets’ high-fueled attack with four goals each. Robbie Pisano chipped in two goals of his own, while James Caruso, Alex Mirages and Mike Riley also found the back of the net.

But the Needham (12-4) attack started at midfield with the expert face-off work of Caruso, who won over 80 percent of his draws. It was a complete effort for the midfielder, who also won a team-high five ground balls.

“It makes all the difference when you’re able to win the ball and get it to the offense,” Panepinto said of Needham’s faceoff dominance. “That means everything.”

BUILT FROM THE BACK OUT
While the Mustangs (11-4) were off to hot start, Needham’s defense quickly regrouped and held Norwood to just three shots at the cage for the remainder of the first half.

Rockets head coach Dave Wainwright said it was a credit to the team’s pillars.

“[Mike] Vespa, [Dan] Kavanaugh, those guys have done a fantastic job of kind of jelling together, and with Lucas [Davis] inside the cage, it’s been a nice little group and a foundation for everyone to build confidence on.”

We updated our statewide MIAA Top 25 poll this afternoon, and for the third consecutive week we have a new team holding down the No. 1 spot.

Westwood reclaimed their preseason ranking as No. 1 in last week's poll, but that lasted just 24 hours before the Wolverines fell victim to another loss, this time the Needham Rockets. With the win, Needham jumps up one spot to No. 1, marking the program's first appearance at the top in the two-year history of the poll.

Lincoln-Sudbury moves into the No. 2 spot, while Westwood falls two spots to No. 3. Andover (4) and Notre Dame of Hingham (5) round out the top five.

Making its return to the polls this week is Agawam, which backs into No. 25 despite dropping two straight to Western Mass. powerhouses Minnechaug and Longmeadow.

For the complete poll, CLICK HERE.

With a shakeup through the top 10 of our latest MIAA boys' lacrosse Top 25 poll, Acton-Boxborough seized the moment and claimed its highest-ever ranking.

Coming off wins over Dual County League rivals Lincoln-Sudbury and Westford Academy in the last week, the Colonials vaulted to No. 4.

The back end of the poll also has a distinctly new look, with three newcomers occupying the final spots. Mansfield (No. 23) makes its first-ever lacrosse poll appearance while Newton North and Norwell also came in the back door at Nos. 24 and 25, respectively.