When John Pynchon first took over as head coach at St. John’s Prep in 2017, his first aim was to determine a brand new tradition, one the place the Eagles might have sustained success.
Today, Pynchon’s crew has emerged as one of many prime squads in New England, the winner of two straight state titles.
St. John’s Prep (17-1) is the favourite to three-peat. Led by electrifying scorers akin to Johns Hopkins commit Jimmy Ayers and a rising star in midfielder Jake Vana, the college enters the Div. 1 statewide event as the highest seed.
However, the sector has loads of parity. Thanks to standouts like Patrick Maroney and Will Emsing, second-seeded BC High is certainly a contender to satisfy Pynchon’s group within the state ultimate for a 3rd straight yr. And 4 public faculties stay very actual threats with No. 3 Acton-Boxboro, No. 4 Franklin, No. 5 Hingham and No. 6 Lincoln-Sudbury all slated to vie for the crown.
“We’re going to have to play well,” mentioned Pynchon. “Those teams are all great. I honestly believe, with us playing the winner of Winchester-Wellesley, that team could beat us. Honestly, if we don’t show up and play well, I think anyone in that top-17 (group of schools) could top us. I think that goes for all brackets. If we played this out thing 100 times, do I think us and BC High probably end up at the top most of the time, I do. I think BC High is incredibly talented. I think they’re the next-best team we’ve seen this year. But A-B is also very good. Hingham is excellent, Franklin is phenomenal… so, I think any one of those teams, if they win a state championship this year and someone says you should be surprised, no, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
The Div. 2 playoff area is shaping as much as be an thrilling one, with Reading (17-1) coming into as your top-ranked program. The Rockets are within the midst of a historic season, boasting an MIAA crew score of 11.3349. However, the Granara trio and their teammates should deal with second-seeded Nauset and third-seeded Duxbury for all of it. Fourth-seeded Longmeadow misplaced just a few essential items from final season’s championship-winning roster, together with Coleson Hanrahan, who scored the game-ending aim in time beyond regulation final season. Yet, the Lancers have had a resurgence. Billerica will look to return to the finals itself, whereas Scituate figures to trigger issues. Seventh-seeded Marblehead enters the postseason with an ideal 18-0 report, and may positively not be counted out.
After coasting to a Div. 3 championship in 2022, Norwell responded by rolling to a 14-3 report this spring, and is understandably the top-seeded crew as soon as once more in its respective area. With stars akin to Syracuse commit John Mullen and senior Austin Shea main the pack, you’d should consider that is the Clippers’ title to lose, though second-ranked Pentucket and third-seeded Newburyport ought to compete, together with No. 4 Grafton. Fifth-seeded Medfield endured one of many more durable schedules within the state, and emerged on the opposite aspect with a 12-6 report. Don’t be shocked if the Warriors embark on a protracted journey. After a profitable season within the Merrimack Valley Conference, Dracut will look to make historical past because the No. 6 seed. Keep your eyes out for potential Cinderella runs from faculties akin to No. 12 Apponequet (15-1) and No. 31 Lenox (17-1).
The Div. 4 event has primarily come all the way down to the identical handful of colleges since its latest inception. Three of final yr’s prime 4 seeds are again. Cohasset (15-2) is the final word favourite, and can look to seize its first title since 2018, when the college received the Div. 3 championship. Charlie Donovan and the Skippers begin issues off with the highest general seed, however second-seeded Sandwich will look to make its comeback because the Blue Knights hope to avenge final season’s loss within the finals to Wahconah. Third-seeded Dover-Sherborn is all the time a perennial title contender on this bracket, as is No. 4 Weston. One potential college to be careful for as a shock? Sixteenth-seeded Old Colony, which sits undefeated at 18-0.
BOYS LACROSSE
DIV. 1
Champion: No. 1 St. John’s Prep
Runner-Up: No. 2 BC High
Final Four: No. 1 St. John’s Prep, No. 2 BC High, No. 5 Hingham, No. 6 Lincoln-Sudbury
Sleeper: No. 14 Chelmsford
Best First Round Matchup: No. 13 Needham vs. No. 20 Natick
Potential Upset: No. 21 Bridgewater-Raynham over No. 12 Algonquin
DIV. 2
Champion: No. 1 Reading
Runner-Up: No. 3 Duxbury
Final Four: No. 1 Reading, No. 2 Nauset, No. 3 Duxbury, No. 5 Billerica
Sleeper: No. 14 Westwood
Best First-Round Matchup: No. 15 Nashoba vs. No. 18 Silver Lake
Potential Upset: No. 20 Canton over No. 13 Plymouth South
DIV. 3
Champion: No. 1 Norwell
Runner-Up: No. 2 Pentucket
Final Four: No. 1 Norwell, No. 2 Pentucket, No. 5 Medfield, No. 6 Dracut
Sleeper: No. 31 Lenox
Best First-Round Matchup: No. 16 Nipmuc vs. No. 17 Shawsheen
Potential Upset: No. 19 Holliston over No. 14 Foxboro
DIV. 4
Champion: No. 1 Cohasset
Runner-Up: No. 2 Sandwich
Final Four: No. 1 Cohasset, No. 2 Sandwich, No. 3 Dover-Sherborn, No. 4 Weston
Sleeper: No. 11 Rockland
Best First-Round Matchup: No. 14 Assabet Valley vs. No. 19 Archbishop Williams
Potential Upset: No. 21 St. Bernard’s over No. 12 Littleton
Source: www.bostonherald.com