Walpole senior running back and two-time Globe Player of the Year Ryan Izzo is headed to UMass-Amherst -- to play lacrosse. Izzo, who was a key figure on Walpole's Division 2 state champion lacrosse team, enters this football season as the fourth leading scorer in state history with 506 points. Last fall he led the Rebels to a state title in football as well.

Globe photographers were hard at work over the final days of the spring high school sports season. Check out our collection of galleries from this week's state championship tilts and the Globe's Scholar-Athlete Awards banquet on Sunday.

• Sunday, June 14: The Globe's Scholar-Athletes Awards.
• Saturday, June 13: State baseball finals in Lowell; State softball finals in Worcester; Individual tennis finals in Worcester.
• Friday, June 12: State lacrosse finals (Walpole vs. St. John's Shrewsbury; Westwood vs. Longmeadow) in Worcester.
• Thursday, June 11: State volleyball final: St. John's Prep vs. Lincoln-Sudbury in Ashland; State team tennis final: Concord-Carlisle vs. Longmeadow in Worcester.
• Wednesday, June 10: State lacrosse finals (Duxbury vs. St. John's Prep; Scituate vs. Dover-Sherborn) in Worcester.
• Tuesday, June 9: State lacrosse final: North Andover vs. Norwell in Wellesley.

WORCESTER -- Check out video highlights and postgame interviews from Friday's championship battles at Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium.

For photos from Friday's game, check out our gallery.

Westwood celebrates its title victory. (Barry Chin / Globe Staff)

We were live at Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium in Worcester, where Westwood won the Division 1 girls' lacrosse title with an 11-10 triumph over Longmeadow, while Walpole stomped over St. John's (Shrewsbury), 17-8, to capture the Division 2 boys' title.

Check out the brief recaps below (look for more online and in Saturday's Globe) or replay our live scoring blog after the jump. Video highlights can be viewed here.

Division 1 girls: Westwood 11, Longmeadow 10

Longmeadow scored six of the game's first seven goals while dominating the first 20 minutes of play, but Westwood erupted for eight of the next nine goals to pull ahead and held on to repeat as Division 1 state champions with an 11-10 triumph.

Kelly Rich paced the Wolverines with four goals and three assists, sparking the comeback with some tough-angled shots in traffic. Her unassisted goal with 14:40 remaining gave Westwood its first lead at 8-7 and it never gave that lead up.

Longmeadow scored twice in the final three minutes to make it interesting, but Westwood played keep-away to prevail. Junior midfielder Erica Nangeroni potted the winner off a pretty feed from Rich with 5:05 to play.

Sophomore Sarah Biron added three goals for the Wolverines, while senior netminder Abbie Brown made a trio of key stops late in the game to help her team emerge with the crown.

Junior Paige Cuscovitch paced a balanced Longmeadow squad with three goals. Paula Shea and Lauren Halpern added two goals apiece.

Rich called this title a little sweeter because "no one expected us to be back here."

Division 2 boys: Walpole 17, St. John's (S) 8

Walpole scored on its opening possession, setting the tone for a night in which it dominated the faceoff cirlce and seemingly scored at will en route to a lopsided 17-8 triumph over St. John's of Shrewsbury in the Division 2 title game.

After a nail-biting, overtime triumph over Reading in the sectional semifinals, Walpole's final two games proved to be a bit anticlimactic. The Rebels dispatched Concord-Carlisle, 11-7, earlier this week at Harvard Stadium. Things got even breezier in Worcester.

Walpole scored five of the game's first six goals and boasted a 12-4 advantage at halftime. What's more, the Rebels struck for the first three goals of the second half to push their lead into double digits before putting it on cruise control to the finish.

A balanced attack saw seven different players score, including three goals from both Kyle Guilbert and Ryan Izzo. David Butts contributed four assists and did the majority of his damage in the faceoff circle, where he and Izzo dominated St. John's drawmen.

"It's like they say, 'If they don't have the ball, they can't score,'" said Butts.

Here's this year's boys' lacrosse All-Americans (sortable list at the top) and various other honors for Eastern Mass. schools:

Academic All Americans

• Matthew Kennedy, Beverly
• Timothy Galvin, BC High
• Jacob Choinard, Bishop Connolly
• James Duane, Bourne
• Jedidiah Lavery, Masconomet
• Robert Mirandi, North Andover
• James Spry, Winchester
• Thomas McQuillan, Andover
• Sean Tavares, Wilmington
• Benjamin Forsythe, Pentucket

Coach of the Year

• Joe Papagni, Lynnfield
• Rick Bagby, Marshfield
• Kevin Bibeau, BC High
• Tom Dalicandro, CC
• Rick Blair. Nantucket
• Charlie Hardy, Reading
• Kevin Houlden, Peabody
• Chris Weber
• Lou Verocchi, Franklin
• Bob Aronson, Medfield
• Nick Bonavita, Austin Prep

Man of the Year

• Mike Leighton, Wilmington
• Tom DePeter
• Tom McDermott , Dartmouth (AD)
• Mike Moriello., Saugus
• Roger Wade
• Davison Annis, West
• John Pirani, Winchester

Rivers' Steve Manning (5) carries the ball as Nobles' Matthew Resor (4) defends. (Josh Reynolds / Globe Photo)

Rivers (14-2, 14-1 ISL) clinched at least a share of the Independent School League title with a 10-4 triumph over Nobles Thursday. League rivals Middlesex and Governor's Academy each have one game remaining in a quest to create a tie atop the standings.

With Georgetown's Shannon Hartford hitting 500 career points Monday, the questions seems natural. Who is the leading scorer in girls' lacrosse history? The best we can come up with is the 552 points scored by Westwood's Meredith Frank.

Frank, now a senior on the Northwestern lacrosse team, had 306 goals and 246 assists in her high school career. If you know of someone with better numbers, let us know at HSsports@Globe.com.

Members of the Walpole girls' lacrosse team run back after scoring a goal against Norwood (Matthew J. Lee / Globe Staff)

The Walpole girls' lacrosse team took down Bay State Conference rival Norwood, 15-8, this afternoon in a battle of undefeateds. The Rebels improved to 5-0 on the young season, while Norwood dops to 4-1.

Click HERE to see a gallery of photos from the game.

Duxbury celebrates its fifth consecutive state title last spring. (Robert E. Klein / Globe Photo)

Can Duxbury win a sixth consecutive state title this spring? That remains to be seen. We can at least help Dragon fans (and lacrosse fans from across the region) start circling some games to watch.

Check out our fresh batch of schedules for boys' lacrosse and girls' lacrosse.

Check out this previous post for links to baseball and softball schedules. As we noted then, you'll find a handy link at the bottom of each team schedule to email us any changes or updates as the start of the season approaches.

Boston Blazers coach Tom Ryan, left, talks with Marshfield's Sean Morris. (Pat Greenhouse / Globe Staff)

Too early to talk about the lacrosse season? OK, how about indoor lacrosse? After spotting former Marshfield standout Sean Morris (photo above) on page C6 of today's Globe, we'd be remiss if we didn't point out colleague John Powers's preview of the Boston Blazers' 2009 season.

A number of area senior student-athletes are making their college commitments official this week, with the early non-football signing period now in play (Nov. 12-19).

Correspondent Brendan Hall checks in with an updated list of commitments:

Baseball
Sahil Bloom, Weston (Stanford)
Kevin Brown, Algonquin (Bryant)
Peter Castaldi, St. John's Prep (Northeastern)
Jon Leroux, Auburn (Northeastern)
Derek Lowe, Lincoln-Sudbury (William & Mary)
John McKenna, Algonquin (UMass-Amherst)
Justin Quinn, Lincoln-Sudbury (Rollins College)
Fran Whitten, Westborough (Maine)

Basketball
Antoine Allen, Notre Dame Prep (Providence)
Russ Braithwaite, St. Mark’s (Babson)
Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, Tilton/Boston (UConn)
Courtney Finn, Winthrop (Bentley)
Dave Johnson, St. Mark’s (Quinnipiac)
Erik Murphy, St. Mark’s (Florida)
Alex Oriakhi, Tilton/Lowell (UConn)
Dartaye Ruffin, Stoughton (Drexel)
James Southerland, Notre Dame Prep (Syracuse)

Field hockey
Kara Mackintire, Shrewsbury (Boston College)

Golf
Brittany Altomare, Shrewsbury (Virginia)

Lacrosse
Quinn Cully, Duxbury (Notre Dame)
Hakeem Lecky, Duxbury (Syracuse)
Colin O'Rourke, St. John's Shrewsbury (Wagner)
Alex Papoojian, St. John's Shrewsbury (VMI)
Chris Pellichero, King Philip (Providence)
Kristen Scopetski, Algonquin (UMass-Amherst)

Soccer
CC Jensen, Acton-Boxborough (Elon)
AJ Millet, Westford (Harvard)
Sarah Wooley, Duxbury (Siena)

Softball
Nicole D’Argento, Ashland (Boston College)
Jessie Bryant, Marlborough (Providence)

Our friends over at LaxPower.com unveiled their final national poll for the 2008 girls' lacrosse season.

Westwood -- the Division 1 state champion and No. 1 on our final girls' lacrosse poll of 2008 -- earned spot No. 15 on the national poll with a 24-0-1 mark. The Wolverines, whose lone blemish was a midseason tie with the same Framingham squad it topped in the Eastern Mass. finals, were the highest ranking Massachusetts team.

The Flyers landed at No. 43 on the final national poll.

Prep squads Nobles (39) , Brooks (68), and Thayer (93) were all part of the top 100.

Western Mass. power Longmeadow, which fell to Westwood twice, including in the state championship game, checked in at No. 96.

Other local public schools cracking the top 200 included Winchester (124), Wellesley (126), Lincoln-Sudbury (140), and Needham (181).

Check out this entry from Monday to see how the local boys' squads fared nationally. Check out this entry to see the Globe's final Top 20 polls for the 2008 season.

We're rolling out our final boys' and girls' lacrosse Top 20s of the 2008 season today. Check out both the boys' lacrosse and girls' lacrosse rankings below:

BOYS

1.	Duxbury			22-2	1
2.	Billerica		17-5	7
3.	St. John's Prep		18-3	3
4.	Medfield		21-4	2
5.	Walpole			21-1	4
6.	Xaverian		16-6	5
7.	Andover			14-6	6
8.	Scituate		16-6	15
9.	Reading			18-4	12
10.	Lexington		15-5	19
11.	Marshfield		16-6	-
12.	Winchester		16-6	-
13.	Needham			16-7	16
14.	Cohasset		13-5	20
15.	Dover-Sherborn		15-6	14
16.	North Andover		17-5	11
17.	Barnstable		17-4	13
18.	King Philip		20-2	17
19.	Arlington		16-4	-
20.	Lowell			14-7	10

Some quick thoughts: We're not sure you can really argue with the top 10 squads (though I'm sure we'll get some feedback). Billerica earned that No. 2 spot with its late-season play and by taking Duxbury to the wire in the championship game. St. John's Prep topped Medfield in overtime late in the regular season and that helped sort those two squads out. Some might argue that Scituate is a bit too high, but we think the Sailors earned a lofty spot with their late-season surge. All the teams in the back end of the top 20 really had their ups and downs during the season. Marshfield overcame some injuries to surge late, but we would have liked to have seen them against some other top competition. Some will argue that King Philip is too low, but that comes down to strength of schedule. We considered a pack of teams for No. 20, including BC High and Waltham, but we'll give Lowell the nod considering that, of the Raiders' seven losses, three came against Top 10 squads and two came out of state. Lowell also smacked Reading during the regular season.

GIRLS

1.	Westwood	24-0-1	1
2.	Framingham	22-2-1	3
3.	Wellesley	18-1-1	2
4.	Lincoln-Sudbury	21-2-0	4
5.	Needham		19-4-1	7
6.	Winchester	20-1-2	5
7.	King Philip	17-3-0	6
8.	Andover		17-6-0	8
9.	Acton-Boxboro	18-3-1	9
10.	Norwell		16-9-0	19
11.	North Andover	20-2-1	11
12.	Reading		14-5-2	14
13.	Lexington	18-4-0	15
14.	Duxbury		14-5-2	12
15.	Masconomet	14-4-0	13
16.	Weston		13-7-0	--
17.	Hingham		13-6-0	20
18.	Georgetown	13-6-0	--
19.	Sandwich	20-1-1	16
20.	Notre Dame	15-4-1	18

Some quick thoughts: We can hear the groans in Wellesley already. Yes, the Raiders defeated Framingham in a head-to-head battle back on April 7. But that was more than two months ago. If the teams met again later in the season, we believe the Flyers likely would have returned the favor. From what we saw, Westwood and Framingham were simply a cut above. Division 1, as a whole, however, was absolutely loaded and we reflected that in the top 5. Winchester, King Philip, and Andover sorted themselves out from regular-season play. Georgetown was tough to figure out. The Royals stormed to the Division 2 North final, but had also endured some questionable losses during the regular season, like a 13-8 defeat at the hands of a Manchester Essex squad that finished 6-8.

Our friends at LaxPower.com released their boys' lacrosse season-ending national rankings and Duxbury is the only local public squad to land in the top 50 as the Dragons -- ranked No. 1 in the Globe's final top 20 poll -- check in at No. 39.

Deerfield Prep is tops among Massachusetts schools, landing at No. 21 after a 15-1 campaign (their lone loss being a one-goal tilt with Avon Old Farms of Connecticut, which ranked at No. 227). The Governor's Academy landed at No. 37.

Western Mass. public power Longmeadow, which fell to Duxbury in the regular season, but rebounded to win the Division 2 state title (topping Medfield in the finals) checked in at No. 42.

You'd have to hop down to No. 147 to find the next Massachusetts public entry in St. John's Prep. Other local publics in the top 200: Walpole (152), Billerica (163), Xaverian (167), and Medfield (178).

We'll have our final Top 20 for the boys' and girls' lacrosse seasons posted shortly.

Our final Top 20 polls for the 2008 baseball and softball seasons have been posted.

You can read our top 20 recap, or just check out the final polls for baseball and softball. (Hint: Two undefeated teams sit perfectly atop our final rankings).

We'll check back with final top 20 polls for boys' and girls' lacrosse Monday.

For those pining for one more boys' lacrosse game, get yourselves down to Reebok Field in Canton for the Senior North-South All-Star Game at 5 p.m.

South coach Rick Peterson -- Marshfield's leading man -- reports the teams will be comprised of seniors from the All-American list, along with Eastern Mass. All-Stars who were voted to compete in the game.

Click HERE to check out the list of All-Americans for the 2008 season. Be sure to also visit our 2008 Spring All-Scholastics to read more on the athletes that will comprise much of the talent at the North-South battle.

How good are these teams? The South triumvirate of goalies features Garrett Akie of Dover-Sherborn, David Barton of BC High, and Max Vaikus of Hingham. It'd be a wonder anyone scored except for the star power that litters the midfield and attack for both squads. Should be a phenomenal night of lacrosse.

By Amanda Bruno, Globe Correspondent

WAYLAND – After the Westwood baseball team clinched the Division 3 state title over Frontier up in Lowell, the boys headed over to the girls’ lacrosse Division 1 state final to see if the Wolverines could bring home a pair of titles.

It happened to be their day.

In its fourth meeting in the state final in six years, Westwood (24-0-1) powered past Longmeadow, 10-7 to win yet another state championship over the Lancers. The Wolverines clinched titles in 2003 and 2005, and Longmeadow (21-3) savaged a win in 2004.

"It’s huge. I mean once we won it freshmen year I always kind of wanted one for myself to be like I don’t have my sister’s help [this time] so today was a big one," said senior captain Alex Frank. "I know our seniors, [winning the state title] was our goal for the season and to come out and play like we did today and come out and win is great. It’s a great ending to our season."

Westwood dominated the first half led by the Globe All-Scholastic trio, sophomore Kelly Rich (six goals, five in the half) and senior captains Frank (two goals) and Erin Massimi (two goals, one assist) who contributed to all of the scoring.

After Longmeadow scored the first goal of the game 2:16 in, Massimi tied it up and got the ball rolling for the Wolverines who then went on a 7-0, before the Lancers finally scored again with 54 seconds remaining in the frame.

"It was not the game plan [scoring eight goals in the first half], that’s what we were trying not to do,” said Westwood coach Leslie Frank. “We were trying to save the legs and pace ourselves and time ourselves."

Longmeadow’s bid for a seventh state title looked to be over with, but that’s why there are two halves in lacrosse.

Westwood cooled off after Massimi scored her second goal of the game 15 seconds into the second. That’s when the Lancers unleashed a threatening rally. Longmeadow senior Katie Phillips (four goals) scored back-to-back goals to put Lomgeadow within five and Westwood called a timeout with 20:37 on the clock.

Fifteen minutes flew by with neither team scoring. Finally with 5:35 left in the second frame, Jessica Lesage found Rich on the left side of the net and made a quick release to give her, her sixth goal of the game to make it 10-4.

"[Kelly] was outstanding,” said Leslie Frank. “She’s just seasoned. She sees when it’s time. She’s patient, she holds her cuts and then [takes the shot]."

But Longmeadow still wouldn’t go away with Emily Stankiewicz responding 32 seconds later and the Lancers strung together two more, but as they threatened for more, Abbie Brown (seven saves) made an enormous save and gave it to Massimi who took it to the other end and held onto the ball until the horn sounded.

"The work ethic of those kids, I felt so much pressure from Longmeadow in the second half. I don’t even know how we pulled it off," said Westwood coach Leslie Frank.

"Right now I’m just really excited. All of our hard work paid off and I really wanted to do this for the seniors because they have led us to so many things," said Rich. "We just really wanted to finish it off for them. We had such a great season and it was just a great way to end it."

Sorry folks, I unfortunately didn't have any internet capabilities from Wayland so I was unable to post any updates.

Some quick notes:

This was Westwood's third state title in six years and all three have come against Longmeadow.

After Longmeadow scored the opening goal, the Wolverines splurged to an 8-0 run led by the Globe All-Scholastic trio of sophomore Kelly Rich, and senior captains Erin Massimi and Alex Frank.

Rich scored five of her six goals in the first frame, Frank both of her goals, and Massimi had a goal and an assist (two goals total).

Westwood led 8-2 at the break.

Longmeadow however didn't die as the Lancers outscored the Wolverines, 5-2 in the second frame. Longmeadow goalie, Mollie Mackler was incredible and finished with 12 saves. The senior is attending Duke in the fall.

The Lancers certainly made it close as Katie Phillips (four goals) put in back-to-back netters to cut the deficit to five, which prompted Westwood to call a timeout. After the timeout there was a 15 minute scoring gap until Rich, fed by Jessica Lesage, scored with 5:35 remaining in the second frame.

Longmeadow finished off game on a 3-0 run, but after a save by Westwood goalie Abbie Brown (seven saves), the Wolverines took the ball to the other end until the horn blew to stop the run.

Check back later for a full game recap.

It'll be do or die battle once again between Westwood (23-0-1) and Longmeadow (21-2) who are competing in the girls' lacrosse Division 1 state final this evening at Wayland High School as these two teams aren't strangers.

The two powerhouses have met in the state title game from 2003-2005 as Westwood captured titles in '03 and '05 and the Lancers in '04.

During the regular season, Westwood trounced Longmeadow 14-5 back on April 12, but by no means does this mean it'll be an easy ride for the Wolverines, which will be expecting a much different Longmeadow squad.

The Lancers have sailed along in post-season play beating South Hadley 20-6 and Minnechaug 12-4 in the west to capture another WMass crown and their most recent win over Central champion Westborough 10-6.

It should be a great match-up. Game time will start at 4:15 p.m. Check back for updates, I'll try my best to give them to you.

Here are the 2008 girls' lacrosse All-Americans for Eastern Mass:

• Catherine Gross, Andover, Jr.
• Christine Donovan, Brooks, Soph.
• Moira Barry, Framingham, Soph.
• Melanie Baskind, Framingham, Sr.
• MaryLeah DiNisco, Governors, Jr.
• Jess Griffin, Lincoln-Sudbury, Jr.
• Casey Griffen, Nobles, Jr.
• Sarah Plumb, Nobles, Sr.
• Kaitlin Gaiss, Phillips, Jr.
• Samantha Taylor, Pingree, Sr.
• Kelsey Johnson, Thayer, Jr.
• Alex Frank, Westwood, Sr.
• Erin Massimi, Westwood, Sr.
• Meg Sullivan, Winchester, Sr.

The following athletes received honorable mentions:

• Katelyn Caro, Andover, Sr.
• Elizabeth Bruno, Brooks, Sr.
• Chelsey Bowman, Concord, Sr.
• Erin Levesque, Duxbury, Sr.
• Annie Clayman, Governors, Sr.
• Mary Pasquantonio, King Philip, Sr.
• Alexa Rozelle, Lincoln-Sudbury, Jr.
• Victoria Arnold, Middlesex, Sr.
• Alyson Friedensohn, Milton, Sr.
• Stephanie Gill, Nobles, Sr.
• Sarah Mulvey, Thayer, Sr.
• Maria Tedeschi, Thayer, Sr.
• Kelly Rich, Westwood, Soph.

To check out the boys' All-Americans, go HERE.

girls' lacrosse > division 1 south semifinal
No. 1 Westwood 17, No. 3 Wellesley 8

WESTWOOD -- After bowing to Wellesley two years ago in the Division 1 South semifinal, Westwood returned the favor Tuesday night as the Wolverines handed the Raiders their first loss of the season in a 17-8 triumph last night at Flahive Field.

For the second straight year, top-seeded Westwood (21-0-1) will play for the South title as the Wolverines host fifth-seeded Needham (19-3-1) on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Westwood came out strong and commanded the entire first half of play. Senior tricaptain Erin Massimi simply dominated both offensively and defensively as she contributed all of her five goals and two assists in the opening half, where the Wolverines opened an 11-3 lead before the intermission.

However, third-seeded Wellesley (18-1-1) put together a better game plan in the second frame, which resulted in a couple of goals scored by Mary Louise Dixon on an eight-meter shot and Blake Dietrick, which forced Westwood coach Leslie Frank to call a timeout to regroup her squad.

“There were so many forced turnovers on our end thinking [we] could go to the goal and [we] were collapsing, there’s no need for that,” said Frank. “When you’re up you just have to play smarter up and [we] were just not getting that. It’s the level of competition, it’s the excitement, it’s very hard to come play 100 percent go, go, go in the first half then cool down.”

The first timeout worked for about a minute and a half as senior tricaptain Alex Frank (four goals, three assists) connected with sophomore Kelly Rich, who notched Westwood’s 12th goal of the game, but the Raiders strung together a three-goal run with three different contributors and, yet again, Westwood called timeout.

“We didn’t come out as hard in the beginning of the second half like we should of. [Wellesley] definitely capitalized on that,” said Alex Frank. “After we had that second timeout it was kind of like we had to regroup ourselves and get back into it.”

It seemed to work as the Wolverines poured in five unanswered goals led by senior Megan Lally (four goals) who had two in the spurt as Westwood sealed the deal.

“I thought we had a good run in the second half. It was difficult convincing the kids to just play it one possession at a time,” said Wellesley coach Christine Molonea. “You looked at the halftime score, it was a little demoralizing. [Westwood] got off to a quick start, a much quicker start then we did, but I thought our kids showed a lot of character.”

The Eastern Mass. Division 1 boys' lacrosse quarterfinal between host and top-seeded Duxbury and eighth-seeded Marshfield has been shifted to Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Here's the list of Eastern Mass. All-Americans and other honors for the boys' lacrosse standouts of the region:

• Jim Queeney, Reading, Jr. , attack
• Kam Bumpus, Needham, Jr., midfielder
• Peter Jennings, Wellesley, Sr., midfielder
• Davis Butts, Walpole, Jr., midfielder
• Chris Walker, Marshfield, Sr., attack (Wagner)
• Tyler Sabens, Falmouth, Sr., midfielder (Manhattan)
• Mark Flibotte, Cohasset, Sr., midfielder (Bowdoin)
• Brian Foster, Medfield, Jr., midfielder
• Garrett Akie, Dover-Sherborn, Sr., goalie (Hamilton)
• Danny Gold, Medfield, Jr., long-stick midfielder
• Matt Schairer, King Philip, Sr., attack (Quinnipiac)
• Brendan Grant, Xaverian, Sr., attack (Bentley)
• Mark Scalise, St. John's Prep, Sr., attack (Harvard)
• Tucker Garfield, St. John's Prep, Sr., midfielder (Salisbury School)
• John Whitney, St. John's Prep, Sr., defense (Hamilton)
• Scott Austin, Duxbury, Sr., attack (Cornell)
• Gus Quinzani, Duxbury, Sr., midfielder (St. Joseph's)
• Craig Sullivan, Duxbury, Sr., defense (Maryland)
• Greg Melaugh, Billerica, Jr., midfielder
• Brendan Hughes, Andover, Sr., midfielder (Bowdoin)
• Tim Finnegan, Lowell, Sr., goalie (Providence)

Academic All Americans: Tucker Delaney Winn, Winchester; Steve Gaudet, St. John's Prep; Chris Rigoli, Xaverian; Charles Czerkawski, Cohasett; Connor Green, Sandwich; Alex Boches, Beverly; Doug Johnston, Dartmouth; Brandon Wade, Georgetown; Matthew Rayner, Andover; Michael Gerhardt, Chelmsford.

Coaches of the Year: Drew Domineck, Gloucester; Stephen Duffy, Waltham; Charlie Hardy, Reading; Greg Gilbert, Falmouth; Bob Aronson, Medfield; Dan Warren, King Philip; John Roy, St. John's Prep; Chris Sweet, Duxbury; Chris Burns, Billerica (EMass Coach of the Year); Shane Relihan, New Bedford; Steve Connolly, North Andover .

Man of the Year: Steve Schairer, King Philip.

Assistant Coaches of the Year: Stu Brown, Dover-Sherborn; Russell Sorin, Waltham; Dave Lautman, Reading; Marshall Chambers, Nantucket; Skip Milne, Hamilton-Wenham; Justin Shairs (North); Tom Driscoll (South); Geno Zanella, Dover-Sherborn; Steve Ruelle, Austin Prep; Tom Frisoli, Cath Memorial (EMass Assistant Coach of the Year); AC Decker, Hingham.

Below are the players voted All-Stars by the Eastern Mass. Girls' Lacrosse Coaches Association:

FIRST TEAM

Catherine Gross, Andover, Jr.
Melanie Baskind, Framingham, Sr.
Moira Barry, Framingham, Soph.
Mary Pasquantonio, King Phillip, Sr.
Jess Griffin, Lincoln-Sudbury, Jr.
Alex Frank, Westwood, Sr.
Erin Massimi, Westwood, Sr.
Meg Sullivan, Winchester, Sr.
Erin Levesque, Duxbury, Sr.
Alexa Rozelle, Lincoln-Sudbury, Jr.
Margie Fulton, Wellesley, Sr.
Caitlyn Caro, Andover, Sr.
Cat Conway, Acton-Boxboro, Sr.
Jamie Dolan, Hopkinton, Jr.
Blake Dietrick, Wellesley, Fr.
Kelly Rich, Westwood, Soph.
Sara Reddington, Needham, Sr.
Sam Zetlin, Framingham, Jr.
Mary Kate Gorman, Hingham, Jr.
Kerry Eaton, King Phillip, Jr.

SECOND TEAM

Ilana Cohen, Andover, Sr.
Emily Pilemer, Arlington, Sr.
Bridget Dullea, Bishop Fenwick, Jr.
Trisha Babson, Duxbury, Sr.
Caileigh Grove, Franklin, Sr.
Colleen Mulligan, Hanover, Sr.
Devon Gibney, Hopkinton, Sr.
Katie Florence, King Philip, Sr.
Micaela Cyr, Lexington, Jr.
Kelly Cakert, Lincoln-Sudbury, Sr.
Laura Jernegan, Martha's Vineyard, Jr.
Kathleen Ragan, Masconomet, Jr.
Marisa Aubin, Needham, Sr.
Jill Cammett, Norwell, Sr.
Liz Greeley, Norwood, Jr.
McKenna Teague, Notre Dame (Hingham), Sr.
Sarah Galligan, Pentucket, Sr.
Charlotte Marsh, Reading, Jr.
Jessica Guisti, Walpole, Sr.
Meredith Batter, Weston, Sr.
Christine Ockerbloom, Winchester, Sr.

As a few commenters pointed out, we should have waited until Friday to post our final boys' lacrosse top 20 of the regular season as some of our top squads are in need of a shuffling already.

You can find all the details in today's school roundup, but No. 3 St. John's Prep edged No. 2 Medfield in overtime, while No. 7 Billerica topped No. 5 Xaverian, 13-9. Elsewhere, Winchester upset No. 11 North Andover; Lincoln-Sudbury shocked No. 6 Andover; and Acton-Boxboro took down No. 10 Lowell.

Shouldn't figuring out the top 20 be easier at this point? Just confirms that it's going to be an absolutely wild postseason. We cannot wait to get a glimpse of the boys' lacrosse tournament brackets tomorrow.

One other note from Wednesday's action, Marshfield coach Rick Peterson reports that senior Chris Walker broke Sean Morris's single-season scoring mark as he now boasts 110 points after a 21-3 triumph over Whitman-Hanson.

The Rams, who endured some midseason injuries, have won six in a row and captured the Atlantic Coast League title. Lining itself up for a lofty seed, Marshfield is yet another team to keep an eye on in the postseason.

The final boys' lacrosse top 20 of the regular season is now available.

A few quick thoughts: Walpole leapfrogs Xaverian at spots Nos. 4-5, but hard to fault Xaverian for playing such a challenging schedule... It's hard to rank BC High behind Billerica given the head-to-head victory for the Eagles earlier this season, but the Indians are clearly playing the stronger ball right now... Falmouth and Marshfield continued to draw attention from the pollsters, but couldn't supplant Cohasset at the back end of the top 20... Waltham does vault into the top 20 thanks in large part to recent wins over Arlington and Lexington.

Back with the final girls' poll soon.

Lacrosse Top 20s will be updated Wednesday afternoon instead of today. Stay close.

Check out complete game highlights from St. John's Prep's 10-9 win over Xaverian in a key Catholic Conference clash.

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights

The boys' lacrosse top 20 poll has been updated with games through Monday.

We can't give a full team-by-team rundown this week, but a couple of quick thoughts:

• Not a whole lot of changes to the top 10. BC High slips back a bit after enduring losses to Xaverian and St. John's Prep last week, while Walpole leaps to the No. 5 spot... We'll be interested to see how Lexington fares today against Reading in a Middlesex League showdown... Dover-Sherborn shuffles up spot 10.

• It was a tough week for schools on the backside of the top 20 as few emerged unscathed. Some, like Wellesley and Needham, endured tough losses and actually bumped up a few spots this week, while Arlington, Scituate, and Cohasset slid backwards a bit.

• We think the shuffling in the ranking just shows how interesting this postseason tournament is shaping up to be. Even non-ranked teams like Marshfield and Waltham have endured their own struggles this spring, but seem to be playing some inspired ball. We can't wait for the brackets to roll out later this month.

A quick glance at the top 5 by division:

Division 1

1. Duxbury
2. St. John's Prep
3. Xaverian
4. Lexington
5. BC High

Division 2

1. Medfield
2. Walpole
3. Wellesley
4. King Philip
5. Reading

Division 3

1. Dover-Sherborn
2. Scituate
3. Cohasset
4. Austin Prep
5. Tyngsboro

The girls' lacrosse top 20 has also been updated.

A few quick thoughts: Much like the boys there was just a bit of shuffling at the top with Acton-Boxboro and Hopkinton hopping into prime spots in the top 10... Norwell's win over Duxbury left a bit of a domino effect. The Dragons dropped back a few spots, while Norwell hopped back in the top 20. That came at the expense of Weston, which fell to Duxbury Saturday. A look at your top 5 by division:

Division 1

1. Westwood
2. Wellesley
3. Framingham
4. Lincoln-Sudbury
5. King Philip

Division 2

1. Winchester
2. Hopkinton
3. North Andover
4. Duxbury
5. Franklin

boys' lacrosse
No. 4 St. John's Prep 10, No. 3 Xaverian 9

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights

DANVERS -- It's not just the regularity with which St. John's Prep's John Jennings lands in the scorebook that's astounding. It's often how he gets there.

Jennings boasts a flare for producing the highlight-worthy goal and Monday proved to be no exception. The junior attack potted the winner -- his fourth goal of the game -- on a spirited run from behind the cage with 6:21 remaining that culminated with an impossible-angle shot that ultimately lifted the fourth-ranked Eagles past third-ranked Xaverian, 10-9, at Cronin Memorial Stadium.

With the win, St. John's Prep (12-2, 6-1) avenged one of its two losses this spring and put itself in position to claim the Catholic Conference title outright provided the Eagles top Malden Catholic Thursday.

They can thank Jennings for that opportunity. Xaverian (13-3, 6-2) rallied from a four-goal, second-half deficit to tie the game at 9 on Brendan Grant's ground ball through the slot with 8:49 remaining.

Jennings, whose most dazzling goal might have been a rebound effort late in the first half as St. John's Prep opened its first four-goal advantage, sprinted out from behind the net and managed to zip the ball inside the post for the go-ahead score a short time later.

In a game with 19 goals, it was almost surprising to see it hold up.

"I caught it and just ran around," said Jennings. "They didn't slide, so I shot it... I just kinda reached around.

"Coach stressed that this was like a Catholic Conference championship game because if we both won out, whoever wins this game wins the title. We wanted this one pretty bad."

St. John's Prep sophomore Garrett Campbell scored three consecutive times over a five-minute span in the second quarter as the Eagles opened a little breathing room. When Jennings' potted his pretty rebound goal with 2:48 to play in the quarter, the hosts led 7-3.

But Xaverian didn't go quietly. Ryan Abely scored before the break to trim the deficit and Chris Rigoli potted two tallies as part of a four-goal, third-quarter outburst that sliced St. John's Prep's lead to 9-8 heading to the final frame.

The Hawks, who led briefly at 2-1 in the first quarter, could never pull ahead again.

"It was everything you expect from a championship game," said Xaverian coach Tim Gardner. "We could have brought home the championship again, and our guys know that, so they were not going to let go of that title easily. I'm proud of my guys for pulling back in it. (St. John's Prep was) simply able to get last score."

The Hawks were plagued by the second-quarter outburst by Campbell, along with maybe a touch of over-aggressiveness in the second half. The Hawks were hitting like Massachusetts had enabled spring football and that led to a number of man-up opportunities for St. John's Prep (one of which the Eagles capitalized on with a Mark Scalise goal with 1:35 to play in the third quarter after Xaverian pulled within a score).

"We started with a zone and they were much more prepared for that than the last time we played," said Gardner, whose troops emerged with a 9-5 triumph in Westwood on April 18. "We were able to get the ball on the floor a few times, but they ended up winning the ground balls, either by bad bounces or by being scrappy. They have good athletes out there, they were able to get the ground balls and went on a little run."

St. John's Prep's defense spearheaded by seniors Brogan O'Connor, John Whitney, and Santo Dettore never let Xaverian embark on a similar run. The Eagles cinched up the middle of the field in the second half and forced Xaverian to attack from the edges and, when the Hawks did generate an unsettled situation going at the cage, netminder Nick Valenti made some key stops.

Asked if he thought Jennings' goal would hold up for the winner, St. John's Prep coach John Roy admitted he did not.

"I never thought any goal would held up, it was too back and forth," said Roy. "Jennings had an impossible angle. But he's like that. Once he has the ball near the goal, he finds a way to score."

St. John's Prep holds on to top Xaverian, 10-9.

SJP, 10-9 (2:05, 4th)

St. John's Prep leads, 10-9, with 2:05 to go. Xaverian has the ball coming out of a timeout.

SJP, 9-8 (end of 3rd)

Xaverian's Chris Rigoli had two goals and Brendan Grant added a goal and an assist as part of a four-goal, third-quarter outburst that has helped the Hawks pull within a goal of St. John's Prep, 9-8, moving to the final frame.

SJP, 8-6 (4:25, 3rd)

Goals by Brendan Grant and Chris Rigoli have helped Xaverian claw within a pair of St. John's Prep, but the Eagles lead, 8-6, with 4:25 to play in the third quarter.

SJP, 7-4 (half)

St. John's Prep sophomore Garrett Campbell scored three consecutive goals over a five-minute span as the Eagles struck for the first four goals in the second quarter and lead visiting Xaverian, 7-4, at the intermission.

The two sides essentially traded goals over the first 12 ,but Campbell started his scoring blitz with a tally off a John Jennings feed with 9:29 to go in the half. When he ripped the twine with an unassisted score with 5:26 to play, St. John's Prep led, 6-3.

Jennings followed with his third goal of the game before Xaverian's Ryan Abely stopped the bleeding with a goal off a Brendan Grant feed with 1:16 to play in the half.

A few thoughts:

• St. John's Prep is dominating time of possession. Xaverian barely had the ball over the first 10 minutes of the second quarter.

• Xaverian is having success putting an attacker in front of the cage and passing to create easy goals in front. St. John's Prep is making it decidedly more difficult with constant pressure on the edges.

• St. John's Prep has given up more than nine goals on only one occasion this spring: a 14-13 overtime win over Hingham. In fact, these Eagles haven't lost when scoring more than five goals in a game (their two losses were to Xaverian, 9-5, and Duxbury, 7-5).

SJP, 7-3 (2:15, 2nd)

Four unanswered goals by St. John's Prep in the second quarter have the Eagles out front, 7-3, with 2:15 to go in the frame.

Tied, 3-3 (end of 1st)

No team led by more than a goal in the first quarter as Xaverian and St. John's Prep head to the second frame knotted at 3.

Two goals for John Jennings paced St. John's Prep, while Garrett Buckley, Ryan Abely, and Brendan Grant each had scores for the Hawks.

Pregame

Welcome to Danvers for today's Catholic Conference showdown between fourth-ranked St. John's Prep and third-ranked Xaverian.

It's on the cool side here at Cronin Memorial Field with the Forsberg Cruiser setting the temperature at a deceiving 52 degrees (there's a wind picking up that makes it feel much cooler than it already is).

Back with more throughout the afternoon.

***

We'll be live from Danvers this afternoon, where the Catholic Conference title hangs in the balance as the St. John's Prep boys' lacrosse team hosts rival Xaverian at 4 p.m.

Xaverian defeated St. John's Prep, 9-5, during the teams' first meeting on April 18. The Eagles have won seven of their last eight since that game, falling only to top-ranked Duxbury, 7-5, on May 3.

Xaverian dropped a 9-6 decision to BC High on April 15, but the Hawks have won nine of their last 10, only falling to second-ranked Medfield, 6-5, on April 23.

Back with more from Danvers.

Click the link below to check out complete game highlights from Duxbury's 14-10 triumph over Longmeadow in boys' lacrosse action.

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights

boys' lacrosse
No. 1 Duxbury 14, Longmeadow 10

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights

DUXBURY -- Who knows better about spurts than a team with an 83-game, in-state winning streak.

The top-ranked Duxbury boys' lacrosse team scored nine consecutive goals over a dominating 14-minute span in the first half to build a comfortable cushion, then short-circuited visiting Longmeadow's spurts before they snowballed out of control en route to a 14-10 triumph Saturday at Taylor Memorial Field.

The Lancers logged 250 roundtrip miles for their shot at dethroning the four-time defending Division 1 state champs. The Green Dragons haven't lost since the 2003 state final despite the fact that everyone seems to be gunning for them recently.

Longmeadow bounded off its bus overflowing with enthusiasm and scoring first did little to quell that intensity. Duxbury's nine-goal outburst, however, did provide the wet blanket on a chilly spring afternoon.

"Welcome to lacrosse," Duxbury coach Chris Sweet joked when asked about how both teams scored in streaks Saturday. Longmeadow twice put together four-goal outbursts, the first pulling the Lancers within four goals late in the second quarter and the other trimming the final spread to four goals.

"We like (spurts) when they're in our favor. When it swings the other way, you gotta knuckle down. We played some good defense and got key saves in the middle of some of their rallies. It doesn't take much to turn it around. A big save, a score or a turnover. We got enough of those to hang on today."

Longmeadow was desperate for one of those streak-breakers as Duxbury motored away in the first half. It's what head coach John Rauseo and his charges probably rolled over in their minds many times as part of a 2-hour, 12-minute trek back to the high school on Grassy Gutter Road in Longmeadow.

"The first half, they got us," said Rauseo. "In the second half, we held them to what, four goals? You can't spot a team like that nine goals. That was the difference.

"We didn't get the ball on offense. Whoever had the ball on offense today seemed to score. At the end we had a couple of chances... we just couldn't put them in."

Duxbury's Scott Austin scored three of his game-high six goals as part of the Dragons' big first-half outburst that put the hosts out front, 9-1, with 7:07 to play in the second quarter. But Longmeadow responded as James Reardon produced half of a four-goal outburst to make it 9-5 with 2:18 to go in the half.

Duxbury dug in and Austin potted another goal with 51 ticks to play in the frame for a five-goal cushion at the intermission. He and Grant Marston each registered two goals in the third quarter as the Dragons pushed their lead back to 14-6 before Longmeadow produced the only four goals of the final frame.

"Our offense was uncharacteristically patient at key times," said coach Sweet. "That was the difference. We got some big shots and some good defensive play from our poles.

"They got the first goal, but our guys came ready to play. We did a good job of being ready to play from the start."

All-Scholastic defender Craig Sullivan did a fantastic job limiting Longmeadow junior attack Kyle Smith (1 goal), while captain Mark Murphy shadowed Reardon (2 goals) for much of the day. Longmeadow senior David Thor sparked the Lancers' offense with four goals.

Outside of Austin, Duxbury spread it around. Gus Quinzani, Hakeem Lecky, and Marston each had two goals apiece, while Steven Ripley and Dan May scored single goals.

While proud of the way his team battled back and happy to take positives from those spurts, Rauseo seemed to take a bit of umbrage when asked if it was tough to travel so far to play a team the caliber of Duxbury.

"They gotta play us, too," he said. "We're Longmeadow. We have a streak; We haven't lost to a Massachusetts (public) high school all year. This is the first one we lost to."

Longmeadow (11-2), which also lost to Deerfield Prep, boasted wins over second-ranked Medfield (which it lost to in last year's Division 2 state final) and Scituate entering Saturday's game. The Lancers don't travel past 495 again during the regular season, but are seemingly the odds-on favorite to represent that part of the state in June.

For Duxbury, the challenges just keep on coming. Next week's slate features a pair of Catholic Conference foes in Xaverian (a rematch of last year's state final) and BC High. The following week brings Needham and New Hampshire juggernaut Bishop Guertin as tune-ups to the state tournament.

Duxbury tops Longmeadow, 14-10. Back with a recap and highlights in a bit.

Duxbury, 14-10 (1:06, 4th)

Longmeadow scored the only four goals of the four quarter (thus far) to make things a little more interesting, but it looks like too little too late as Duxbury leads by four goals with just over a minute to go.

Duxbury, 14-6 (end of 3rd)

Duxbury's Scott Austin and Derek Sweet scored two goals apiece in the third quarter and the Green Dragons lead visiting Longmeadow, 14-6, moving to the final frame.

For the day, Austin has a game-high six goals.

Duxbury, 12-5 (6:40, 3rd)

Duxbury's Scott Austin and Derek Sweet scored back-to-back third-quarter goals and the Green Dragons have increased their advantage to 12-5 with 6:40 to play in the frame.

Duxbury, 10-5 (half)

So much hype. So little drama.

Longmeadow scored the game's first goal and it seemed everyone at Taylor Field was holding their collective breaths with the possibility that this Western Mass. juggernaut might swoop in and dethrone Eastern Mass.'s behemoth.

It didn't take long for everyone to exhale.

Duxbury scored nine consecutive goals spanning into the second quarter and led, 9-1, with 7:07 to play in the half before Longmeadow breathed a little life back into this game with four consecutive scores.

Duxbury's Scott Austin scored in the final minute of the half -- his fourth of the game -- to put the Dragons out front, 10-5, at the intermission.

A few quick thoughts:

• Longmeadow came out with some serious intensity and they were bouncing off the walls after David Thor scored just 1:48 in. The Dragons responded with three goals over the next three minutes before an absolute blizzard that span into the second frame.

• Not sure if Duxbury saw something on film, but they've generated a number of goals by bouncing the ball in.

• Longmeadow shouldn't be down nearly as much. Granted, Duxbury made some quality runs to the cage -- particularly an unbelievable effort by Steven Ripley in the second quarter in which he evaded about five defenders and endured two big hits on an unassisted tally -- but Duxbury hasn't exactly put on a passing clinic here. Much of its shots are being generated on individual efforts and the Lancers probably should have made a few more stops to this point on long-range blasts (see: long-stick middie Dan May's goal in the first quarter).

• Duxbury opens the third quarter with a man advantage and the ball after holding to close out the first half. Longmeadow desperately needs a stop and some early scores to pull back some momentum if it has any chance to make this interesting.

Duxbury, 9-5 (1:54, 2nd)

Duxbury rattled off nine consecutive goals after Longmeadow scored first as this one appeared to be a rout, but the visitors have responded with four consecutive scores to at least add a bit of intrigue as the half nears.

Duxbury, 5-1 (end of 1st)

An intense Longmeadow struck first, but Duxbury responded with five unanswered goals and leads the visiting Lancers, 5-1, t the end of the first quarter.

Gus Quinzani paced the Dragons with two goals in the first 12, while long-stick middie Daniel May got in on the offensive fireworks with a side-armed flick from the top of the slot.

Pregame

Welcome to Duxbury. It's a little cool out here, but seems like ideal lacrosse weather.

We're just getting underway. Back with more throughout the afternoon.

***

We're headed back down to Duxbury this afternoon, where the top-ranked Green Dragons are expected to receive another stiff test when Western Mass. power Longmeadow visits for a boys' lacrosse showdown at Taylor Field at 4 p.m.

Duxbury now boasts an 82-game, in-state winning streak, but Longmeadow enters with an impressive 11-1 mark having beaten Eastern Mass. talents like second-ranked Medfield and 14th-ranked Scituate this spring.

Earlier in the day, the Duxbury girls' lacrosse team -- ranked sixth in Eastern Mass. -- hosts 19th-ranked Weston at noon. We'll have a correspondent there for that one and will have a complete recap of the action in Saturday's school roundup.

Back with more from Duxbury this afternoon.

Here we go with this week's look at the updated Top 20s for both boys' and girls' lacrosse:

Boys

1. Duxbury (10-2) -- The Dragons only asserted themselves as the team to beat with quality wins over Billerica, Scituate, and St. John's Prep. Can the Massachusetts winning streak survive a visit from Western Mass. power Longmeadow on Saturday?

2. Medfield (12-2) -- No shame in falling to a very talented Longmeadow squad. There's no reason this team shouldn't be 17-2 heading into the regular-season finale against St. John's Prep.

3. Xaverian (11-2) -- Another monster week (and a half) of Catholic Conference games with a visit from BC High on Thursday (a chance for the Hawks to avenge their lone league loss) and a potential winner-take-all battle with St. John's Prep on May 12.

4. St. John's Prep (10-2) -- The Eagles had Duxbury on the ropes, but there's a reason the Dragons are undefeated in Massachusetts for more than four straight years. Can the kids in Danvers complete the season sweep of BC High today?

5. BC High (9-2) -- St. John's Prep today; Xaverian Thursday. The Eagles can jump right back in the hunt for the league crown with a couple wins this week.

6. Lexington (10-2) -- The Minutemen have gained some steam since the Xaverian loss on April 21 and will get a nice test with a stretch that includes games against Winchester (Friday), Reading (May 13), and Waltham (May 16).

7. Walpole (11-0) -- Consider us on completely on the Rebel bandwagon. This defense has been amazing. Thirty-three goals in 11 games?! They are playing lacrosse, right? Not ice hockey.

8. Billerica (8-3) -- Coach Chris Burns and Co., kicked that three-game losing streak to the curb with a solid 13-5 thumping of Lincoln-Sudbury. The Indians would like to build some momentum here before a grueling close to the regular season with games against Andover, Bishop Guertin, and Xaverian.

9. Andover (8-4) -- Take away its first two games of the season and Andover has played a grand total of one team that currently has a record under .500 (Haverhill at 4-7). Andover's final five opponents are also currently above .500.

10. Arlington (11-1) -- With a win over Cohasset last week, the Spy Ponders make a big jump this week. We're still slightly skeptical (that Braintree score is hard to ignore), but today's clash with Malden Catholic should provide another nice test.

(More rankings after the jump)...

Click the link below to watch complete game highlights from top-ranked Duxbury's 7-5 win over fourth-ranked St. John's Prep Saturday night under the lights at Raymond P. Chandler Field.

• Click HERE to watch game highlights

boys' lacrosse
No. 1 Duxbury 7, No. 4 St. John's Prep 5

• Click HERE to watch game highlights

DUXBURY -- Some will tell you a goal is a goal in lacrosse regardless of the time on the scoreboard. But Scott Austin's goal late in the third quarter of Saturday night's blockbuster between top-ranked Duxbury and fourth-ranked St. John's Prep definitely came with a little something extra.

Austin potted his second goal of the third quarter with only three seconds remaining in the frame and it appeared all of St. John's Prep's momentum followed the ball into the twine. The Eagles, who hadn't trailed through three quarters, were forced to enter the final frame with the score knotted for the fourth time on the night.

Austin fed Jake Harvey for a go-ahead goal that put Duxbury out front for the first time little more than three minutes into the final frame and the Dragons never relinquished their lone lead while emerging with a 7-5 triumph under the lights at cold and soggy Raymond P. Chandler Field.

"Lacrosse is a game of real momentum swings," said Duxbury coach Chris Sweet, whose charges protected their in-state, 79-game winning streak despite one of its biggest challenges of the 2008 season.

"(Scoring with three seconds left in the third quarter), that was a big one right here. If I were them, I would say that was the turning point. Certainly, in a game where every ground ball counted, every goal counted, every save counted, it's all the little things. We probably made fewer mistakes than they did and that's the biggest difference."

St. John's Prep coach John Roy echoed those sentiments.

"It's a game of momentum," he said. "Scoring the goal with three seconds left for them was big, and it was an unsettled situation. They're very fast and they move the ball well. It's difficult, their defense plays so well, so once you find yourself behind, you just hate to be behind."

Winning the opening draw of the fourth quarter, as well as the one following Harvey's go-ahead goal, Duxbury managed to control possession for much of the final frame and Derek Sweet scored with 4:54 to go to put the Dragons on top by the final spread.

St. John's Prep had its chances late, but Duxbury's long poles -- led by always-active All-Scholastic Craig Sullivan -- never let the Eagles generate a quality scoring chance. As soon as the ball hit the ground, the Dragons were there to make so much as winning a ground ball seem like a Herculean effort.

St. John's Prep's John Jennings paced his squad with four goals, including three in the first half where the Eagles opened the only other two-goal lead of the game with a 4-2 advantage with 2:33 to play in the half.

But, in typical Duxbury fashion, the Dragons didn't wait long to respond. They won the faceoff after Prep had taken its multi-goal lead and Quinn Cully fed Harvey for a score just 10 seconds later to make it 4-3 at the intermission.

Jennings scored with 3:01 to play in the third quarter, but Austin added the back-breaker with a mere three ticks to go as Duxbury ripped away all the momentum heading to the final frame.

If Lynyrd Skynyrd had been in attendance, the band would have renamed their hit song, "Gimme Three Seconds" and the chorus would have ended, "Gimme three seconds mister, and you'll never see me no more." Duxbury refused to let Prep back into the game after taking the lead.

Both netminders were outstanding, particularly St. John's Prep's Nick Valenti, who was the difference in keeping the Eagles out front early with some terrific stops. Valenti also made a brilliant 1-on-1 save with just about a minute to go to keep St. John's Prep's hopes alive.

But Duxbury goaltender Makar Zaverucha and his stingy defense prevented any rally, clearing the ball from the offensive end whenever Prep tried to attack.

Oh, and when the Dragons were trailing, coach Chris Sweet didn't hesitate to bring up the in-state winning streak as a little added motivation for his troops.

"We'll do whatever it takes to get these kids revved up," admitted Sweet. "Every team we play is going to bring their best game. We're lucky to play in that sort of playoff atmosphere every game."

Both teams emerge with matching 10-2 records. Duxbury dropped two games during its road trip through New York over April Vacation, but withstood challenges this week from Billerica and the Prep (while also trouncing Scituate). The Eagles must regroup with big Catholic Conference matchups on tap against BC High (May 6) and Xaverian (May12) in their next two games.

"An old coach of mine said there's no such thing as a moral victory," said Roy. "There's things we can take from this game. We started and ended at 100 percent and that's all you can ask of your team."

Duxbury withstands some late chances by St. John's Prep to emerge with a 7-5 triumph.

More to come.

Duxbury, 7-5 (3:31, 4th)

Goals by Jake Harvey and Derek Sweet have the Dragons out front of SJP, 7-5, with 3:31 to go.

Tied, 5-5 (end of 3rd)

Duxbury's Scott Austin sandwiched goals around John Jennings' fourth score of the night and we're headed to the fourth frame knotted at 5.

Austin scored with three ticks remaining in the third quarter to even this game.

SJP, 4-3 (half)

John Jennings scored three first-half goals as St. John's Prep leads host Duxbury, 4-3, at the intermission here at Raymond P. Chandler Field.

Jennings' third goal of the day -- a nice one-timer from the slot on a perfect feed by Garrett Campbell -- gave the Prep the only two-goal lead of the first half, bu Duxbury responded lightning quick as Quinn Cully fed Jake Harvery off the ensuing faceoff to cut that lead in half before the break.

Some very good defensive play and some nice stops by the netminders. Lot of intensity from St. John's Prep in the early going.The Eagles have not trailed in this game.

SJP, 3-2 (3:14, 2nd)

John Jennings' second goal of the game has St. John's Prep out front of Duxbury, 3-2, with 3:14 to play in the half.

Tied, 1-1 (end of 1st)

St. John's Prep's John Jennings and Duxbury's Quinn Cully scored the only goals of the first quarter and the two teams are knotted at 1 moving to the second stanza.

Pregame

Welcome to Duxbury, where the top-ranked Green Dragons host fourth-ranked St. John's Prep in a boys' lacrosse nonleague showdown this evening.

The Forsberg Cruiser sets the temperature at a "wait, this feels more like football season" 46 degrees (and dropping) as game time approaches.

We'll have updates throughout the night. Stay close.

***

A note that we'll be live in Duxbury Saturday evening for the nonleague showdown between the Green Dragons' top-ranked boys' lacrosse team and fourth-ranked St. John's Prep.

We'll have live updates from this nonleague blockbuster and capture video highlights for the site.

Click the link below to check out complete game highlights from Walpole's 8-1 victory over Bay State Conference rival Wellesley:

• Click HERE to watch game highlights

boys' lacrosse
No. 9 Walpole 8, No. 10 Wellesley 1

• Click HERE to watch game highlights

WELLESLEY -- Bad news for any opponent of the Walpole boys' lacrosse team who is celebrating an upcoming birthday. The Rebels have a strict policy this spring: No gifts.

Not on the field, anyway. Goaltender Cameron Crown, a senior captain, said the Rebels operate with the mantra that nothing will come easy for an opponent this season. Poor Wellesley saw the policy in action during Wednesday's battle for Bay State Herget supremacy and Walpole offered little leniency.

The Raiders, who are averaging better than 10 goals per game in their nine wins this season, settled for a lone second-quarter tally as visiting Walpole checked, bumped, and thumped its way to a dominating 8-1 triumph at Hunnewell Field.

Walpole makes the turn to the back 9 of its 2008 schedule sitting atop the Herget standings with a perfect 9-0 mark (the best start in school history, according to coach Jason Andalo) and has already punched its postseason ticket.

What's more, the Rebels are playing well against quality opponents. Walpole has now won consecutive games over top 20 opponents, taking down Division 3 power Dover-Sherborn, 11-7, Saturday in Walpole.

"I didn't think our offense was quite as good as it was Saturday," said Andalo. "But our defense was better."

That might seem like an obvious statement, until you realize that there was a dominant 27-minute stretch in the Dover game in which Walpole limited those Raiders to just one goal.

The Rebels kept that sort of intensity up for a full 48 minutes Wednesday against this group of Raiders. While Walpole struggled early to connect on opportunities around the Wellesley net, it barely gave the hosts a chance to get near Crown.

The Raiders struggled mightily to simply clear the ball in the first half and, when they did get to the offensive end, Walpole's long-sticks looked liked they were playing whack-a-mole with the opposing ball-handler. Only there was no hole for the Wellesley players to hide from the onslaught and that led to a number of ground balls that the Rebels vaccumed up.

“Clearly they were more aggressive and that’s something I hope doesn’t happen every day,” said Wellesley first-year coach Rocky Batty. “That’s a nice team, they’re aggressive on defense and they’re aggressive on offense.”

Batty admitted he was surprised that his charges were unable to match the intensity of Walpole. Both teams seemed a bit over-caffeinated in the early going with passes sailing high and plenty of turnovers on both sides of the field.

But it was Walpole that settled in first, aided in part by nice individual efforts on goals from Brian Orecchio and Greg Nash to lead 2-0 after one quarter. The Rebels ultimately score the game's first four goals before Wellesley's Matt Geisinger broke up the shutout with a big rip from the top of the slot with less than a minute to play in the first half.

Beset by penalties (and often in series), Walpole calmly killed its infractions. Nursing a 5-1 lead entering the fourth quarter, Crown made a huge save at the right post with Wellesley in a man-up situation. Walpole took control, worked the ball around until the penalty expired, then watched Greg Nash score the first of consecutive goals to effectively seal the win.

Crown spread his praise around to those who kept his crease clear: Ryan Whittemore, Connor Whittemore, and Mike Connors. Considering the Rebels have allowed little more than three goals per game this season (28 goals in 9 games), he confidently opined that the Rebels feature one of the top defenses in the state.

After Wednesday, Wellesley could likely confirm.

***

We'll have video highlights in a bit.

WELLESLEY -- Walpole's defense turned in a relentless 48-minute effort, stalking Wellesley from the time it left the locker room until it returned as the Rebels emerged with a dominating 8-1 triumph in a Bay State Conference battle.

Greg Nash paced the offensive with three goals and scored the first two goals of the fourth quarter as Walpole quickly stretched the four-goal cushion it entered the frame with.

We'll have a complete recap from this one, along with complete video highlights, tomorrow morning. Check out the entries below for more details from this one.

Walpole, 7-1 (5:20, 4th)

Walpole killed off consecutive penalties to start the third quarter -- highlighted by a big save by netminder Cameron Crown -- then watched Greg Nash score consecutive goals as the Rebels lead Wellesley, 7-1, with 5:20 to play.

3rd quarter

Walpole, 5-1 (end of 3rd)

Wellesley carried play in the third quarter, but it was Walpole's Davis Butts scoring the lone goal of the frame (with 2:45 remaining) as the Rebels extended their lead to 5-1 moving to the fourth quarter.

Walpole is really making things difficult for Wellesley in the offensive end. The Rebels are using their speed and aggressiveness to really disrupt Wellesley.

2nd quarter

Walpole, 4-1 (half)

Walpole scored the first four goals of the game and used an aggressive defense to hold host Wellesley scoreless over the first 23 minutes of the game to lead 4-1 at the intermission.

Brian Orecchio (2), Greg Nash, and Paul Orecchio all ripped the twine for the Rebels, who dominated the first quarter before Wellesley started showing life in the second frame.

The Raiders got a tiny spark before the break when Matt Geisinger broke the shutout with a big rip from the top of the slot with 59.6 seconds to play in the second quarter.

Walpole's defense was otherwise relentless. Wellesley struggled to even clear the ball for much of the first half and often turned the ball over just trying to work it upfield. The Rebels had their own woes, but managed to generate goals off individual efforts, which allowed them to build th early cushion and shrug off the mistakes.

Wellesley needs to generate better chances on offense in the second half to get back in this one and it needs to solve its issues getting the ball upfield. Walpole needs to keep up the defensive intensity and improve its ball movement around the cage on offense.

1st quarter

Walpole, 2-0 (end of 1st)

That might have been the ugliest 12 minutes of lacrosse we've seen this year, but Walpole got two nice individual efforts by Brian Orecchio and Greg Nash for two unassisted goals for a 2-0 advantage over Wellesley after one quarter.

Walpole dominated time of possession over the final 10 minutes of the quarter, thanks largely to Wellesley's inability to generate a clean clear. The Raiders threw an alarming number of passes away (mostly too high) in the first quarter.

Walpole wasn't particularly crisp either and really struggled to throw passes to the front of the goal. Orecchio and Nash made fine runs to put them 1-on-1 with the netminder and scored for the early lead.

Pregame

Welcome to Wellesley, where the Raiders are set to host Walpole in a Bay State Conference battle.

The Forsberg Cruiser sets the temperature at a friendly 56 degrees. Lot of clouds above, but the sun is shining on the field during pregame warm-ups.

Back with more throughout the afternoon.

***

Postponed by rain yesterday, we'll make the trek to Wellesley today for the Bay State Conference boys' lacrosse showdown between No. 9 Walpole and the 10th-ranked Raiders at 3:45 p.m.

Walpole (8-0) enters on the heels of a solid win over Dover-Sherborn, while Wellesley (9-1) is riding a seven-game winning streak under first-year coach Rocky Batty.

Back with live updates from Wellesley this afternoon.

Here's a look at our updated top 20 polls through games on Sunday, April 27. Below each poll you'll find our top 5 by division. Click HERE to jump to the girls' rankings.

Boys

1. Duxbury (7-2) -- Still undefeated in Massachusetts, still No. 1 in the polls.

2. Medfield (10-1) -- The Warriors are likewise undefeated in Massachusetts (their lone loss coming in an 8-7 defeat to Glastonbury (Conn.) on April 19). With quality wins over ranked opponents like Xaverian, Wellesley, and Dover-Sherborn, Medfield has earned this lofty spot.

3. Xaverian (8-2) -- Sure, the Hawks lost to BC High and Medfield, but in a wide-open Catholic Conference, they remain the team to beat.

4. St. John's Prep (8-1) -- The Eagles could have entrenched themselves at the top of the Catholic Conference with a win over Xaverian, but struggled mightily against the reigning conference champs.

5. BC High (8-2) -- It might not seem fair to have them rated ahead of a Malden Catholic team it lost to, but the Eagles have greater potential and bigger wins in the early season, though coach Kevin Bibeau is still striving for consistency in his team's efforts.

6. Lexington (7-2) -- The Minutemen are eager for that rematch with Reading (May 13) and sent a message with an 8-2 thumping of Andover last week.

7. Cohasset (7-2) -- Cohasset's losses have come against Duxbury and Scituate. In other words, No. 1 and No. 1 rival.

8. Scituate (7-3) -- Early season losses to Barnstable and Cohasset had us wondering if the Sailors had taken a big step backwards this spring, but recent wins over Cohasset and Catholic Memorial seem to suggest otherwise.

9. Walpole (8-0) -- Undefeated, but still largely untested. Tuesday's showdown with Wellesley will tell us more.

10. Wellesley (9-1) -- Phenomenal job so far by first-year coach Rocky Batty, whose team carries a seven-game winning streak into Tuesday's tilt with Walpole.

Two full-length highlights reels available below from recent lacrosse action. Click the links below to view action from Walpole vs. Dover-Sherborn boys and Westwood vs. Framingham girls.

• Click HERE to watch Walpole vs. Dover-Sherborn
• Click HERE to watch Framingham vs. Westwood

boys' lacrosse
No. 20 Walpole 11, No. 11 Dover-Sherborn 7

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights

WALPOLE -- Consider this the start of the "Make Them Believers" tour for the Walpole boys' lacrosse team.

Sure the Rebels carried an undefeated record into Saturday's matinée with Dover-Sherborn, but Walpole's competition boasted a mere 21-41 combined record and there was reason to question whether the Rebels were for real with only two wins over teams with records better than .500.

The pundits were licking their chops when visiting Dover-Sherborn scored four of the game's first five goals, but Walpole responded by scoring 10 of the next 11 to build a six-goal advantage early in the fourth quarter and emerge with a rock-solid 11-7 triumph at Turco Memorial Field.

It was the perfect start of a rigorous stretch for the Rebels, who travel to meet Bay State Conference juggernaut Wellesley Tuesday before a trek to dance with Needham on May 7.

"We took care of our first seven, but we knew coming into this one that today would be a good test," said Walpole coach Jason Andalo. "This is a good win for our program. I'm sure some people out there said, 'Yeah, Walpole is undefeated, but the level of competition hasn't been great.' We beat a very good D-S team that should do well in the state tournament at the Division 3 level. It gives us a little confidence, but not an arrogance."

Andalo said his team would enjoy this one for the rest of the weekend, then come back ready to work Monday in advance of the Wellesley showdown. He'll have to nitpick to find flaws in this effort. Here's why:

• First comeback -- Walpole (8-0) hadn't trailed this season, but staring at a 4-1 deficit with 10:16 to play in the first half, the Rebels proceeded to limit D-S (7-3) to only one goal over the next 27 minutes. Walpole led, 6-5, at the intermission and 10-5 heading to the fourth quarter.

• It worked! -- The biggest goal in that run might have been Davis Butts's goal with 28.4 seconds to play in the first half. Andalo said the Rebels ran a play that hadn't worked all season, but they caught D-S in a zone and Davis popped a goal from the slot off a pretty feed by Mike White.

• Desire -- Walpole simply wanted it more after the first quarter. Butts minds well have put a "sale pending" sign near the faceoff circle as he took ownership there, while scrappy midfielders like super sophomore Ryan Izzo (he of the Globe's Division 2 football Player of the Year fame) seemed to vacuum up any loose balls on the ground.

  "In that second quarter, we were winning ground balls and started to capitalize on offense," said Andalo.

  D-S coach Brian McLaughlin added, "We stopped moving the ball and we tried to get a little too individual. They have Davis Butts, and we don't have that type of player that can create individually. We got away from the team effort."

Dover-Sherborn's Alex Paganelli potted his second goal of the game to put the Raiders out front, 4-1, with 10:16 to go in the second quarter, but Walpole struck for three goals in a span of just 2:27 to even the game with 5:24 to go in the half.

Butts and Leo Ajemian -- who both scored four goals on the day overall -- sandwiched tallies around a D-S score to send Walpole into the break up, 6-5. But it was all Walpole in the third quarter. The Rebels scored four times, including a three-goal blizzard in a 30-second span starting with 1:17 to go that made it 10-5 heading to the final frame.

Butts work in the faceoff circle simply prevented D-S from clawing its way back into the game. The Raiders popped the final two goals of the game to trim their final deficit.

Walpole's Greg Nash finished with two scores, while Paganelli, Chris Whelan, and Geoff Akie each scored twice for Dover-Sherborn.

D-S must right this ship quickly as, after a matchup with Ashland, the Raiders host Medfield in a rematch of a double-overtime thriller that the Warriors took earlier this season.

Beyond that game, D-S -- a Division 3 sectional finalist last year -- plays only one team that entered today's competition with a record better than .500 and that's the final game of the year against Franklin. Coach McLaughlin believes his team will rebound and find the form that had it take top squads like Medfield and Cohasset to the wire.

Walpole emerges with an 11-7 triumph over Dover-Sherborn.

Back with more in a bit.

3rd quarter

Walpole, 10-5 (end of 3rd)

A defensive-minded (though sloppy at times) third quarter gave way to a late Walpole offensive explosion and the Rebels lead Dover-Sherorn, 10-5, heading to the final frame.

Walpole struck for the only four goals of the quarter, including three over the final 1:17 (the three goals came in a span of just 30 seconds overall).

Half

Walpole, 6-5 (half)

Walpole's Davis Butts scored with 28.4 seconds to play in the first half to help the Rebels carry a 6-5 advantage over Dover-Sherborn into the intermission.

The Raiders led by three goals early in the second quarter before Walpole charged. Two goals by Leo Ajemian and Butts, along with a single score by Greg Nash put the Rebels out front before the break.

Walpole, 5-4 (3:30, 2nd)

Four consecutive goals by Walpole, including two by Leo Ajemian, have the Rebels out front, 5-4, with 3:30 to go in the half.

1st quarter

D-S, 3-1 (end of 1st)

Dover-Sherborn scored three consecutive goals to close out the first quarter with a 3-1 lead over Walpole.

The Raiders will start the second quarter with a man advantage as well.

Pregame

Welcome to Walpole, where the Rebels are set to host Dover-Sherbor in a boys' lacrosse nonleague battle this morning.

The Forsberg Cruiser sets the temperature at 56 degrees, a bit cooler than we enjoyed for much of this April Vacation week, but still pleasant (hey, it's better than the rain that's coming soon).

Back with more throughout the morning.

***

We'll be live from Walpole Saturday morning, where the undefeated Rebels boys' lacrosse team hosts Dover-Sherborn in a nonleague battle at 10 a.m.

Walpole (7-0) is off to a fast start, but the Rebels have beaten teams with a combined record of 21-41, so Dover-Sherborn (7-2) should provide the stiffest test of a still young season.

The Raiders ripped off six straight wins following an 8-7 loss to Medfield in double overtime on April 10. They dropped an 11-9 decision to Division 3 state champion Cohasset Thursday and will undoubtedly be looking to get back on the right track.

We'll have more from Walpole Saturday morning. Stay close.

In the Play of the Game clip below: Watch the final two minutes of play as top-ranked Westwood and third-ranked Framingham battle to a 15-15 tie in girls' lacrosse action. In the clip, Framingham's Melanie Baskind scores with 1:38 to play to put her team on top by a goal, but Westwood's Erica Nangerino answers with the tying score soon after.

Later, Westwood goalie Abbie Brown makes a big save against Framingham's Sam Zetlin to preserve the tie.

• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

girls' lacrosse
No. 1 Westwood 15, No. 3 Framingham 15

• Click HERE to watch Framingham vs. Westwood
• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

WESTWOOD -- Maybe its appropriate that draw control led to a draw.

The third-ranked Framingham girls' lacrosse team dominated top-ranked Westwood in the faceoff circle while erasing a five-goal, second-half deficit as the Flyers battled back to earn a 15-15 tie Friday morning at Flahive Field.

The Flyers scored four consecutive times capped by Melanie Baskind's sixth goal of the game to take a 15-14 lead with 1:38 to play, but Westwood's Alex Frank forced a crucial turnover in the defensive end that set up the tying goal by Erica Nangeroni with 1:03 remaining.

Westwood netminder Abbie Brown produced a monster save on a Sam Zetlin shot from the slot to preserve the tie in the final seconds.

While it's rare to see any team satisfied with a tie, both sides seemed to find a bit of a silver lining in this one, particularly the defending state champs from Framingham, who trailed 12-7 with 18:40 to go.

"I think the kids are really excited, especially after being down five goals against a team like this," said Framingham assistant coach Gretchen Biggins, assigned the task of team spokesman by head coach Stacey Freda following the game.

"It's tough to come back from that and they really persevered. The kids knew what they needed to do. Draw control was huge, especially down the homestretch. We made a point of it at halftime and in timeouts, and the kids did a great job executing. Give them credit for coming up with the ball when we really needed possession."

Moira Barry stood tall in the faceoff circle while being pitted against the likes of Westwood's All-Scholastic tandem of Frank and Erin Massimi. But it was Framingham's collection of scrappy midfielders that really allowed the Flyers to control the draws by running down loose balls or forcing immediate turnovers by Westwood players.

Lizzie Rubenfield and Brianna Davis came up with a number of balls to spark the late heroics. Framingham trailed, 14-11, with 6:21 to go, but scored four times in a span of 3:18 (three goals by Baskind) to take the lead.

"I felt the intensity of my team wasn't sustained," said Westwood coach Leslie Frank. "I felt like we cruised for many minutes defensively, particularly in the midfield, and you can't do that. I don't think they discounted the level of the competitions, it's just that the kids are in vacation mode. It happens every single year. They love to play, but there's still some on the couch a little bit.

"I'm always happy to stay in a game with a competitor like Framingham. I really felt like we lost the draw control with about seven minutes to go and, it wasn't so much getting them, but getting them checked as soon as we got the ball. The intensity in the circle was flat."

Westwood (7-0-1) pulled away slightly in the first half as four consecutive goals, including two by Alex Frank, put the Wolverines out front, 8-4, with 3:12 to play in the first half. Framingham (8-1-1) cut that deficit in half with a pair of goals in the final minute, but Frank scored with just a tick left on the clock to close out the first half with Westwood on top, 9-6.

The Wolverines battled foul trouble all day, however. The hosts were whistled for a total of six yellow cards for sticks to the head of Framingham players. That included a costly second yellow card for top defender Joan O'Neil, who missed the final 21:24 of the game after picking up the second infraction.

Westwood also had to play man-down for three minutes, but it actually managed to stretch out its lead on goals by Frank and Massimi that made it 12-7 with 18:40 to go.

Coach Frank admitted it was a physical game, but took umbrage with the fact that the calls didn't see to go both ways.

"I'm sure my girls were guilty of several, but I'm not sure they were guilty of six," coach Frank said of the yellow cards.

"It's very difficult to make those calls, but it's not much different than basketball. When the fouls are stacking up on only one side, it raises the question. I'm not pointing any fingers, but you have to question it."

Coach Frank commended Framingham for being able to maintain its own intensity without drawing similar penalty calls. "It's something we'll have to work on," she said.

Alex Frank finished with six goals and two assists, while Massimi added four goals and two assists for the Wolverines. In addition to the six scores by Baskind, sophomore Moira Barry chipped in four goals and an assist for Framingham.

Westwood and Framingham played to a 15-15 tie (there's no overtime during the regular season in girls' lacrosse).

Westwood's Erica Nangeroni scored with 1:03 remaining to tie the game and Wolverines netminder Abbie Brown came up with a monster save on a Sam Zetlin shot in the closing seconds to preserve the tie.

Back with more on this one in a bit.

Framingham, 15-14 (1:38, 2nd)

Wow. Framingham ripped off four consecutive goals and the Flyers now lead Westwood, 15-14, with 1:38 to go following a free-position goal by Melanie Baskind.

Westwood, 14-11 (6:21, 2nd)

Framingham has charged within a pair of goals on two occasions, but Westwood is keeping the Flyers at arm's length with a 14-11 advantage with 6:21 to play in the game.

Westwood scored twice while playing a man down due to yellow cards to build as much as a five-goal lead before Framingham charged.

1st half

Westwood, 9-6 (half)

Framingham scored a pair of goals in the final minute to trim a four-goal deficit in half, but Westwood's Alex Frank potted her fifth goal of the first half with only a second to play as the Wolverines carried a 9-6 advantage into the intermission.

The two teams essentially traded goals for the first eight scores of the game before Westwood scored four consecutive times (two goals by Frank in that spurt) to open an 8-4 advantage.

Framingham pulled a pair back and seemed to have the momentum heading into the break, but, following a Moira Barry goal with 12 seconds to play, Westwood won the faceoff and Alex Frank raced in for the last-second goal.

Frank is the only player for Westwood with multiple goals (Erin Massimi, Kelly Rich, Megan Lally, and Erica Nangeroni each have a score).

Westwood, 5-4 (10:55, 1st)

Framingham and Westwood traded goals throughout the first 15 minutes of play, but back-to-back goals by Erin Massimi and Alex Frank has put the Wolverines out front, 5-4, with 10:55 to go in the first half.

Pregame

Welcome to Westwood, where the Forsberg Cruiser sets the morning temperature at a pleasant 62 degrees. Both teams are on the field warming up. We'll have more throughout the morning.

***

A head's up that we'll be live from Flahive Field Friday, where the top-ranked Westwood girls' lacrosse team hosts third-ranked Framingham in a rematch of last year's Eastern Mass. Division 1 title game at 10 a.m.

Westwood (7-0) has only played one team with a record below .500 this season, but still boasts an average goal differential against of 13.6 per game. That includes a 14-5 shellacking of Western Mass. power Longmeadow and a 19-5 triumph over defending Division 2 state champion Duxbury.

Framingham (8-1) watched its 52-game winning streak get snapped in a 6-5 loss to Bay State Conference rival Wellesley on April 7. The Flyers have rebounded with quality wins over fourth-ranked Lincoln-Sudbury and fifth-ranked Andover.

Framingham defeated Westwood, 10-9, during last year's Eastern Mass. title game at Flahive Field. Click HERE to watch highlights from last year's game, which saw Kristin Igoe score with nine seconds remaining to lift the Flyers to victory.

***

The Globe's Chris Estrada will also be out Friday morning, catching the Lexington-Stoneham Middlesex League softball battle. He'll have a full recap from that as well.

For those curious, the Globe begins collecting high school sports standings for the spring season this Sunday, April 27.

Standings will start appearing in Monday's paper (and online) along with our first batch of in-season top 20 polls, which will update each week from there.

League representatives are reminded to call the Globe between 1 and 6 p.m. Sunday at 617-929-3235, 2860, 2861, or 2862. Our toll-free number is 1-800-232-2860. Standings can also be faxed to 617-929-2670 or e-mailed to hssports@globe.com, but please confirm all fax and e-mail transmissions by calling one of the numbers above.

boys' lacrosse
No. 5 BC High 11, No. 3 Billerica 8

• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

On the heels of an upset of previously undefeated Billerica, BC High boys' lacrosse coach Kevin Bibeau was asked to assess his team's recent progress.

"Ask me tomorrow," Bibeau said with a smile.

"We beat Xaverian (last week), but we turned around and lost to Malden Catholic. We beat a Billerica squad that took a state finalist to overtime in last year's state semifinals, but we struggle against Newton South. Right now we're searching for a little bit of consistency."

The Eagles (6-2) didn't exactly produce an even effort Wednesday afternoon, but a fast start allowed the hosts to open a four-goal lead in the first quarter, which blossomed to a six-goal halftime advantage and carried BC High to the finish line in an 11-8 triumph.

What was consistent was the defensive play. BC High's athletic defense hounded Billerica attackers, who endured some physical play from the Eagles' long-stick middies while trying to find a lane to the net.

BC High effectively shut down all lanes for cutters, forcing Billerica (7-1) to often rely on individual efforts in rushing to the cage or firing from the perimeter. The Indians were able to squeeze some shots past BC High's David Barton in the second half, but the senior netminder made plenty of saves to atone and assured the visitors would claw no closer than the final spread.

"There are shots we ask and expect David to stop," said Bibeau. "Today he gave us a couple extra."

On one of the first hot days of the lacrosse season, BC High wasted little time building a comfortable cushion. The Eagles scored five consecutive times to close out the first quarter with a 5-1 advantage and kept up the intensity to take a 9-3 advantage into the intermission.

"That first quarter was the difference," said Billerica coach Chris Burns. "All the credit to BC High. They outworked us that quarter. They wanted it more. They must have gotten 10 to 12 more ground balls. Next thing you know we're down 5-1 and we couldn't climb out of that hole."

BC High will see if it can maintain its intensity Thursday against Hopkinton, while Billerica's grueling stretch continues. The Indians toppled league rival Andover by a goal Friday (the eighth meeting between the two teams decided by a single goal in the last 11 games) and have North Andover, Duxbury, and Lincoln-Sudbury on tap.

"It's a great challenge to have at this time of the season," said Burns. "I think us coaches are excited to see how are team responds to this game. It's a bit of a character check."

The Play(s) of the Game(s) clip below provides highlights for two of Wednesday's biggest battles.

First, BC High netminder David Barton makes a rash of second-half saves to prevent previously undefeated Billerica from making a late charge as the Eagles emerged with an 11-8 triumph at James Cotter Field.

In the second half of the clip, the Tewksbury baseball team erupts for 11 runs over the first three innings of play. The Redmen smashed the ball all over the yard to take complete control against rival Andover.

• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

BC High only scores two second-half goals, but buoyed by its defense, the hosts emerge with an 11-8 triumph over previously undefeated Billerica at James Cotter Field.

More to come, including video highlights.

BC High, 10-5 (end of 3rd)

Billerica trims its deficit slightly, but big stops by David Barton keep the Eagles out front comfortably with a 10-5 lead after three quarters.

1st half

BC High leads Billerica, 9-3, at the intermission. Great defensive effort so far for the Eagles.

BC High scored five of the game's first six goals and absolutely ate up the ground balls in the first quarter to build this comfortable advantage at the break.

***

With the rout on from this morning's baseball game, we're headed over to BC High for the Eagles' boys' lacrosse game against undefeated Billerica. We'll post video highlights from both the Tewksbury-Andover baseball game and the BC High-Billerica lacrosse game later on ...

girls' lacrosse
No. 9 Winchester 16, No. 11 Hopkinton 11

• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

HOPKINTON -- Recalling last year's battle with Winchester, Hopkinton girls' lacrosse coach Jodi Dolan opined that her squad, "never got off the bus," as part of an ultra-lopsided 18-5 loss on the road.

The Hillers couldn't change the result this spring, but they sure made it difficult for Winchester to get back on its own bus.

Hopkinton produced a feverish second-half rally to trim a seven-goal deficit, breathing some excitement into the final moments before visiting Winchester emerged with a 16-11 triumph.

Notre Dame-bound Meg Sullivan scored six times for the Sachems, while junior Caroline Martignetti added five more tallies to pace the offensive attack.

"I think that's something with a young team, we've been having issues with maintaining (a lead)," said Winchester coach Suzanne Ontso. "We did a nice job of getting our composure back. Hopkinton's an explosive team, they can rattle of four or five goals. I thought (Winchester netminder) Chelsea Osborne made some nice saves in the second half that really set the tone for us."

Winchester (5-0-2) struck for six of the game's first seven goals and led, 8-4, at the intermission. The Sachems looked to be pulling away by scoring four of the first five goals following the break, but Hopkinton (6-2-1) showed resiliency.

Trailing, 14-6, with 8:58 remaining, the Hillers found the twine five times over the next 5:28, pulling within four goals on two occasions. But mental mistakes and tough breaks plagued Hopkinton on the day and the Hillers never crawled any closer.

"We made some mental errors and we turned the ball over too much," said Dolan. "But I'm proud of my girls. We didn't give up. We just kept chipping away at the lead, we starting passing the ball and winning draws. We played smarter.

"Winchester is a lot like Westwood. They pressure very hard with the midfield trap. I thought we handled it pretty well. We didn't turn it over there too much and we showed patience in swinging it back around and bringing our goalie into the breakout. I felt like on offense, they knocked down a lot of passes and we had calls that... I don't know. We were aggressive and that's the way we play. We didn't get the calls today. Every time we had some momentum, we seemed to get a call (against us)."

Winchester capitalized on each of those opportunities, seemingly scoring big goals whenever Hopkinton started to rally.

"We had to get it together," said Sullivan. "We needed to score those two finals goals at the end, start burying those goals, and that's what we did."

Lauren Sullivan added three goals for Winchester, while Ontso saved some lofty praise for Kelsey Kinton, who won a number of ground balls in the defensive end and drew a tough assignment in Hopkinton's Julie Showalter.

Devon Gibney finished with a team-high four goals for Hopkinton, while Showalter added three more. Brooke Pettengill and Jamie Dolan had two goals apiece for the Hillers.

In the Play of the Game clip below, Winchester strikes for three goals as part of a big start to the second half in a 16-11 triumph over host Hopkinton Tuesday afternoon. The Sachems scored four of the first five goals of the second half to break open a close game, then hung on for the victory.

In the highlights, Caroline Martignetti, Lauren Sullivan, and Meg Sullivan score the goals as an 8-4 halftime lead quickly expanded to a 12-5 advantage.

• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

Meg Sullivan and Caroline Martignetti combined for 11 goals in a 16-11 triumph for Winchester. Full recap and highlights coming in a bit.

Winchester, 14-6 (8:58, 2nd half)

Meg Sullivan has six goals and Winchester leads, 14-6, with under nine minutes to play.

1st half

Winchester, 4-0 (10:00, 1st)

All Winchester early as the Hillers lead 4-0 with 10 minutes to go in the first half.

Pregame

Welcome to Hopkinton. Teams are on the field, more to come.

***
Following the trail of Marathon debris, we're headed out to Hopkinton this afternoon, where the 11th-ranked Hillers girls' lacrosse team hosts ninth-ranked Winchester in a nonleague showdown of Division 2 powers.

The Sachems boast a 4-0-2 mark having tied both Reading and defending Division 2 state champion Duxbury in the early portion of the season. Hopkinton (6-1-1) should provide a stiff test as the Hillers only loss came at the hands of Division 1 power Westwood.

We'll have updates from Hopkinton and we'll capture video highlights for the site.

Stay close.

Check out the videos below to see more highlights from two of Thursday's best battles:

• Click HERE to watch Andover vs. Framingham girls' lacrosse
• Click HERE to watch Xaverian vs. Lincoln-Sudbury baseball

In the Plays of the Games clip below: Freshman Rachel Igoe and junior Sam Zetlin score goals 34 seconds apart to help Framingham erase an early deficit en route to a 13-9 victory over Andover in girls' lacrosse. Later, Lincoln-Sudbury's Sam Finn singles home Jason Roth as the Warriors topped Xaverian, 2-1, in eight innings, in baseball.

• Click HERE to watch the Plays of the Games

We took in two of Thursday's best games (our plan to catch three was foiled by extra innings in the baseball game). Here's what unfolded:

Baseball: Xaverian vs. Lincoln-Sudbury

Sam Finn singles home Jason Roth in the bottom of the eight as L-S emerges with a 2-1 win.

Roth opened the inning with a single off reliever Matt Morin (pitching on 2-day's rest following a brilliant performance against BC High Monday). Mark Hogan followed with a sacrifice attempt that rolled perfectly down the third-base line allowing him to reach safely while advancing Roth to second.

Finn ripped a single to right and Roth raced home ahead of the throw for the victory.

Tied, 1-1 (bot 6th)

Mark Hogan hit a solo homer to tie this game moving to the seventh inning.

Xaverian, 1-0 (top 6th)

Welcome to Sudbury, where the visiting Hawks lead host L-S, 1-0, in the top of the sixth.

Xaverian pushed across the game's lone run in the top of the third with a little two-out magic as Matt Morin singled, took second on a wild pitch, then scored on an opposite-field single by Sean Reilly.

Girls' lacrosse: Andover vs. Framingham

A final from Framingham, the Flyers prevail, 13-9.

Tied, 4-4 (half):

The teams head to the intermission knotted at 4. A very entertaining first half. Framingham dominated possession, but the Warriors came up with big defensive stands and cashed in on their opportunities.

We're zipping off to Sudbury now for more action, but we've got a correspondent here who will continue to feed us details so keep an eye on this space for more.

Tied, 4-4 (8:26, 1st)

Framingham bounces back to tie things up with Andover on goals by Sam Zetlin and Rachel Igoe (showing flashes of her sister's speed) as we're knotted at 4 with 8:26 to play in the first half.

Andover, 4-2 (12:00, 1st)

Framingham struck for a pair of free-position goals in the early going, but Andover has responded with four consecutive scores, including two for Heather Sullivan, to open a 4-2 advantage midway through the first half.

***

Welcome to Framingham, where the third-ranked Flyers girls' lacrosse team is set to host fifth-ranked Andover in a nonleague showdown.

The visiting Warriors check in at 5-0, but should receive their stiffest test of the season against a 7-1 Framingham squad (the Flyers fell to Bay State Conference rival Wellesley, snapping a 52-game winning streak back on April 7).

***

We're going to alter our plan of attack ever-so slightly today with the idea of getting more games on film. We're going to make it a tripleheader this afternoon and here's what we're hoping to see (in this particular order):

• girls' lacrosse Andover at Framingham
• boys' volleyball Newton North at Lincoln-Sudbury
• baseball Xaverian at Lincoln-Sudbury

Essentially, we're adding a couple of pit stops before getting to the baseball game. With the proximity of all these games, we're hoping to create a highlight reel of some of the day's best action in a variety of sports.

As usual, we'll pass along updates along our way.

The Globe's Amanda Bruno is taking in the Andover-Framingham battle and will have a full recap as part of Thursday's school roundup.

For more details on this afternoon's baseball battle, check out the preview below. Back with more in a bit.

***

A reminder that we'll be live from Sudbury this afternoon, where the undefeated and sixth-ranked Lincoln-Sudbury baseball team hosts Xaverian in a nonleague showdown.

L-S, the reigning Division 1 state champs, has dominated its competition (save only for a one-run victory over Dual County League rival Westford Academy). Its other four opponents have fallen by a combined score of 36-2.

The Warriors posted a 25-1 record last fall while claiming the state crown.

Xaverian endured its first loss Wednesday, letting a potential victory over Catholic Conference rival St. John's Prep slip away in a 5-4 defeat. The Hawks already boast quality wins over St. John's (Shrewsbury), Brockton, and BC High.

Xaverian scraped together a 10-10 regular-season record last spring, but stormed to the Division 1 South semifinals before falling to eventual sectional champion BC High.

We'll have more from Sudbury this afternoon.

In the Play of the Game clip below: Billerica kills off a penalty to start the second half, then scores to begin the process of breaking open a one-goal game en route to a 16-6 triumph over Reading.

Billerica opened the third quarter down a man for almost a full minute, but Peter Vacca won the faceoff and Adam Foss essentially killed off the penalty by dodging defenders behind the Reading cage.

Greg Melaugh fed Jeff Scarfo rumbling into the attack area as the teams returned to even strength and, while Reading netminder John Michael Leach stopped Scarfo's initial blast, Melaugh dashed from behind the cage to flick in the rebound (while tip-toeing in front of the crease).

Full highlights are also available below.

• Click HERE for complete game highlights
• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

boys' lacrosse
No. 3 Billerica 16, Reading 6

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights
• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

READING -- In terms of comfort level, the Billerica boys' lacrosse team looked like they were sitting on an old wooden chair in last week's win over Lowell. On Tuesday, the Indians appeared to have upgraded to a La-Z-Boy recliner.

Sure, it took a half for that plush seat to arrive, but Billerica sank right in as it erupted for seven third-quarter goals to break open a one-goal game and cruise to a 16-6 triumph over host and previously undefeated Reading in a nonleague showdown.

"I think everyone is comfortable out there now," said senior captain Mike Hurley, who registered four goals and three assists (all but one of those points coming in the second half). "Losing so many good players, I think we might have been a little skeptical to start the season. Everyone knows what they're supposed to be doing out there now."

Reading (5-1) opened the game with two quick goals, but the Indians never got caught on their heels. Billerica (5-0) rallied to take a 3-2 advantage before the end of the first quarter and led 4-3 at the intermission.

The Indians emerged with renewed intensity in the second half. They outhustled Reading for every ground ball and dominated in the faceoff cirlce. When they didn't have possession, they were forcing turnovers in the midfield and catching Reading in transition by breaking in with numbers.

Not only that, but the Indians were killing off penalties. Billerica opened the third quarter down a man for almost a full minute, but Peter Vacca won the faceoff and Adam Foss essentially killed off the penalty by dodging defenders behind the Reading cage.

Greg Melaugh fed Jeff Scarfo rumbling into the attack area as the teams returned to even strength and, while Reading netminder JM Leach stopped Scarfo's initial blast, Melaugh dashed from behind the cage to flick in the rebound (while tip-toeing in front of the crease).

Billerica ultimately scored the first five goals of the second half and registered seven of the eight tallies in the third frame overall to open a commanding 11-4 advantage.

"We saw it Saturday against Chelmsford," said Billerica coach Chris Burns. "We had a great team victory that day. I think the guys are really starting to get a confidence. They're comfortable with their roles now. They are now the guys, whereas before graduation (they were role players).

"At halftime, we told them we just needed to win the ground balls. (Reading) outworked us in the first half. They had five more ground balls than us. In the second half that was the difference. Ground balls turn into possessions and we have an attack that can finish."

The Indians showcased their passing skills in the third quarter, zipping the ball all over the field. Whether it was netminder Pat O'Loughlin hitting a midfielder on the center stripe or Melaugh distributing from behind the cage, Billerica created opportunities by catching Reading out of position.

Reading coach Charlie Hardy still found the positives in defeat.

"We made a game of it for a half," he said. "We were up 2-0 and only down by a goal at the half. But that's why they're one of the best programs in the state. They wanted it more in the second half.

Hardy's squad boasted early season wins over Middlesex League foes Winchester and Lexington, rallying to top both by a goal in the opening weeks of the season. They simply didn't have the depth to storm back against the Indians.

"They're everything we want to be and that's why we play them," said Hardy. "We'll learn from this game. We saw things during the game that we wanted to do and we'll grow from this."

Billerica visits Merrimack Valley Conference rival Andover Friday night in the first of two regular-season meetings. The two teams never seem to play a dull game (particularly as the Andover lacrosse program blossoms) and both of last year's regular-season meetings were decided by a goal (Billerica lost 13-12 in overtime at home, then rebounded with a feverish last-second rally to prevail, 9-8, in the rematch).

Similarly, both games in 2006 were decided by a goal as Andover prevailed twice (11-10 and 10-9 in double overtime). You'd have to go back to May 11, 2005, when Billerica prevailed 14-4 to find a lopsided game (the one before that -- surprise, surprise -- was decided by a goal).

Overall, seven of the last 10 meetings since 2003 have been decided by a single goal. Andover won six of those seven games decided by a goal.

Billerica prevails over Reading, 16-6, handing the Rockets their first loss of the 2008 season.

The 16-goal outburst is by far the largest total output by an opponent this season against Reading. The Rockets previously allowed an average of less than six goals per game.

Billerica already looks more polished than it did in last week's win over Lowell.

Back with more in a bit.

Billerica, 15-5 (5:00, 4th)

Billerica continues to dominate. The Indians passing in the second half has been near flawless and, while goals aren't snowballing like the third quarter, there's definitely some snow squalls here.

Mike Hurley has paced the Indians with four goals and three assists, while Mike Slatton has four goals as well for the visitors.

3rd quarter

Billerica, 11-4 (end of 3rd)

Billerica erupts for seven third-quarter goals, including two in the final 38 seconds of the frame to rip this one apart at the seams as the Indians lead host Reading, 11-4, heading to the final frame.

Grant Whiteway lit the fuse with two of the first three goals in the quarter and Mike Hurley added a pair late. Jeff Scarfo's tally with five ticks to play in the frame capped a dominating effort that saw the Indians outscore Reading, 7-1, in the frame (that lone goal coming in a man-down situation).

Billerica, 7-3 (5:24, 3rd)

All Billerica to start the third quarter as the Indians struck for a trio of goals to open a 7-3 advantage.

2nd quarter

Billerica, 4-3 (half)

Billerica struck for four consecutive goals spanning into the second quarter and the Indians lead host Reading, 4-3, at the intermission.

The Rockets launched quickly as Tim Matheson and Matt Palpazzo scored consecutive goals just seconds apart in the game's opening minutes for a 2-0 advantage.

Billerica, which struggled with its clears in the early going, would take a lead before the end of the frame. Bill Frevold, Greg Melaugh, and Mike Hurley all score in the first quarter, then Mike Slatton added a tally in the second quarter to put the Indians on top, 4-2.

Reading struggled mightily to generate offense over the final 20 minutes of the first half, but Pat DiBennedeto fed Jim Queeney with just a second left in the half to cut the Rockets' deficit in half.

Billerica, 4-2 (5:09, 2nd)

Billerica's Mike Slatton has the only goal of the second quarter and the Indians lead Reading, 4-2, with 5:09 to play in the half.

1st quarter

Billerica, 3-2 (end of 1st)

Reading opened the game with two quick goals, but Billerica got scores from Bill Frevold, Greg Melaugh, and Mike Hurley to carry a 3-2 advantage into the second frame.

The Rockets brought great defensive intensity early (forcing numerous turnovers on the clear), but Billerica is creating opportunities on charges from behind the cage once it does get settled on offense.

Pregame

Welcome to Reading, where the Rockets boys' lacrosse team hosts Billerica in a battle of undefeateds this afternoon.

It's a lovely day with plenty of blue skies overhead and the Forsberg Cruiser sets the temperature at a comfortable 58 degrees.

Back with more throughout the afternoon.

Here's what we've got penciled in for live coverage the next few days. As usual, we'll provide live updates from these games and we'll capture video highlights for the site:

Tuesday: boys' lacrosse Billerica at Reading, 4 p.m.

Reading is one of the most intriguing stories of the young season. The Rockets posted a quality 14-4 mark out of the Middlesex League last season, but earned the 14th seed in the Eastern Mass. Division 2 tournament and fell to North Andover, 6-4, in a first-round matchup.

After two quality efforts against Lexington last season, the Rockets finally broke through by topping the Minutemen, 11-10, this past Friday. Reading now stands at 5-0, but Billerica should provide one of the loftiest tests the Rockets will encounter during the regular season in this nonleague battle.

Wednesday: softball Acton-Boxboro at Concord-Carlisle, 4 p.m.

Concord-Carlisle dominated the Dual County League while putting together a perfect regular season last spring, but it was Acton-Boxboro that shone brightest during the postseason.

While the top-seeded Patriots endured an unceremonious quarterfinal exit in the Division 2 North bracket, A-B stormed all the way to the Division 1 North finals before the 10th-seeded Colonials fell to Reading in the championship tilt.

Thursday: baseball Xaverian at Lincoln-Sudbury, 4 p.m.

Fresh off a thrilling win over second-ranked BC High, Xaverian boasts a 5-0 mark and is the only Catholic Conference squad without a blemish thus far. The Hawks will make the trek to Sudbury, where the defending Division 1 champions continue to roll with a 4-0 record on the young season. The Warriors have outscored opponents, 32-7, during those wins, but Xaverian will pose the biggest challenge of the season.

In the spirit of the Beanpot, four South Shore boys' lacrosse squads will battle this week in the inaugural Chowda Cup Memorial Tournament at Scituate High.

The event kicks off Thursday as Sandwich tangles with Cohasset at 4 p.m., followed by Marshfield vs. Scituate at 6 p.m. The winners advance to Saturday's title game at 4 p.m., while the losers meet in a consolation game at 2 p.m.

Students are admitted for free, while parents are a $5 donation. Moneys raised from the event will support the four programs, along with funds set up for several local lacrosse players who have passed away, including Cohasset's PJ Trendowicz and Justin Langham, and Scituate's Ryan Flannery and Tim Mahoney.

"The Marshfield Rams lacrosse team is excited to be part of what looks to be a great annual event featuring competition between several great programs," said Marshfield coach Rick Peterson. "We were invited to participate by Rick Bagby and Bill Gray from Scituate and Stew Curran from Coahsset, who decided that a tournament between our programs would be great exposure for our players, as well as raise money for the memorial funds of several local players who have passed away. We look forward to this rivalry between our programs."

Marshfield and Scituate met last Thursday with the Sailors emerging with a thrilling 13-12 victory in overtime.

All games will count towards the teams record for the postseason tournament.

girls' lacrosse
No. 1 Westwood 14, Longmeadow 5

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights
• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

WESTWOOD -- As her team prepared to take the field for Saturday's matchup with Western Mass. power Longmeadow, Westwood girls' lacrosse coach Leslie Frank implored her troops to balance their emotions and relax on the field.

See, the 10th-year coach felt her charges might be a little too amped up for what was being billed as a potential Division 1 state final preview. She didn't want them to be tight on the field.

The top-ranked Wolverines proceeded to score the final seven goals of the first half to open a seven-goal advantage and breezed to a 14-5 triumph on a sun-kissed afternoon at Flahive Field.

"I was more uptight than they were," admitted Frank. "You could tell from warm-ups. Usually in warm-ups they're a bit stressed. We had a great game against Hopkinton (Thursday) and (the Hillers) brought the same defensive pressure at midfield. I think that might have taken the jitters off today. We were throwing teh ball away innumerable times (Thursday), but I think that was a good game to bring into this one.

"The girls were amazing today. I don't know, maybe it's because it's Saturday."

For Longmeadow, it didn't matter what day of the week it was. It was just a long day. The Lancers stuck close over the first six minutes, but Westwood scored 11 of the game's next 12 goals, including seven in a row before the intermission, to run away with the win.

Considering the Lancers (3-1) hadn't been scored upon previously this season, it says a lot about Westwood's effort. The Wolverines (5-0) were relentless in pressuring the ball in the defensive end, nearly flawless in moving the ball through the midfield, and All-Scholastics Erin Massimi and Alex Frank took care of the offense.

Massimi registered five goals and five assists, while Alex Frank added five goals and an assist. Sophomore Kelly Rich chipped in two goals and three helpers as part of a fine effort in which she set up much of the Wolverines scoring.

"The competition out here, it's just a different level than in Western Mass.," said Longmeadow coach Steve Dudek. "Coming out here, facing coach Frank and her team, I think our kids were a little uptight. That's a credit to coach Frank and her program. The firepower they have... Massimi and Frank are phenomenal players and that sophomore, Rich, she's going to be a great one, too.

"This gives our defense a chance to play. A team like this with the firepower they have, we just don't see it. If we take anything away, it's that we gotta tighten up our stuff on the defensive end."

Westwood looked razor sharp, utilizing good ball movement and strong rushes to the cage in order to get the best of Longmeadow's Duke-bound metminder Mollie Mackler. The Lancers struggled to slow Massimi, who really shined going towards the cage. When she wasn't flicking one into the twine, she seemed to set up Frank.

Only two of Westwood's goals came on free-position chances.

Longmeadow's Emily Stankewicz registered three of her team's goals. She and Katie Phillips potted consecutive scores to knot the game at 2 less than five minutes in, but it was all Westwood from there.

The Wolverines led 9-2 at the intermission and led 13-3 with 4:22 remaining.

While Westwood seemingly asserted itself as the team to beat in Eastern Mass., coach Frank knows there's plenty of work left to do. In fact, if her charges had any sort of inflated confidence she knows exactly what advice she'd offer.

Relax.

"Look, I never want to slight my girls, but everything clicked today," said coach Frank. "There's still a lot to do... We need to make smart decisions, make better clears. I was taking notes on their clear because their goalie can hit you at the 50 each time. We need to work on that. We need to work on our breakout and on and on and on.

"I thought Joan O'Neill had a real nice day. She had four or five draw controls and she came up the field with a presence. She's a middy, but she also gets back on defense. And Abby Brown had a great game in goal. But there's still tons to work on."

In the Play of the Game clip below: Alex Frank scored three consecutive goals in a span of less than four minutes in the first half to help Westwood motor away from Longmeadow in a nonleague clash at Flahive Field.

Full game highlights are also available below.

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights
• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

All-Scholastics Erin Massimi and Alex Frank scored five goals apiece to help top-ranked Westwood top Longmeadow, 14-5, at Flahive Field.

Back with more, including video highlights, in a bit.

Westwood, 11-3 (11:24, 2nd)

Two goals from Erin Massimi in the early going of the second half helped the Wolverines open an 11-3 advantage over Longmeadow.

1st half

Westwood, 9-2 (half)

Westwood scored the final seven goals of the first half, completely dominating the frame and boasts a 9-2 advantage over Longmeadow at the intermission.

Erin Massimi scored the game's first two goals, but Longmeadow responded with a pair to even things up. It looked like we had ourselves the potential Division 1 state final matchup this was pegged to be, but this seesaw has been leaning heavily towards the home squad ever since.

Alex Frank scored a trio of goals in a row at one point, then fed Massimi on another. Kelly Rich pushed home a goal with seven ticks remaining for the big advantage.

Frank and Massimi have matching lines with three goals and an assist, while Rich has two scores.

Westwood, 6-2 (5:01, 1st)

Consecutive goals by All-Scholastic Alex Frank -- one off a free position and another on a beautiful charge to the goal -- has helped Westwood extend its lead to 6-2 over Longmeadow with 5:01 to go in the first half.

Westwood, 4-2 (9:52, 1st)

Two goals from Erin Massimi have helped Westwood open a 4-2 advantage over Longmeadow with 9:52 to play in the first half.

Some quality goaltending from Longmeadow's Mollie Mackler has helped the Lancers stick close in the early going.

Pregame

Welcome to Westwood, where we're about to start this Division 1 nonleague battle between the top-ranked Westwood and Western Mass. power Longmeadow.

Back with more updates throughout the day.

***

We'll be live this afternoon from Flahive Field in Westwood, where the top-ranked Wolverines host Western Mass. powerhouse Longmeadow in a potential Division 1 girls' lacrosse state championship preview at 3 p.m.

Westwood (4-0) is in the midst of the first real challenging stretch of its schedule. The Wolverines dropped Hopkinton, 16-5, Thursday; host Longmeadow today; visit 5-1 Dover-Sherborn Tuesday; and have a rematch of the Eastern Mass. title game with Framingham on April 25.

Longmeadow (3-0) is absolutely devouring its Western Mass. foes. The Lancers haven't allowed a single goal this season with wins over Cathedral, Amherst-Pelham, and West Springfield by a combined score of 44-0.

Longmeadow battles Westwood today and gets a visit from highly touted Andover next Saturday. Later in the season, the Lancers visit King Philip on May 18.

We'll have more from Westwood this afternoon. Stay close.

In the Play of the Game clip below, both Duxbury and St. John's Prep utilize fourth-quarter outbursts to motor away from their opponents during key wins. Duxbury got three goals early in the frame to motor away from Cohasset in a 12-5 triumph, while St. John's Prep struck for three goals in a mere 19-second span to pull away from BC High in an 11-6 victory.

Complete game highlights from Duxbury's win are also available below.

You can also check out user-submitted highlights from Scituate's 13-12 overtime win over Marshfield Thursday.

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights from Duxbury-Cohasset
• Click HERE to watch the Play(s) of the Game(s)

Top-ranked Duxbury and sixth-ranked St. John's Prep asserted themselves as teams to beat Thursday with quality wins over highly touted competition. We break down today's battles (we'll have more on these games later, including video highlights):

boys' lacrosse
No. 1 Duxbury 12, No. 7 Cohasset 5

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights
• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

COHASSET -- If the Duxbury boys' lacrosse team is looking for a theme song for the 2008 campaign, allow us to step off the beaten path and suggest the Guns N' Roses ballad, "Patience" from the 1988 album G N' R Lies.

After all, that's what coach Chris Sweet preached to his team Thursday afternoon and clearly good things came to those Dragons that waited.

Duxbury -- the defending Division 1 state champs -- watched Cohasset -- the defending Division 3 state champs -- rally within a pair of goals heading into the fourth quarter, but the visitors put together a dominant final frame to emerge with a 12-5 triumph at Alumni Field.

The Green Dragons didn't force anything on offense and, while it certainly gave the Cohasset offense fits at times, it wasn't overly aggressive in trying to take away the Skippers' high-octane scorers.

"I didn't think we let things get out of control," said Duxbury coach Chris Sweet. "We did a nice job possessing the ball and, obviously, we played good defense. They made a nice run in the third, forced a little momentum swing, but we just hung in there.

"We told our guys, 'It's four quarters; it's a marathon.' We wanted to see if we could wear them down... We're trying to be patient. Not trying to look for something that's not there. Sometimes you can get frustrated, push the ball when you shouldn't and that's where I thought we did a great job of being patient with the ball.

"They prevented us, for three quarters, of not going on a run. At the end there, we got on a little run and got some breathing room."

Scott Austin and Grant Marston struck for back-to-back goals less than a minute apart early in the fourth quarter to give the Dragons a more comfortable 8-4 advantage. Cohasset pulled one back, but Derek Sweet erupted for three consecutive scores over a 2:30 span to put the game away.

Derek Sweet finished with four goals, while Austin added three more. But it might have been more telling that Skipper snipers Mike Grimm and Mark Flibotte were kept quiet on the other side of the scoring ledger.

Duxbury's Craig Sullivan spearheaded a defensive effort that held Flibotte without a goal (while Grimm scored twice).

"Just like the offense, you have to be patient on defense," said coach Sweet. "We played good team defense. If you can do that, you can force the other team to make mistakes. And we capitalized on that."

Added Sullivan: "We knew they had two great scorers, but we really just tried to play our game. We knew we needed good team defense to win today."

Duxbury had enough talent to generate goals off individual efforts, but the Dragons really thrived with a man advantage, generating numerous goals in the man-up situation.

"They move the ball so well with the man advantage," said Cohasset coach Stew Curran. "They must have had seven goals in the man-up. That's our bugaboo. We need to stay out of the box, but some of the bigger boys, they get a bit exuberant with their sticks.

"We'll take a lot from this one. I thought we played them pretty well 6-on-6... I'd rather lose today, April 10, than on June 14."

***

boys' lacrosse
No. 6 St. John's Prep 11, No. 5 BC High 6

• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

St. John's Prep took note of the low offensive outputs posted by BC High opponents this spring and wanted to break that trend Thursday. But a double-digit outburst was probably more than the kids from Danvers ever could have imagined.

Consider this on the heels of St. John's Prep's 11-6 triumph at James Cotter Field at Viola Stadium:

• The visitors scored nearly as many goals (11) as BC High's three other opponents this season had previously combined for (12).

• SJP struck for more goals in a 19-second, fourth-quarter blitz (3) than Chelmsford did (2) in 48 minutes against BC High on Monday.

• The last team to score double digits against BC High? Didn't happen at all last year. You'd have to go back to May 22, 2006, when Malden Catholic fell to BC High, 12-10, in two overtimes.

• The last team to score double digits against BC High in regulation? Crawl on back to April 15, 2006, when Fairfield (Conn.) Prep visited and emerged with a 15-10 triumph.

• The last Massachusetts team to score double digits against BC High in regulation? Jump in the way-back machine and travel to May 22, 2005, when host Duxbury emerged with a 15-2 triumph. BC High and coach Ulrich Alvarez finished 4-12 that year and gave up double digits in five different games.

So in an age when we don't blink when a lacrosse team puts up 10 or more goals, consider exactly what St. John's Prep accomplished Thursday.

The Danvers-based Eagles ripped open a close game by the seams as part of a five-goal, fourth-quarter eruption. The game ultimately turned when SJP punched in three goals in a mere 19-second span to take a 9-3 advantage with 9:26 to play in the game.

Will Duryea lit the fuse with a goal off a Kevin Lunnen feed. Griffin Cardew followed with an unassisted tally before Garrett Campbell punctuated the burst.

"It was all about team play," said St. John's Prep captain Mark Scalise. "I can't tell you who scored (on the outburst), but I'm pretty sure if you look at the book we spread the scoring around. That's what it's all about: Playing as a team."

Added coach John Roy: "We took note of the low scores they had been holding teams to. They've got a great defense and a great goalie (David Barton). We wanted to create some opportunities... get their goalie moving. We were able to win some faceoffs there and attack. A six-goal lead is a lot more comfortable than a three-goal lead."

The Prep boasted a 4-3 advantage coming out of halftime (rallying from an early 2-0 deficit). John Jennings struck for two goals in the first five minutes of the second half as SJP began to open some breathing room.

The first was a bit fluky as Barton made the initial save on a blast, but the ball caromed off the netminder and managed to hop into the twine just 1:23 into the third quarter. A short time later, Jennings dodged a defender outside the right post and ripped one into the twine for a 6-3 advantage.

BC High kept in striking distance into the fourth quarter before the big outburst essentially put the game out of reach. SJP led 11-4 with 4:02 to go before BC High pulled a pair back (finally showing some offensive rhythm late in the game).

"We came out and controlled the first quarter," said BC High coach Kevin Bibeau. "We were moving the ball and doing a lot of things well, but give credit to coach Roy, because they made some defensive adjustments."

SJP spread around the scoring with Jennings finishing with a game-high four goals, while Scalise potted the Prep's first three goals of the game.

Barton made a handful of oustanding stops to prevent the damage from being worse, while St. John's Prep netminder Tyler Cash did an outstanding job in the opposite cage. Cash uses his big frame to take up space in between the pipes, but the senior also moves well and has really shined since late in the 2007 season.

SJP wins it, 11-6, over BC High.

Back with more -- both recaps and video -- on both of today's battles later.

SJP, 11-6 (1:34, 4th)

St. John's Prep pushed its lead as high as seven, but BC High just struck for a pair of late goals (finally showing some sparks on offense) and the visitors lead, 11-6, with 1:34 to play.

SJP, 9-4 (9:26, 4th)

St. John's Prep erupted for three goals in a span of just 19 seconds to blow the roof right off this game.

The visitors attacked after each faceoff and the goals simply snowballed, putting this game essentially out of reach as the Prep leads, 9-4, with 9:26 to go.

3rd quarter

SJP, 6-3 (end of 3rd)

St. John's Prep strikes for two third-period goals to extend its lead and boasts a 6-3 advantage over BC High heading to the final frame.

BC High is still struggling to find itself offensively, so playing from behind is anything but ideal, particularly against a very stingy SJP squad.

David Barton and Tyler Cash have both been rock solid in net.

SJP, 6-3 (0:58, 3rd)

St. John's Prep got a fluky goal when the ball managed to hop in the net after BC High keeper David Barton made the initial save, then John Jennings added another tally a short time later as the visitors have expanded their lead to 6-3 with 58 seconds to play in the third quarter.

1st half

SJP, 4-3 (half)

Welcome to James Cotter Field at Viola Stadium.

St. John's Prep leads BC High, 4-3, coming out of the intermission. Glad to see we didn't miss one team pulling away.

Back with more throughout the second half.

Duxbury wins it, 12-5, motoring away behind Derek Sweet in the fourth quarter.

We're off to get some quick postgame reaction, then we're going to motor back to Dorchester for the conclusion of the Catholic Conference battle between BC High and St. John's Prep.

Stay close.

Duxbury, 11-5 (4:41, 4th)

Derek Sweet has scored the game's last three goals (this even after another tally during the spurt was nullified) and Duxbury leads Cohasset, 11-5, with 4:41 to play.

Duxbury, 9-5 (7:11, 4th)

Scott Austin and Grant Marston scored consecutive goals to start the fourth quarter as Duxbury quickly pushed its lead back to four and the Dragons now lead, 9-5, midway through the final stanza.

Marston added a pivotal man-up tally to make it 8-4 and -- after Cohasset scored to pull back some momentum -- Derek Sweet grabbed that goal right back for the Dragons on another man-up situation.

3rd quarter

Duxbury, 6-4 (end of 3rd)

Cohasset's defense kept the team alive early and the offense got going late and we've got a two-goal game moving to the fourth quarter.

Duxbury dominated much of the third quarter, but Cohasset got a man-up situation and Charlie Czerkawski whistled home his second goal of the game. The Skippers won the ensuing faceoff and Mike Grimm bounced in a shot that probably should have been stopped to make it 6-4.

2nd quarter

Duxbury, 6-2 (half)

Hakeem Lecky, Derek Sweet, and Gus Quinzani all scored for Duxbury as the Green Dragons doubled their lead in the second quarter and boast a 6-2 advantage at the intermission.

In a mirror image of the first quarter, Duxbury scored the first three goals of the frame before Scituate pulled one back late.

Imagine if the Dragons could win a faceoff. They've been thoroughly dominated in that aspect of the game, yet Cohasset can't take advantage of its possessions. The Skippers have thrown the ball away a couple times, while Duxbury netminder Dan Buonagurio has made some nice stops.

Cohasset needs a little burst of energy early in the second half if its going to make a game of this. The defense is doing a nice job limiting the damage, but Duxbury is just too talented to not take advantage of the opportunities presented.

1st quarter

Duxbury, 3-1 (end of 1st)

Duxbury got goals from Quinn Cully, Gus Quinzani, and Derek Sweet -- scoring three times to start the game -- and boasts a 3-1 lead over host Cohasset after the first quarter.

Cohasset has dominated the faceoff circle, but hasn't capitalized on all of its possessions.

Pregame

Welcome to Cohasset, where the seventh-ranked Skippers are set to host top-ranked Duxbury in a nonleague boys' lacrosse battle.

It's an unbelievable spring day as the Forsberg Cruiser sets the temperature at a "Hey, enjoy this while you can because it's supposed to rain all weekend" 73 degrees.

Duxbury won last year's matchup, 14-11, when the teams were similarly ranked. We'll see if anything changes today.

Back with more throughout the day.

***

A reminder that we've got a double dose of lacrosse action on tap this afternoon as we'll be in Cohasset when the seventh-ranked Skippers host top-ranked Duxbury at 4 p.m. On our way back to the city, we're hoping to catch the end of the Catholic Conference battle between sixth-ranked St. John's Prep and fifth-ranked BC High, which starts at 5:30 p.m.

That's four of our top seven teams in one afternoon. Should be an exciting day.

In the Play of the Game clip below: Billerica erupts for a rash of first-half goals to open a comfortable lead and emerge with a 15-8 triumph over Merrimack Valley Conference rival Lowell. Complete game highlights are also available below.

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights
• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

boys' lacrosse
No. 3 Billerica 15, Lowell 8

Click HERE to watch complete game highlights
• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

BILLERICA -- Who needs star power when you've got good coaching and plenty of depth?

Graduation raked some serious individual talent away from the Billerica boys' lacrosse team, but the Indians seem pretty happy with what's leftover this spring. Still working out the kinks in the early season, coach Chris Burns saw nine different players score Wednesday in a 15-8 triumph over Lowell in a Merrimack Valley Conference battle at Alumni Field.

Bill Frevold scored three times, while Grant Whiteway and Mike Slatton added two goals apiece to pace the Indians' parade of twine tappers. Billerica struck for eight of the game's first nine goals to build an early cushion, then weathered a Lowell intensity storm early in the second half before coasting to the finish.

"We're going to get better," said Burns, whose squad improved to 2-0. "We've seen a great deal of improvement from the preseason jamboree in Lexington until now. We still have a lot to work on, but we'll get there."

Lose a faceoff monster like All-Scholastic Gary McKay? No sweat. Adam Foss seems hellbent on winning that job, only he's no FOGO (face off, get off). Much of Billerica's offense goes through No. 20 and he's going to play a big role in how this team fares this spring.

Wave goodbye to a points collector like All-Scholastic Keith Merluzzo? No worries. The Indians feel confident regardless of who ends up with the ball around the cage (and Mike Hurley and Greg Melaugh are doing a phenomenal job feeding the ball to open slashers from behind the cage). "I guess you just kind of expect everyone on attack to finish," said Burns. "We certainly have guys who can score."

Bid adieu to a natural talent like Lanny Ellis? Guess you need the defense to pick up some slack. And that's exactly what this feisty bunch of defensemen in Tom Todd, Matt Langill, and Chris Phillion are doing in front of netminder Pat O'Loughlin. The unit got a bit complacent after Billerica built its early lead, but it still limited Lowell to only one goal over the first 22 minutes.

Lowell (3-1) rode the play of Matt Goyette and Greg Demetriou to claw its way bay into the game in the third quarter. The pair combined for three goals over the first five minutes of the second half to pull the Raiders within three, but Billerica kept its foe at arm's length.

After Lowell pulled within three for the first time, Billerica called a timeout and Frevold scored a blink of an eye after the ensuing faceoff. Lowell answered, but Frevold did the same with a goal outside the left post for an 11-7 advantage with 5:13 to go in the third quarter.

Hurley and Jeff Scarfo added tallies later in the frame as Billerica put the game in its rear-view mirror.

Goyette finished with a team-high four goals, while Demetriou added three as part of a fine effort in which he really dictated Lowell's play. Demetriou was able to create going towards the net and brought his team a spark when it needed it most.

But the day belonged to Billerica, which walks away happy to have a win, but eager to improve.

"We're just so fortunate to have good coaching here," said Burns. "We've got Nolan (Godfrey) working with the faceoff guys, we've got coaches working with the goaltenders and the defense. It makes it so much easier. And all these guys got time practicing with the varsity team last year, so that makes it easier.

"But we've still got work to do."

Billerica emerges with a 15-8 triumph over Lowell in a Merrimack Valley Conference battle.

Kind of a perfunctory fourth quarter with Billerica settling its offense and putting in a couple of goals to punctuate this decisive win.

3rd quarter

Billerica, 13-7 (end of 3rd)

Billerica's Jeff Scarfo tacks one on before the end of the frame and Billerica leads Lowell, 13-7, heading to the final frame.

After initially letting that six-goal lead slip away, the Indians came right back to push it up to that same level before the break.

Billerica, 12-7 (2:00, 3rd)

Lowell scored three of the first four goals in the second half to twice make this a three-goal game, but Billerica has responded to push its lead back to a more comfortable margin.

2nd quarter

Billerica, 9-3 (half)

Billerica scored eight of the game's first nine goals, including a string of seven in a row, to take a commanding first-half lead and the Indians boast a 9-3 advantage over Lowell at the intermission of a Merrimack Valley Conference battle.

The names have changed, but the style remains the same. Billerica is attacking off the faceoff (with midfielder Adam Foss dominated in the circle) and that's leading to quick goals in transition as the Lowell defense can't get set up.

Billerica and Lowell traded early goals, but it was all Indians for the next 16 minutes. Billerica has utilized seven different goal scorers as only Mike Slatton and Grant Whiteway have multiple tallies.

Billerica's Pat O'Loughlin has been strong in net, while Lowell's Tim Finnegan has prevented further damage with some nice stops.

The Raiders seem a bit too reliant on senior midfielder Greg Demetriou to create on offense. His stick skills are phenomenal, but he needs some help against an aggressive Billerica defense that is absolutely attacking as soon as the ball comes out of a stick.

1st quarter

Billerica, 5-1 (end of 1st)

Billerica's Mike Slatton scored twice, while teammates Joe Dangelo, Greg Melaugh, and Grant Whiteway each added a goal as the Indians lead visiting Lowell, 5-1, after the first quarter.

Billerica scored the final four goals of the frame. They seem to have shook off some early rust and really controlled the final eight minutes of the frame.

Pregame

Welcome to Billerica, where the third-ranked Indians are set to host Merrimack Valley Conference rival Lowell.

The Raiders just arrived on this gorgeous, sun-splashed afternoon. Forsberg Cruiser sets the temp at a get-ready-to-break-out-the-flip-flops 62 degrees.

Back with more throughout the afternoon.

***

We'll be live from Alumni Field this afternoon, where the third-ranked Billerica boys' lacrosse team hosts Lowell in an early season Merrimack Valley Conference showdown at 4 p.m.

Billerica (1-0) is coming off an ultra-successful 2007 campaign in which the Indians advanced to the Division 1 state semifinals before falling to Xaverian in double overtime. Billerica opened the new season with a 15-3 triumph over Tewksbury.

Lowell (3-0) has started the 2008 season with wins over North Middlesex, Masconomet, and Dracut. The Raiders got off to a similar hot start last season and finished the year with a 16-6 mark, falling to Andover in the Division 1 tournament.

We're interested to see how Billerica looks after graduation hit hard, while we're wondering if Lowell is the real deal this season. We'll know more after today's game.

Our early season lacrosse blitz continues Thursday with a doubleheader of coverage. We'll start the day in Cohasset, where the undefeated Skippers are set to host top-ranked Duxbury at 4 p.m. We're then hoping to catch some of the St. John's Prep vs. BC High tilt on the way back through the city. That game is set to start at 5:30 p.m.

For your girls' lacrosse fans, we're hoping to catch a potential state championship preview on Saturday when top-ranked Westwood hosts Longmeadow (last year's Division 1 runner-up) at Flahive Field at 3 p.m.

Much like we did Monday with the boys, we're back to break down our preseason Top 20 for girls' lacrosse.

The Globe's Amanda Bruno checks in today with a season overview focusing on Westwood's quest for a state championship. Below is our Top 20, along with thoughts on each team.

1. Westwood -- The Wolverines took Framingham to the wire in last year's Eastern Mass. title game, but Kristin Igoe scored with nine seconds to play to push the Flyers onto the state final. Westwood wasn't bitten quite as hard as the Flyers by graduation and bringing back the likes of Northwestern-bound Alex Frank makes the Wolverines our preseason favorite.

2. Wellesley -- If this poll came out yesterday, Framingham would have been entrenched in this spot (and you could make the case that the Flyers probably deserved top billing as defending state champs). But Wellesley's 6-5 triumph snapped Framingham's 52-game winning streak and, if you believe Stacey Freda, shifted the power of balance in the Bay State Conference. "That's a better team," Freda told the MetroWest Daily News. "We were just hoping we'd be able to stick with them a little bit. We knew coming in we were a server underdog and that's obviously the best team in our conference."

3. Framingham -- We're not exactly buying this "severe underdog" talk after the Wellesley loss, and we fully expect the Flyers to rebound sooner than later. There's simply too much talent here. The Flyers need to forge their own identity after graduation hit hard yet again. No one will want to see this team in June.

4. Lincoln-Sudbury -- The Warriors do everything well. Globe All-Scholastic Jess Griffin commands attention on offense, but there's a rash of midfielders who can put the ball in the twine. Defensively, L-S clogs the middle in front of the net... if you can get that far as the Warriors absolutely attack between the restraining lines. And the goalie tandem of junior Tess Shananka and senior captain Natalie Kerns are rock solid.

5. Andover -- Not good for opponents when Andover graduates a boatload of talent and coach John McVeigh says things like, "We've been the most balanced that we've ever been." The Warriors always seem a step quicker than their opponents and we see them right in the hunt in Division 1 North.

6. King Philip -- Coach Mike Vitelli admitted his team's strength -- its passing and receiving -- failed the team in Monday's 14-8 loss to Lincoln-Sudbury. These Warriors have some kinks to work out, but that's par for the course this time of year. All-Scholastic goaltender Katie Florence can single-handedly keep KP in a game when its offense is struggling, while there's a lot of talent surrounding All-Scholastic Mary Pasquantonio up front.

7. Needham -- The Rockets opened the season with a nice 10-goal win over Bay State Carey rival Weymouth. Remember that Needham quietly won 13 of its last 14 games last spring (only loss coming to Framingham) before falling to Westwood in the Division 1 South semifinals.

8. Duxbury -- Give the Green Dragons credit for challenging themselves out of the gates. The defending Division 2 champs fell to Westwood, 19-6, on March 31, but rebounded with a one-goal win over Norwell. Those type of games will aid Duxbury when it tries to defend its title in June. As will talent like captains Trisha Babson and Erine Levesque.

9. Winchester -- Is this the year the Sachems get over the hump? Coach Suzanne Ontso's squad has struggled in the Division 2 title game the past three seasons, falling twice to Norwell and last year to Duxbury. But there's enough talent here to get them back to that championship tilt, including senior Meg Sullivan (80 points last spring).

10. Reading -- The Rockets seem to be narrowing the gap between them and Winchester in the Middlesex League. After falling twice to the Sachems last season, Reading earned a 9-9 tie in the teams' first meeting this spring. The Rockets advanced to the Division 1 North semifinals last year before falling to Framingham.

11. Hopkinton -- Coach Jodi Dolan's squad had won seven of its last eight games before falling to Duxbury in the Division 2 South final last spring, and that lone loss was a one-goal defeat at the hands of Medfield. They seem to have carried that momentum into 2008 with a 2-0-1 start (tying Division 1 Acton-Boxboro, while also topping rivals Medfield and Ashland).

12. Acton-Boxboro -- The Colonials endured seven losses last spring nearly half of which came at the hands of Dual County League rival Lincoln-Sudbury. A-B closed the gap late in the season, however. After falling by 11 in each of the two regular-season matchups, the Warriors escaped with a 12-11 triumph in the Division 1 North quarterfinals.

13. Weston -- The positives: Early season, hard-fought wins over quality opponents in Concord-Carlisle and Arlington. The negative: Got walloped by Lincoln-Sudbury, 14-2, in between those wins. With eight starters back, including leading scorer Courtney Davenport, the Wildcats are well positioned for another postseason run in Division 2 (and those battles with Dual County League foes like L-S will only aid them in that quest).

14. North Andover -- The Scarlet Knights lost a lot of individual talent to graduation (Katy Fitzgerald is at North Carolina, while Aimee Dixon is at UMass). But there's a solid base of underclassmen to build upon (which means this is the team to beat in the Cape Ann League for the next two years). Look for Briana Connolly to shoulder the offense.

15. Norwell -- Yeah, we know. The Clippers are 0-2. But losses to Duxbury and Andover are nothing to sneeze at. Norwell endured 10 losses last season -- including three to Duxbury -- but the goal is to be playing the best lacrosse in June and Globe All-Scholastic Jill Cammett will have this squad prepped for the postseason. They just have to get there.

16. Medfield -- The Big Blue shook off a season-opening defeat at the hands of Tri-Valley League rival Hopkinton and rebounded with three straight victories. Medfield took some time to get churning last year, but finished with 13 wins before falling to Norwell, 9-7, in a Division 2 South quarterfinal.

17. Hingham -- Much like their male counterparts, the Harborwomen tend to fly comfortably under the radar in the Patriot League with Duxbury on top. But Hingham has some serious talent back this year, including netminder Kaelyn Sullivan and junior Mary Kate Gorman up front.

18. Sandwich -- Sandwich lost two of its first four games last year, then didn't lose again until falling to Needham in the Division 1 South quarterfinals. The Blue Knights are off to a 4-0 start this year and once again appear to be the team to beat in the Atlantic Coast League.

19. Notre Dame Academy -- The Cougars dropped a 10-8 decision to Hingham in their season-opener, but have rebounded with four straight triumphs. McKenna Teague can fill the stat sheet, but NDA will need balance in order to make waves in a rigid Division 1 South bracket come the postseason.

20. Norwood -- The Mustangs asserted themselves as contenders by taking down Newton North, 10-8, Monday. Pam Devaney, Liz Greeley, and Christine McKay can all put the ball in the twine.

Keep an eye on: Newton North has endured some early season struggles, but we think the Tigers will turn it around sooner than later... Falmouth is off to a 4-0 start and has a showdown with Sandwich this afternoon... Waltham and Arlington should battle it out in the Greater Boston League... Dover-Sherborn is always battle tested coming out of the Tri-Valley League.

***

Here's the top 5 by division:

Division 1

1. Westwood
2. Wellesley
3. Framingham
4. Lincoln-Sudbury
5. Andover

Division 2

1. Duxbury
2. Winchester
3. Hopkinton
4. Weston
5. North Andover

girls' lacrosse
Lincoln-Sudbury 14, King Philip 8

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights
• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

SUDBURY -- When you boil it down, girls' lacrosse can be such a simple sport. It all revolves around possession and the simple idea that, if your team has the ball, the other team can't score.

Which is exactly what King Philip found out Monday afternoon during a nonleague showdown with Lincoln-Sudbury. KP got balanced scoring and solid goaltending from All-Scholastic netminder Katie Florence, but it struggled to get one thing late in the first half: the ball.

Lincoln-Sudbury struck for five consecutive goals to close out the half, absolutely dominating the faceoff circle and forcing turnovers between the restraining lines, en route to a 14-8 triumph.

"We put ourselves behind the 8-ball too much early on," said King Philip coach Mike Vitelli, whose squad advanced to the Division 1 South sectional finals a year ago before falling to Westwood.

"If you've seen enough lacrosse, you know it's all about possession. We turned the ball over too much between the restraining lines and we didn't win enough faceoffs when we needed to. That's half the battle."

KP did achieve one of its chief objectives: limit the scoring chances of Lincoln-Sudbury All-Scholastic Jess Griffin. But the junior midfielder utilized her skills to feed open teammates when the visitors committed multiple defenders to her.

And no one capitalized more than classmate Alexa Rozelle, who potted seven goals on the day, including six in the first half as L-S opened a 10-5 advantage at the intermission.

"Alexa really stepped up today," said Lincoln-Sudbury coach Debbie DeJesus, whose troops fell to Framingham in the Division 1 North sectional final last spring.

"We knew it was important to get everyone involved. We never want to become one-dimensional. Alexa is a big scoring threat out there and she showed that today. We knew they'd focus on Jess, so it was up to the others to really step up today."

The teams traded goals over the first 15 minutes of play with neither side taking a multi-goal lead. That changed when Rozelle potted back-to-back scores just over a minute apart to put her squad out front, 7-5, with 6:25 to play in the first half.

Junior Brianna Miller and Griffin sandwiched tallies around another goal from Rozelle before the intermission to put the hosts out front by five at the break.

KP collected itself at the half and came out inspired. Hillary Bushway bookended two tallies around a Kerry Eaton score as the visitors clawed within a pair with 13:56 to play.

They could have gotten closer, but L-S goalie Tess Shananka came up with some big stops, including a free position save on Sarah Brion to preserve the two-goal lead. KP got whistled for a questionable offsides call a short time later and L-S made it really sting when, just seconds after the call, Griffin scored to make it 11-8 with 11:14 to play.

The goal was a back-breaker and thwarted KP's comeback. Steph Zeytoonian scored less than a minute later and Rozelle punctuated her amazing day with a dazzling leaping goal in which she redirected a pass from behind the cage with 8 :17 remaining. Kelley Cakert closed out the scoring by putting home a rebound of a Jen Hayes attempt.

"I really felt the turnovers we forced were the different today," said DeJesus. "(Florence) was outstanding. But that's the thing about lacrosse. You can't save them all."

Florence dazzled with an array of saves in the early going, but she was absolutely peppered with shots over the final eight minutes of the first half as a tired KP squad turned the ball over just trying to get back across midfield.

"We're not going to make excuses, hopefully we learn from this," said Vitelli. "It's a long season and we're still young. It's a bit like Novocaine. It's going to take a while for it to kick in."

King Philip (2-1) dives into Hockomock League play, but has some more nonleague challenges on the horizon. KP visits Division 2 power Winchester on April 24, then hosts Division 1 juggernauts Longmeadow and Andover to close out the regular season on May 18 and 20.

L-S (4-0) gets a visit from Dual County League foe Bedford Tuesday, then has a showdown with Framingham Thursday (rescheduled from a rainout last week).

In the Play of the Game clip below: Lincoln-Sudbury netminder Tess Shananka makes a stop on a free position chance before Alex Rozelle scores the final of her seven goals to help the Warriors top King Philip, 14-8. King Philip had rallied within two goals in the second half before Shananka's save and Rozelle's goal helped L-S motor away for a comfortable victory.

Complete game highlights are also available below.

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights
• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

Sparked by seven goals from junior Alexa Rozelle, L-S emerges with a 14-8 triumph over King Philip in a nonleague battle in Sudbury.

L-S scored the final five goals of the first half to open a 10-5 advantage. King Philip rallied a bit in the second half, but an offsides call was quickly followed by a goal by L-S's Jess Griffin to put the hosts out front, 11-8 with 11:14 to go.

King Philip suffered from turnovers between the restraining lines and L-S did a phenomenal job cashing in on opportunities in the first half. While KP committed much of its energy to slowing Griffin, Rozelle utilized the space to score seven times, including six in the first half.

We'll have more on this one, including video highlights, later in the evening.

One other note from girls' lacrosse today: Defending Division 1 state champion Framingham fell to Wellesley, 6-5, ending the Flyers' multi-year winning streak.

L-S, 13-8 (8:17, 2nd)

Two more goals by L-S has the hosts out front by five again, 13-8, with 8:17 to play.

L-S, 11-8 (11:14, 2nd)

King Philip controlled the first 10 minutes of the second half, scoring three times to pull within a pair of Lincoln-Sudbury, but the Warriors just scored following a (questionable?) offsides call to take an 11-8 lead.

1st half

L-S, 10-5 (half)

Lincoln-Sudbury scored the last five goals of the first half, dominating the final eight minutes to take a 10-5 lead over King Philip into the intermission.

Alexa Rozelle did the most damage for L-S, piling up six first-half goals. She potted the first two goals on the late five-goal streak to help the hosts open some breathing room.

L-S has dominated thanks in large part to junior Danielle Cebra clogging the middle on defense. KP can't get anything going towards the net, while L-S has been running free down the middle.

Kendall Harty has two goals for KP, which utilized four different goal scorers in the first half.

L-S, 7-5 (6:25, 1st)

Alexa Rozelle scored back-to-back goals and L-S has the game's first multi goal at 7-5 with 6:25 to play in the first half.

Rozelle has five goals so far to pace the Warriors.

Tied, 4-4 (11:54, 1st)

We're knotted at 4 in a back-and-forth battle.

No team has had a lead more than a goal thus far.

Pregame

Welcome to sun-splashed Sudbury, where the Lincoln-Sudbury girls' lacrosse team is set to host King Philip in a nonleague showdown.

The Forsberg Cruiser sets the temperature at a manageable 46 degrees, but the sun attempting to break through makes it seems slightly warmer.

Back with more throughout the afternoon.

***

After seeing a bunch of boys' action during the first week of the spring, we're hopping over to the girls' side today to check out a matchup of Division 1 sectional finalists when Lincoln-Sudbury hosts King Philip this afternoon at 4 p.m.

We'll have live updates and we'll capture video highlights for the site.

Lincoln-Sudbury compiled a glossy 16-0-1 record during the regular season last spring, then stormed to the North finals before falling to Framingham, 14-3. King Philip boasted a 16-1 mark and danced to the South finals before enduring an 18-2 thumping at the hands of Westwood.

Both teams would love to get back to those championship games this spring and, while Framingham and Westwood still stand in the way, it would surprise none to see a Final Four that included those teams once again.

We'll have more from Sudbury this afternoon.

While baseball and softball seem stuck in the mud waiting for fields to dry out, the boys' lacrosse season is already in full swing. The Globe's Maggie Cassidy checks in today with a season overview focusing on Duxbury's quest to remain a Massachusetts juggernaut.

As we gear up for another exciting season, here's our take on the preseason top 20, with thoughts on each team:

1. Duxbury -- Until someone in the Bay State beats them, the Green Dragons are entrenched here, especially given how motivated they are to not give up their perch.

2. Xaverian -- The Hawks graduated 15 players... and you can hardly tell. Brendan Grant is a force up front and Ryan Abely is going to win a lot of possessions in the faceoff circle, but what struck me watching the X-Men against St. John's of Shrewsbury last week is how well the defense played after a lackluster first quarter.

3. Billerica -- The Indians will miss Keith Merluzzo on attack (he led the team in points each of the last three seasons), but I think they'll miss faceoff man Gary McKay even more. Something tells me assistant Nolan Godfrey is working to develop a new crop of draw-winners.

4. Andover -- Imagine how good Cohasset would be if Brendan Hughes still lived in town. Instead, he's helping Andover continue to build a power of a program. The Warriors advanced to the Division 1 state semifinals before falling to Xaverian.

5. BC High -- Netminder David Barton is as good as advertised (ask Marshfield). The mere idea that the Eagles had both Barton and All-Scholastic John Lenehan sharing duties last year seems unfair to opposing offenses.

6. St. John's Prep -- Returning much of its lineup from last season (only two players graduated), the Eagles are a step ahead of rivals Xaverian and BC High in terms of defining roles and building chemistry. We're waiting to see how that translates on the field.

7. Cohasset -- Round 1 of the Cohasset-Scituate rivalry goes to the Skippers. Can't shake the feeling that we'll see at least one more round in June (and possibly a Round 2 during the Chowda Cup later this month).

8. Medfield -- A pair of quality challenges from Tri-Valley League rivals Hopkinton and Dover-Sherborn seem to have helped the Warriors iron out some early season wrinkles. An 11-4 thumping of Wellesley suggests Medfield has already improved since the start of the year.

9. Marshfield -- Coach Rick Peterson is excited about this year's squad and with good reason. The Rams showed some nice resiliency to battle back against a rigid BC High defense and send Saturday's game into the final frame tied. Marshfield will be a postseason contender if it continues to develop into June.

10. Scituate -- A rocky start for the Sailors, including a 14-6 drubbing at the hands of Barnstable. We'll chalk it up to long seasons for both the hockey players and the hoopsters. Hanging with Cohasset on Sunday shows this team is in it for the long run and will be ready for the big games.

11. Dover-Sherborn -- The Raiders had a chance to topple a TVL giant, but fell to Medfield in double overtime last week. The Raiders get another chance on May 2, but their biggest success could come in the Division 3 tournament where they'll be well-equipped to compete come playoff time.

12. Lexington -- The Minutemen endured an unceremonious first-round exit in last year's Division 1 tournament, but they remain the team to beat in the Middlesex League.

13. King Philip -- The addition of sniper Matt Schairer (formerly of Medfield) could make the Warriors the Hockomock favorite and a Division 2 contender. KP finished 10-8 last year and was bounced in the preliminary round by Falmouth.

14. Westford Academy -- The Grey Ghosts really came on strong last year, but drew an unfortunate quarterfinal opponent in Xaverian. After his exploits in the net during the hockey season, it's a bit odd to see Curtis Serafini playing up front in the spring, but he's just as good at scoring as he is at preventing opposing hockey teams from doing the same thing.

15. Arlington -- Okay, the season is young, but looks who's sitting atop the LaxPower computer rankings this morning. The Spy Ponders boast quality wins over Concord-Carlisle and Wayland, and have the potential for a big start before competition ramps up in May.

16. Malden Catholic -- The Lancers are 4-0 with wins over teams with a combined record of 1-9. We'll find out a lot more about this squad Tuesday when they meet Xaverian.

17. Lincoln-Sudbury -- By far the biggest disappointment of the 2007 season after laboring through a 9-10 campaign and missing the playoffs. The Warriors' schedule does them no favors, as usual, but we think they rebound this spring.

18. Hingham -- Can success on the ice translate to the sod in the spring? The Harbormen probably aren't ready to challenge Duxbury for the Patriot League crown, but could give Scituate a run for No. 2 if the Sailors continue to struggle.

19. Barnstable -- The Raiders bounced back from a tough one-goal loss to Hingham to thrash Scituate. Remember that Barnstable won 15 games a year ago and ousted Marshfield in the Division 1 tourney before running into Xaverian.

20. Walpole -- The Rebels came on strong last season and surged to the Division 2 quarterfinals before falling to Wayland by a goal. Off to a 2-0 start, Walpole can rack up some wins before its schedule ramps up.

Keep an eye on:

Acton-Boxboro -- Took BC High to overtime, which suggests there's some nice talent here. The Colonials endured a 10-10 campaign last spring before falling to Chelmsford in the preliminary round of the Division 1 tournament.

Catholic Memorial -- No shame losing to Cohasset and the Knights rebounded with a solid win over Waltham. But that Catholic Conference schedule is mighty daunting.

Falmouth -- While Marshfield steals those Atlantic Coast League headlines, Falmouth has already racked up five wins, including triumphs over league foes Sandwich and Plymouth (two teams it finished behind in last year's league standings).

Lowell -- A nice 3-0 start, but against teams with a combined 0-5 mark. Wednesday's trip to Billerica will tell us more about the Raiders.

Mansfield -- The Hornets have already equaled their regular-season loss total from a year ago in enduring two early season losses. The bright side: Mansfield was competitive against both Scituate (an 11-10 loss) and King Philip (a 6-4 loss). Maybe the Hornets just want to fly under the radar like last year.

Needham -- Much like Bay State Conference rival Walpole, the Rockets opened the season with two early wins, but their schedule doesn't get tough until later this month.

North Andover -- The Scarlet Knights seem to be the team to beat in the Cape Ann League once again and are off to a 2-0 start.

Reading -- All that winter success seems to be carrying over the spring (lacrosse, softball, and track should all do quite well for the Rockets). On the lax field, Reading is off to a 3-0 start, including a nice win over Winchester. A matchup with Lexington awaits Friday.

Shawsheen -- No surprise, the Rams are the brass of the Mass. Technical League.

Swampscott -- The Big Blue have jumped out to a 3-0 start and an overtime win over Salem suggests they are the team to beat in the Northeastern South.

Wellesley -- Wouldn't seem right to have a preseason top 20 without the Raiders. They struggled a bit with Norwood and fell to Medfield, but we think first-year coach Rocky Batty will keep this team competitive in a rigid Bay State Conference. Remember, this team advanced to the Eastern Mass. Division 2 semifinals a year ago before falling to Medfield.

Wayland -- The Warriors have some big shoes to fill from graduation and -- if A-B and L-S return to form -- defending that first Dual County League title in school history will be no easy feat.

***

Finally, here's our preseason ranking of the top five teams by division. We'll try to update these weekly during the regular season:

Division 1

1. Duxbury
2. Xaverian
3. Billerica
4. Andover
5. BC High

Division 2

1. Medfield
2. King Philip
3. Arlington
4. Hingham
5. Walpole

Division 3

1. Cohasset
2. Scituate
3. Dover-Sherborn
4. Swampscott
5. Hanover

In the Play of the Game clip below: Alex Shipp, Brendan Powers, and Brian Dole score fourth-quarter goals for BC High as the Eagles pulled away for an 8-6 triumph over Marshfield in a nonleague battle Saturday afternoon at James Cotter Field at Viola Stadium.

Full game highlights are also linked below.

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights
• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

boys' lacrosse
BC High 8, Marshfield 6

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights
• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

BC High coach Kevin Bibeau told his players coming out of halftime that Marshfield was going to make a charge. He probably wasn't happy to be correct. But Bibeau had also told his charges he wasn't sure eight goals would be enough to top the Rams. Considering the outcome, he was alright with only batting .500 on his daily predictions.

Marshfield erased a three-goal halftime deficit to knot the game heading to the fourth quarter, but it was BC High that scored three consecutive times to start that final frame and the Eagles flew away with an 8-6 triumph in a nonleague battle at James Cotter Field at Viola Stadium.

"I told the kids at the half that we had to be prepared for a sudden rush," said Bibeau. "It came, but we were able to keep our composure. We settled down and made the defensive stops that we needed to make."

While Alex Shipp, Brendan Powers, and Brian Dole produced the Eagles' pivotal three-goal outburst in the fourth quarter, the game ball is more likely to end up at the other end of the field.

Senior goaltender David Barton was phenomenal in net -- making his 2008 debut after missing the season-opening, overtime win over Acton-Boxboro earlier this week -- and a pesky defense in front of him frustrated a talented Marshfield attack all day long.

The Rams were limited to just one goal over the first 24 minutes of play and, despite a four-goal outburst to knot the game at 5 in the third quarter, they didn't score again until the final minute of regulation.

"David Barton is an All-American goalie," said Marshfield coach Rick Peterson. "He was probably the reason why BC High won this game."

Barton, who shared duties with All-Scholastic netminder John Lenehan last season, can finally step into the spotlight this season (he started six games last year, all non-conference, as Lenehan drew the conference contests being a senior).

Aided by an ultra-physical defense in front of him, including fellow captain Chris Murray, Barton is going to frustrate a lot of offenses this spring.

"They are really physical out there, but we told our kids at the half to remember that we're just as good as them athletically and that we could run with them," said Peterson. "I think the kids showed that in the third quarter."

Marshfield struck just seven seconds into the second half as Jeff Sulivan took a feed from Zack Triner off the opening draw and scored on a fastbreak. Chris Walker potted his second of three goals a short time later and Marshfield had the momentum.

Andrew Brown scored with 39 seconds to play in the third quarter to tie the game at 5.

BC High used the break to compose itself. The Eagles gained control of the opening draw and Shipp scored on a nice run from behind the cage. Less than two minutes later, Powers ripped a bullet through traffic for a 7-5 advantage with 9:48 to play.

Marshfield couldn't generate many quality chances in the final frame and Dole put the game away by putting home his third goal of the game with 5:45 remaining.

"We've been struggling a little bit to get our offense in a rhythm," said Bibeau. "We graduate a lot of talented kids with good hands in the offseason, so we're still trying to find that rhythm.

"I told the kids at one point I wasn't sure eight goals was going to be enough. Marshfield is a really talented offensive team. But our defense came up with some big stops."

For BC High, it's a quality win against a Division 1 opponent, something the Eagles have tried to schedule more of in Bibeau's second year to prepare the squad better for the postseason (though the league schedule this spring will do that quite well, too).

Marshfield had dominated its first three games, outscoring its opponents 52-15, but will look to build off this game against a top-flight squad.

"Maybe we'll see them again in the potseason," said Peterson.

Marshfield adds a goal in the final minute to add a little excitement, but BC High emerges with an 8-6 triumph. More to come, including highlights.

BC High, 8-5 (1:12, 4th)

BC High remains out front, 8-5, with 1:12 to go. The Eagles have dominated possession throughout the fourth frame and haven't allowed Marshfield a chance to get back in this game.

BC High, 8-5 (5:45, 4th)

Goals by Alex Shipp, Brendan Powers, and Brian Dole have helped BC High open an 8-5 advantage with 5:45 to go.

3rd quarter

Tied, 5-5 (end of 3rd)

Marshfield came out with a sense of urgency, striking twice in the early going, and Andrew Brown's goal with 39 seconds remaining in the third frame has tied this game at 5 moving to the fourth quarter.

2nd quarter

BC High, 4-1 (half)

BC High's Dan Madden and Brendan Powers struck for goals 46 seconds apart early in the second quarter and the Eagles' defense continues to stifle Marshfield with a 4-1 advantage at the intermission.

Both netminders have been outstanding, but outside of a big rip by Chris Walker late in the first quarter, the Rams have been unable to sneak anything behind BC High senior goaltender David Barton.

Madden scored on a little jump shot from about 15 feet out with 9:13 to play in the frame. BC High won the faceoff and Powers scored off a feed from PJ Martina with 8:27 to play.

1st quarter

BC High, 2-1 (end of 1st)

Chris Walker pulls one back for Marshfield with a big rip on a man-up situation with 3:07 to play in the first and BC High leads the Rams, 2-1, after the first quarter.

BC High, 2-0 (6:48, 1st)

Brian Dole two early goals and BC High leads, 2-0, midway through the first quarter.

Pregame

Welcome to BC High, where the Eagles host Marshfield in a boys' lacrosse nonleague battle this afternoon on James Cotter Field at Viola Stadium.

Marshfield is off to a blazing 3-0 start with wins over North Quincy, Dennis-Yarmouth, and Whitman-Hanson (three teams with a combined record of 0-7 thus far) by a combined score of 52-13. The Rams sit at No. 1 on the Laxpower.com early season rankings.

Today should produce a much better challenge for Marshfield. BC High needed overtime to top Acton-Boxboro, 5-4, in its only game of the year thus far, but that final score should tell you all you need to know about the type of defense and goaltending the Eagles thrive behind.

A quick weather update, it's actually not too bad out right now. Wet for sure from this morning's rains, but there's no precipitation falling now and the Forsberg Cruiser sets the temps at a manageable 45 degrees.

Back with more throughout the afternoon.

***

We'll be live from BC High this afternoon, where the Eagles host Marshfield in a boys' lacrosse showdown.

Our plan had been to catch the Scituate-Cohasset rivalry game this morning, but that contest has been postponed until Sunday due to the weather.

We'll have live updates from James Cotter Field (the game was originally scheduled to be played in Marshfield, but moved due to the turf due to the rain) and we'll capture video highlights for the site.

Back with more this afternoon.

A couple quick notes from Thursday's girls' lacrosse action, where both defending state champions were in action.

Framingham 14, Newton North 3: The Flyers served notice that they are still the team to beat in Division 1 by walloping a talented Newton North squad, 14-3, in a Bay State Conference battle at Cold Spring Field in Newton. Sophomore Moira Barry registered four goals, while senior captain Melanie Baskind added two goals and two assists.

Duxbury 8, Norwell 7: After battling double-teams all game, Duxbury
senior captain Erin Levesque broke free and scored the winning goal with
just 17 seconds left. Duxbury needed two goals in the last two minutes to
get the win. Two more seniors -- Trish Babson and Jill Caramello -- scored two
goals apiece for the Green Dragons. Duxbury had opened its season with a 19-6 loss to highly touted Westwood.

Visit our daily scoreboard to check out more scores from last night. Don't see a score for your favorite team? Click on the team name to visit their schedule page and submit the result to us.

One last note: We're scheduled to be live from Sudbury this afternoon (weather permitting), where the Lincoln-Sudbury girls' lacrosse team hosts Framingham at 4 p.m. We'll have updates and video highlights. (Note: This game has been postponed)

boys' lacrosse
Xaverian 11, St. John's (Shrewsbury) 6

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights
• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

SHREWSBURY -- As Xaverian and St. John's of Shrewsbury combined for eight goals in little more than the first 10 minutes of regulation, it was hard to tell who was running more Thursday afternoon: the boy's lacrosse combatants or the host's outdoor track team that was practicing sprints on the rubber encircling Pioneer Field.

A wide-open, up-and-down first quarter gave way to a much more defensive-minded (and scoreless) second frame. Xaverian kept that defensive intensity cranked up in the second half, while St. John's couldn't match and the Hawks flew away with an 11-6 triumph in a nonleague battle.

Xaverian (2-0) erupted for five goals in both the first and third quarters with senior attack Brendan Grant registering a game-high six goals (he added two assists). Teammates Garrett Buckley and Chris Rigoli sandwiched scores around a Grant goal as part of a three-goal, third-quarter outburst that helped Xaverian stretch out its two-goal halftime advantage and carry a six-goal cushion into the final frame.

"I think you have to come out out of the half ready to go; ready to regain that momentum," said Xaverian coach Tim Gardner, who guided the Hawks to the Division 1 title game last year before falling to Duxbury in OT. "They did a good job of keeping us off rhythm in the second quarter and we needed to get that back."

But it was Xaverian's defense that ultimately changed the complexion of this game. Senior Sean Halloran shook off some early struggles and, aided by an active defense, held St. John's to a mere goal over a 33-minute stretch starting late in the first quarter.

Gardner praised his long-stick middies, including Robby Stack, Josh Chipman, and Kevin Blackmur, for picking up their play to quiet the high-octane offense of St. John's.

"All three of (St. John's) attack can hurt you and I think we created a lot of our own problems early on," said Gardner. "Our long poles did a good job out there and we started getting the right slides."

Xaverian graduated a large number of players in the offseason, but it has plenty of experience and talent on the field this spring. St. John's had no answer for Grant, who utilized his size to create havoc by both charging and distributing from behind the net.

Senior midfielder Ryan Abely dominated in the faceoff circle for the Hawks, particularly during the pivotal three-goal, third-quarter outburst, while Buckley, Rigoli, and James Vickery can all find the twine.

St. John's relied on Nick Yacuzzi, Nick Papoojian, and Colin O'Rourke to fuel its offense. The trio combined for five of the Pioneers' six goals.

Check out the clips below to see the Play of the Game from Xaverian's 11-6 win over St. John's of Shrewsbury. In the clip, Garrett Buckley, Brendan Grant, and Chris Rigoli strike for a trio of third-period goals just 55 seconds apart to help Xaverian pull away. Complete game highlights are also available below.

• Click HERE to watch complete game highlights
• Click HERE to see the Play of the Game

Riding a stretch in which it defense allowed only one goal for more than 33 minutes and strong netminding from senior Sean Halloran, Xaverian rode away with an 11-6 triumph over St. John's of Shrewsbury Thursday afternoon at Pioneer Field.

Brendan Grant provided the offense for the Hawks, striking for six goals, including four in the first quarter. Teammates Garrett Buckley and Chris Rigoli sandwiched goals around a Grant score as part of a three-goal outburst in the third quarter that helped Xaverian pull away.

The Hawks led 11-4 with under four minutes to play in regulation before St. John's pulled a couple back.

"I think you have to come out out of the half ready to go; ready to regain that momentum," said Xaverian coach Tim Gardner. "They did a good job of keeping us off rhythm in the second quarter and we needed to get that back."

Xaverian, which led 5-3, after the first quarter, lumbered through a scoreless second quarter before erupting for five more goals in the third frame to carry a six-goal cushion into the final frame.

We'll check back with a longer recap and game highlights later this evening.

3rd quarter

Xaverian, 10-4 (end of 3rd)

Xaverian leads St. John's, 10-4... and this one is pretty much over and out.

The Hawks struck for five third-quarter goals, including a three-goal blitz over a 55-second span midway through the frame, to open a six-goal lead. Brendan Grant (six goals overall) had two goals, while Garrett Buckley, Chris Rigoli, and James Vickery added the others.

Nick Papoojian ended a 25:29 scoring drought (an eternity or two in lacrosse) for St. John's by scoring his team's lone goal with 3:54 to play in the frame.

2nd quarter

Xaverian, 5-3 (half)

After a first quarter decorated by offensive fireworks, the defenses took center stage in a scoreless second frame that kept Xaverian out front, 5-3, at the intermission.

The two teams combined for eight goals over the first 10:17 of play. The last 13:43 have featured few chances as both teams seem to have a renewed emphasis on defense. Xaverian netminder Sean Halloran and St. John's counterpart Kyle Cordaro are playing with more confidence after quieting the offensive players that seemed to run free in the first frame.

Brendan Grant scored four times in the first quarter for Xaverian, while Ryan Abely added the other tally for the Hawks. Junior Nick Yacuzzi has been the offensive catalyst for St. John's thus far.

1st quarter

Xaverian, 5-3 (end of 1st)

Xaverian senior attack Brendan Grant scored four times in the first quarter to help the Hawks open a 5-3 advantage over St. John's after one quarter.

The Pioneers simply have no answer for the lanky Grant, who is rumbling unfettered from behind the net and using his size to zip balls into the twine.

Pregame

Welcome to Shrewsbury, we're the Xaverian boys' lacrosse team meets Central Mass. power St. John's in a nonleague showdown this afternoon.

We'll have live updates and video highlights. Stay tuned for much more.

Click the Play of the Game link below to watch Max Zuccarini pot the winner in double overtime to lift Medfield past Dover-Sherborn, 8-7.

Complete game highlights are also available below.

• Click HERE for complete game highlights
• Click HERE to watch the Play of the Game

boys' lacrosse
Medfield 8, Dover-Sherborn 7 (2 OT)

• Click HERE for complete game highlights
• Click HERE to watch Max Zuccarini's winning goal

MEDFIELD -- Medfield boys' lacrosse coach Bob Aronson doesn't have a lot of veterans on this year's squad. But he doesn't mind listening to the ones he has.

With his Warriors locked in a sudden-death stalemate with rival Dover-Sherborn, Aronson watched senior Max Zuccarini wave off a play the coach had drawn up for a man-up situation midway through a second overtime session.

Zuccarini, one of just four seniors on this year's squad and a cocaptain with Harry Bodozian, took a glance at the personnel on the field and decided it was time to show why he was chosen a leader this spring.

Taking a feed from Bodozian, Zuccarini potted the winner outside the right post with 2:03 remaining in the second extra session as the Warriors escaped with an 8-7 triumph over visiting Dover-Sherborn.

"Coincidentally, he called a play that ended up with him scoring the winning goal," Aronson said with a smile. "He's a smart player. I called one man-up play and he took a look at the players on the field and didn't think it would work, so he called another play."

Zuccarini admittedly wasn't sure some of his fresh-faced teammates were ready for the crunch time moment. Both teams had let opportunities slide by in the extra session and Zuccarini had played enough lacrosse for the day. He'll gladly let you call him selfish, but the play swap was for the betterment of his team.

"It's just one of those plays that we practice a lot and I was comfortable with it," said Zuccarini. "Harry made a great pass. They've got a great goalie over there in Garrett (Akie). I'm glad we got the win."

The game between border rivals and Thanksgiving Day gridiron foes had a bit of an edge to it, particularly with Dover-Sherborn's success last year coupled with Medfield taking a slight step back this spring (some heads turned with a less-than-dominant 8-5 win over Hopkinton to start the year, but Aronson contends his team will be playing its best lacrosse in June).

The Warriors broke out on top, 2-0, but Dover-Sherborn came back to take a brief lead in the second quarter. Medfield scored the final four goals of the first half -- sparked by a pair of tallies by Jack McDermott -- and seemed to be pulling away, but the Raiders stormed back riding some fine defensive play in the second half.

Trevor Pearson's goal late in regulation knotted things at 7 and forced the extra session. Both teams had quality chances -- though sloppy turnovers did plague both sides in the overtimes -- but it wasn't until nearly six minutes beyond regulation that Zuccarini broke the stalemate.

The winning goal came just moments after the Warriors nearly threw away a possession. A poor pass left midfielders scrambling for possession in front of the Medfield bench, but the Raiders took a foul call after a Medfield middie was tripped up after securing possession.

That put the Warriors in a man-up situation and they took full advantage. Bodozian gained possession behind the net and Zuccarini crashed the cage while running off a little screen from McDermott. Zuccarini caught the pass with a defender in his face and Akie came rushing to contest, but Medfield's senior tucked the ball inside the open right side of the cage to trigger a celebration.

With the win, Medfield now boasts a 76-game winning streak in conference play.

"I didn't want to be 75-1," said Zuccarini. "I think sometimes we take (Dover-Sherborn) for granted, and the whole Tri-Valley League. But that's a great team. I think they're going to do real well in Division 3."

Zuccarini finished with three goals, while Whelan paced the Raiders with a hat trick. Both Medfield freshman netminder Sam Aronson and Akie were solid in net and both saved some of their best play for the overtime session.

Medfield senior captain Max Zuccarini scores with 2:03 to play in the second overtime as the Warriors escape with an 8-7 triumph over Tri-Valley League rival Dover-Sherborn.

Recap and highlights to come in a bit.

1st overtime

Quality opportunities for both sides, but nothing in the twine. We're off to a second four-minute, sudden-death overtime.

4th quarter

Tied, 7-7 (end of regulation)

Dover-Sherborn twice rallies to tie this game and we're headed to overtime knotted at 7. Trevor Pearson scored the final goal of regulation for the Raiders to force the extra session.

3rd quarter

Medfield, 6-4 (end of 3rd)

Very quiet third quarter with D-S scoring the lone goal early to cut its deficit to 2. Chris Whelan produced the frame's lone tally.

2nd quarter

Medfield, 6-3 (half)

Jack McDermott produced the middle goals on a four-goal outburst by Medfield late in the first half and the Warriors have come back from an early second-quarter deficit to boast a 6-3 advantage over rival Dover-Sherborn at the intermission.

Dover-Sherborn surged from its own two-goal, first-quarter deficit and scored three consecutive times spanning into the second quarter to take a brief lead.

McDermott scored his goals less than a minute apart to put the Warriors out front, and Harry Bodozian added a tally with 54 ticks to play in the quarter for the three-goal lead.

Rock solid effort for goaltender Sam Aronson so far. He gave up a few early goals when his defense failed to slide when attackers made rushes from behind the net, but he's made some tremendous stops to keep Dover quiet for long stretches.

1st quarter

Medfield, 2-1 (end of 1st)

Sloppy start but the offenses got comfy late and Medfield leads 2-1 after a quarter. Max Zuccarini and Harry Bodozian scored the goals.

Pregame

Welcome to Medfield, where the Forsberg Cruiser sets the temperature at a very April-friendly 61 degrees for today's Tri-Valley League boys' lacrosse showdown between Medfield and Dover-Sherborn.

We've got some April showers turning on and off on this overcast day, and they look like they'll persist throughout today's game, but shouldn't play too much of a role (particularly with a turf surface).

We'll be back with more updates throughout the afternoon.

We open live spring coverage in Medfield this afternoon, where the Warriors boys' lacrosse team hosts Dover-Sherborn in an early season Tri-Valley League showdown at 5 p.m.

Medfield is the defending Division 2 state champion (three titles in four years), but will puts its 74-game conference winning streak on the line against a Dover squad that advanced to the semifinals of the Eastern Mass. Division 3 tournament during an ultra-successful 2007 campaign.

The Warriors dominated the shots in their season-opener against Hopkinton, but only motored away late for an 8-5 triumph. Dover topped Ashland, 13-1, in its season debut.

We'll check in with some game updates tonight and we'll have video highlights afterwards.

One other note: High School Sports Central has flipped over to its new spring look. If you're looking for info from the fall or winter seasons, follow the links in the sport-by-sport navigation bar at the top of the page.

We're proud to have an extensive collection of schedules online this spring. You'll find schedules (and, as the season progresses, game results) for most schools in Eastern Mass. for baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis, and volleyball.

Click one of the sports below to jump to that schedules page.

Baseball | Softball | Boys' lax | Girls' lax | Boys' tennis | Girls' tennis | Volleyball

You can also search by school (only spring schedules for Eastern Mass. teams will be available for now):

We will need your help in keeping these schedules/results up to date. While the schedules will update with results that are phoned in each night by coaches, we'll need help chasing down anything that isn't reported directly to us. Anyone can use the email link at the bottom of each school's team page to submit scores or a schedule change.

Scores not sent by coaches or scorekeepers will need to be confirmed by the school before appearing live on the site.

You can find quick links to many of these team schedules in the upper right-hand corner of High School Sports Central.

Again, many schedules might have small errors (duplicate games or wrong start times or mislabeled opponent) as we get this project off the ground, but with your help we'll smooth everything out.