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HIGH SCHOOL LACROSSE HEADLINES

  • Kristen Sarson: former Bedford High 3-sport captain tackling challenges with unbeaten Boston Militia

    Five times per week, including practices and games, Kristen Sarson trades in her hard hat, protective boots and sampling containers for a football helmet, cleats and playbook. An environmental scientist at Littleton-based GeoInsight, the former three-sport captain at Bedford High is a starting inside linebacker and special teams player for the undefeated Boston Militia of the Women's Football Alliance. "I get kidded at work about how tough our game was that weekend based on how many bruises I have on my arms on Monday morning,'' said the 24-year-0ld Sarson, now in her third season with the Militia, who improved to 9-0 June 22 with a 63-28 playoff victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Passion at Somerville's Dilboy Stadium.(   06/27/2013 1:15 AM )

  • Keifer Heckman, Nick Ouellette power Peabody lacrosse to a strong finish

    PEABODY -- In the opinion of his head coach, Tony O'Donnell, Keifer Heckman is the "greatest player to ever wear a Peabody lacrosse uniform." And in his final season, teamed up with his step brother, fellow captain Nick Ouellette, Heckman put together one heck of a season, powering the Tanners to an 11-9 finish. Although Peabody was ousted 11-6 in their tourney opener by Boston College High, a state semifinalist, it was a dramatic turnaround for a program that had compiled a 19-39 mark in its previous three seasons. Heckman and Nick Ouellette were determined to make a difference. "Captains were never really taken seriously," Heckman said. "We wanted to change that." The hard work paid off: the Tanners qualified for the tournament for the first time since 2009.(   06/20/2013 1:14 AM )

  • GlobeWest: Players of the Week, Top 10 boys' and girls' lacrosse teams

    Jason Mastrodonato's Players of the Week and Top 10 boys' and girls' lacrosse teams from high school programs south of Boston.(   06/20/2013 12:00 AM )

  • All-American goalie Ryan Goodall backstopped Dover-Sherborn lacrosse to a Division 3 repeat

    Put aside the frantic final three minutes at Harvard Stadium last week, when the Dover-Sherborn boys nearly blew a five-goal lead with the Division 3 state title on the line. Go back to the second quarter, when the Raiders held Cohasset -- the highest-powered offense in Eastern Massachusetts during the regular season -- scoreless. The Dover-Sherborn defense played well, but the Skippers had some open looks on net. Some really good ones. "There was a flurry of great chances right there," coach Brian McLaughlin said after his squad hung on for a 12-10 win to capture a second consecutive Division 3 title. "And Ryan Goodall just put the kybosh on that." The senior is the third All-American goalie to suit up for the Raiders in the last seven years.(   06/20/2013 12:00 AM )

  • Xaverian Brothers, Notre Dame lacrosse: A season of firsts

    The 2013 lacrosse was certainly an eventful one for high school programs south of Boston, with no shortage of thrills, drama, or disappointment. Xaverian Brothers and Notre Dame of Hingham hoisted state championship plaques for the first time. A pair of two-time defending champions, the Duxbury High boys and the Westwood High girls, were denied any shot at a repeat with tourney exits a bit earlier than anyone expected. And a few storylines emerged along the way. The lone captain at Xaverian, Liam Driscoll missed the entire regular season with a broken foot. But the senior middie suited up for the tournament and helped propel the Hawks to the Division 1 East title. At Notre Dame of Hingham, sophomore Hanna Cooper backstopped Meredith Frank's squad to a state crown.(   06/20/2013 12:00 AM )

  • GlobeSouth: Top 10 boys' and girls' lacrosse teams

    Tim Healey's Top 10 boys' and girls' lacrosse from high school programs south of Boston.(   06/20/2013 12:00 AM )

  • Longmeadow defeats Medfield 10-7 in boys Division 2 lacrosse state championship

    WORCESTER -- Longmeadow beat Medfield, 10-7, Friday evening at Foley Stadium in Worcester for the Division 2 state championship. The Lancers beat Medfield last month 16-1, but Medfield proved to be more than worthy competition this time around. "It hasn't hit me yet, to be honest," said Longmeadow coach Ryan Liebel. Liebel in his first year with the team capped off a perfect 25-0 season with a championship victory. "Every single day we worked our butts off, 24-0, we didn't think about that," Liebel said. "We were just coming down to play Medfield, and we were ready to play."(   06/15/2013 12:00 AM )

  • Notre Dame (Hingham) beats Longmeadow for Division 1 lacrosse state championship

    WORCESTER -- For the first time in program history, Notre Dame (Hingham) captured the Division 1 girls' lacrosse state championship. The Cougars defeated Western Mass. champs Longmeadow, 13-10, at Foley Stadium in Worcester Friday evening. "It seems surreal to me," said NDA coach Meredith Frank. "This has 100 percent everything to do with my players. I am so proud of these girls." Frank won three state titles while as a player at Westwood High before going on to play for Northwestern University, but this is her first championship as a coach. "When I took over this program [in 2011] I thought this was something we could do," she said. "If you work hard and you put your mind to something, you can achieve it."(   06/15/2013 12:00 AM )

  • John Sexton stands alone as a long stick defender at Lincoln-Sudbury

    The afternoon before one of the biggest lacrosse games of his high school career, a Division 1 East semifinal showdown against Acton-Boxborough with temperatures in the high 70s, John Sexton was far from sinking into a couch. Choosing not to rest his legs, and forgoing a chance to relax his mind, Sexton was standing on the sidelines of a seventh-grade Town Pride League lacrosse game, holding nothing but a gallon jug of water. "Great job; good work; finish strong," were heard coming from him that morning. Sexton, perhaps the best player in the state, was finishing out his commitment as a volunteer coach for middle school players. He's 5-foot-9, 182 pounds, and he's ferocious with the stick-check, graceful on his feet and nearly unbeatable one-on-one.(   06/13/2013 1:19 AM )

  • GlobeWest: Players of the Week, Top 10 boys' and girls' lacrosse teams

    Jason Mastrodonato's Players of the Week and Top 10 boys' and girls' lacrosse teams from high school programs west of Boston.(   06/13/2013 1:19 AM )

  • Norwell High senior Mary O'Connell nets another state lacrosse title with sister

    WELLESLEY -- It was the fairytale ending Mary O'Connell had dreamed of for three years. As a freshman, she embraced her sister, Kara, an All-American defender, when the Norwell High girls captured the Division 2 state title in 2010. And ever since, the younger O'Connell has worked relentlessly to put the Clippers back on top. Now, after a pair of prematurely shortened tourney runs the last two years, the Middlebury-bound star midfielder will depart as a state champion. Norwell beat Winchester, 20-8, on Monday to claim its fifth crown since 2005. This time, though, the script is flipped. Mary is a senior captain, just as Kara, now at Boston College, was three years ago. Yet another O'Connell, Jane, is the up-and-coming freshman basking with her sister in the glory of a state championship.(   06/13/2013 1:18 AM )

  • Westford Academy girls' lacrosse rode positivity to deep postseason run

    At Westford Academy, the theme is positivity. Julie Devlin Olivier does not allow the players on her girls' lacrosse team to even use words such as "lose" or "bad." Even when the Grey Ghosts do lose -- and that is not every often -- the focus instead is on what the team won that day. The strategy, seemingly, has been successful: Westford squared off against Notre Dame of Hingham in the Division 1 state semifinals Tuesday night. But a closer look at the Grey Ghosts reveals that there were a few issues along the way that were not so positive. "We had to find the good and highlight the positives," said captain Bailey Mongillo of the team's overcoming a number of hurdles this season.(   06/13/2013 1:17 AM )

  • Xaverian topples L-S for Div. 1 lacrosse title

    Xaverian got a complete team effort to defeat Lincoln-Sudbury, 9-5, in the EMass Division 1 lacrosse championship game at Harvard Stadium Wednesday night. The Hawks received the state championship trophy on Harvard's historic field after the dominant win. "Every preseason the light at the end of the tunnel is being here," said coach Tim Gardner. "You work for this day and you hope it could happen and we've gotten close before. "To win this game against Lincoln-Sudbury, which is a special team, in this fashion, is pretty remarkable."(   06/13/2013 12:40 AM )

  • Notre Dame (Hingham) defeats Westford for Division 1 girls' lacrosse title

    Senior Alex Dalton and freshman Charlotte Allard combined for 10 goals to lead Notre Dame (Hingham) past Westford Academy, 12-9, Wednesday for the Eastern Mass. Division 1 girls' lacrosse title. The Cougars defeated the Grey Ghosts 12-9. "Belief in themselves, that's what spurred this run," said Notre Dame coach Meredith Frank. "I told them that it's achievable and you have to believe in yourself to get this far." The game, played at Wellesley College, pitted pinned the Division 1 North and South sectional champions against one another to determine who will represent Eastern Mass. in the Division 1 state final Friday in Worcester.(   06/13/2013 12:00 AM )

  • Globe North: Players of the week, top 10 boys' and girls' lacrosse teams

    Pat Bradley's Players of the Week, Top 10 boys' and girls' lacrosse teams from high school programs north of Boston.(   06/13/2013 12:00 AM )

  • Norwell bests Winchester for Division 2 girls' lacrosse state title

    At the Division 2 girls' lacrosse state final held Monday night at Wellesley College, Winchester had a chance to avenge its 2010 state final loss to Norwell. But history repeated itself and the Clippers were once again victorious, 20-8, capturing their fifth state title since 2005. Winchester jumped out to a 3-0 lead earlyin the first half, which forced Norwell head coach Kara Connerty to burn a timeout. "We talked about nerves coming into play," said Connerty, in her fourth season at the helm. "We went down, 3-0, and our goal there is to really push it, try to create confusion, and score." Once the ball was back in play, the Clippers took over.(   06/11/2013 12:00 AM )

  • Hingham, Dover-Sherborn advance to MIAA sectional finals in boys' lacrosse

    It didn't take long for top-seeded Hingham to take control of their its Division 2 East ern Masssemifinal game with Beverly, as the host Harbormen jumped out to a 3-0 lead they would never relinquish by the end of the first quarter en route to an 8-4 victory Sunday afternoon. With the victory Hingham advances to the Division 2 Eastern Masssectional final Wednesday against No. 2 seed Medfield at Harvard Stadium. Division 3 Dover-Sherborn 15, Hanover 3 -- The enduring most memorable moment from host Dover-Sherborn's 15-3 win over Hanover in the Division 3 boys' lacrosse state semifinals Sunday at Dover-Sherborn High School didn't come from a defensive play or a spectacular goal. It came when Raiders coach Brian McLaughlin substituted out senior goaltender Ryan Goodall with 3:27 to play in the fourth quarter of a game that was well in hand. "[Goodall's] was the MVP of the league, so he's been great all year," McLaughlin said. (   06/10/2013 4:07 AM )

  • Xaverian takes down BC High in Div. 1 lacrosse semifinal

    On four separate occasions Saturday night, the Xaverian boys' lacrosse team took a lead, and all four times, BC High came right back to tie it up. But the fifth time -- the final time -- and final time the Eagles didn't get that chance. It was overtime. Sophomore attackman Lukas Buckley, seconds after jumping up and down with two arms in the air knowing fully well he had a wide open shot, took a pass from senior Ryan McClellan and whipped a rocket from about 10 yards out 1:09 into overtime to give the seventh-seeded Hawks the 8-7 win in the Division 1 state semifinal in Westwood. "It was a ground ball in the corner, and I knew they'd all collapse on the ball," Buckley said.(   06/09/2013 12:26 AM )

  • Notre Dame of Hingham topples Westwood in girls lacrosse

    Notre Dame (Hingham)of Hingham proved Thursday night that they had the goods to take down two-time defending state champs champion Westwood. The Cougars defeated the host Wolverines, 10-7, at Westwood's Flahive Field to capture their first Division 1 South girls' lacrosse sectional title. and move on to the state tournament "We've waited so long for an opportunity like this to propel our program forward. It presented itself and we seized it," said senior Mariel Teague, a four-year starter. Notre Dame came ready to play and caught Westwood on their its heels. Kelsey Bowen scored the game's first goal just three minutes in but the Wolverines bounced back with a goal a minute later from Kasey Keane. The first half continued the same way, with Westwood matching every Notre Dame tally and the teams entered halftime tied at 4-4.(   06/07/2013 12:00 AM )

  • Lawrence boys tip St. John's Prep in volleyball

    Lawrence senior Anibal Henriquez registered eight points in the final set to rally his team past Central Catholic, 3-1, in the boys' volleyball North Sectional Final Wednesday. Fans marveled at Anibal Henriquez's performance in the final set as the senior rallied with a combination of tips, blocks and hits earning Lawrence the North sectional final trophy with the 3-1 win at Central Catholic Wednesday. Anibal registered eight points in the final set to pave a 22-9 lead for Bryan Camilo to wrap up with two spikes (18-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-11). "What can I say, it was a tremendous game. I didn't know what I was feeling at the moment I was just playing my game and giving it my all," said Henriquez (17 kills), whose heroics set up Bryan Camilo's two spikes for the victory (18-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-11). "We wanted this and we accomplished it," he said. The Lancers enter the state semifinal arena against Milford/Medfield on a 21-game winning streak. The squad's last loss was to Milford, 3-1, on April 8. "Exemptive of the 2005 team,This is a team who knows how to come back when they're down," said Lancers coach Tony Hajjar. (   06/06/2013 12:57 PM )

  • Kristin Igoe a winning hire for Franklin High girls' lacrosse

    WESTWOOD - Kristin Igoe didn't have a lacrosse stick in her hands this time. She couldn't jump on the field and end Leslie Frank's season. It's been six years since she did that. On the sidelines at Westwood High on Monday night, Igoe, the 23-year-old first-year Franklin coach and currently one of the best midfielders in the country, had her gifted hands tucked in the pockets of a light jacket. The sun was set now; the season over. The Panthers, 11-2 losers in the Division 1 South semifinals, finishing with a 19-3 record, shook the hands of the victorious Wolverines and retreated to their bench to release some tears. But this was more of a celebration than a funeral. There were no, "I'm sorrys." (   06/06/2013 1:14 AM )

  • GlobeWest: Players of the Week, Top 10 boys' and girls' lacrosse teams

    Jason Mastrodonato's Players of the Week and Top 10 boys' and girls' lacrosse teams from high school programs west of Boston. (   06/06/2013 1:14 AM )

  • At Scituate High, a new chapter for high-scoring Ciessau brothers

    NORTH ANDOVER -- As the sun set May 28, giving way to another cool spring night, Tucker Ciessau was forced to digest something he had been putting off for as long as possible: His stellar scholastic career was over. He laid on his back for several minutes after the Scituate High boys' lacrosse team had absorbed a 17-6 loss to host North Andover in the preliminary round of the Division 2 East sectional, gazing at the various shades of orange in the sky above. For Ciessau, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound attack who led the Sailors (11-10) in scoring (67 goals, 48 assists), the next chapter is a lacrosse scholarship at Division I Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky., where he will join former Scituate defenseman Shane Healey. (   06/06/2013 1:14 AM )

  • GlobeSouth: Players of the Week, Top 10 boys' and girls' lacrosse teams

    Tim Healey's Players of the Week and Top 10 boys' and girls' lacrosse teams from high school programs south of Boston. (   06/06/2013 1:14 AM )

  • Globe North: Players of the week, top 10 boys' and girls' lacrosse teams

    Pat Bradley's players of the week and top 10 boys' and girls' lacrosse teams from high school programs north of Boston.(   06/06/2013 12:00 AM )