Hughes sets the tone for Andover lacrosse

His maturation leads to success

Wayne Puglisi and his coaching staff clearly remember the moment Brendan Hughes showed his true colors with the Andover High boys' lacrosse program.

It wasn't a highlight-reel play or an important playoff game.

"We had just beaten BC High in the quarterfinals" last season, Puglisi said. "After the game, the bus's battery died, so we were all hanging out waiting for another bus to come. Brendan asked if he could grab the balls and just shoot around on the field. Pretty soon, the entire team was out there, playing and laughing and having fun. Really, the way they reacted was because of Brendan."

Hughes's transformation from a young, inexperienced player to one of Puglisi's most dependable midfielders occurred last season when he earned a spot in the starting lineup in his third varsity season. He ended the year with an astonishing 53 goals and 43 assists in the Golden Warriors' run to the Division 1 semifinals against Xaverian, earning All-America honors.

It's been quite a rise to prominence for a player who first picked up a stick in the fourth grade while his family was living in Cohasset. With his best friend, Mark Flibotte, also hooked, Hughes shifted his focus from baseball to lacrosse that spring.

"I didn't know too much about it, but I heard that everyone who tried it loved it," said Hughes, who has piled up 133 career points - 75 goals and 58 assists - at Andover. "Mark's dad was my coach that year and I loved it, too. It's more intense, fast-paced, and more constant than baseball.

His athletic talents are not confined to lacrosse. In the fall, he wrapped up his high school football career as a two-way performer at running back and safety. In the winter, he ran for the indoor track team. Off the field, Hughes carries a 3.8 grade-point average and plays guitar.

Hughes's ability to put the team first has fueled his success, Puglisi said.

"He emotionally understands he can't do everything," Puglisi said. "As a sophomore, he played under some great midfielders. When he was on the field, he thought he had to prove he belonged with those caliber players at that age. Now, he's embraced the team game. He's a performer; he won't beat you with words but with actions."

Hughes agreed with his mentor's assessment.

"I'm not the biggest guy out there," said Hughes, who is 5 feet 9 inches tall, "but I try to bring everyone together. We did so well last year because we were a team. We left our hearts out there as a team, left it all on the field as a team. You have to blend with your teammates to share one goal. You can get the skills in practice, but if you're not a team, and if everyone doesn't get the team aspect, it just won't work."

Coming off its best season, at 16-5, since becoming a varsity program in 2000, Andover opened the current season with an 8-3 victory over Newton South last week, with Hughes supplying a pair of goals. "We're just getting into the flow of being back in games instead of practices," he said.

Hughes and Peter Hanson will power the Golden Eagle attack. Defensively, Matt Rayner is the anchor after Kevin Drew tore an anterior-cruciate ligament in his knee on the first day of practice. Midfielders Sam Cook and Joe Lamagna also are off to strong starts to open the new season. Attacks Justin Malins and Matt Erikson also will be prominent in Puglisi's starting lineup.

The program is still less than a decade old, but Andover fields varsity, junior- varsity, and freshman squads, with more than 100 students trying out each spring. Puglisi said the sport's growth allows a stronger feeder system for the high school program.

Hughes joined the town's youth lacrosse program when he was in the fifth grade, after moving from Cohasset.

His friendship with Flibotte, however, has continued. Next year, the pair will attend Bowdoin College, where both will play for the men's lacrosse team in Division 3. Hughes plans to study economics.

"It's ironic, because he's the one who got me into the sport," Hughes said. "We grew up together and now we're going to be at the same school playing lacrosse. I never would have thought that."