By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
Five Bay State boys lacrosse teams, led by NEPSAC member Deerfield Academy, have jostled their way into the Top 100 teams nationwide, according to the latest MaxPreps National Rankings. And 11 teams overall are in the top 10 percent of the national poll or 2,621 teams overall, a tribute to the excellent public and private school programs in Massachusetts.
1. Deerfield (14-1), competing in the NEPSAC Division I West, catapulted to 25, ahead of Governor's Academy (46) despite a 9-8 loss to Avon Old Farms. Among Connecticut victims claimed by the Big Green are No. 3 Salisbury School (ranked No. 48 nationally), No. 9 Loomis Chaffee, and No. 24 Taft. They also conquered No. 100 Phillips Exeter Academy and Longmeadow (Mass.).
The only shame here is that Deerfield and Trinity-Pawling (14-1 against New England private school competition) will not get to meet and determine a true NEPSAC championship.
Deerfield, the second highest nationally-ranked team in New England – just behind No. 23 Darien, Conn. – has climbed higher more rapidly among any top 50 team the past two weeks. With players from seven states and three countries (most notably 2007 High School All-American midfielder J.J. Gilbane of Rhode Island) they have achieved their 15th consecutive winning season, which now includes 129-12 record and at least a share of six league championships since 2000.
2. Governor's Academy of Byfield (16-0) is one of only four Bay State teams to remain undefeated, though bumped to No. 2 statewide. Two exceptional midfielders – Maryland-bound Mike Shakespeare and North Carolina-bound Jeff Muscatello – have been the driving forces thus far for Governor's Academy, which has validated its high ranking by defeating many top 15 Bay State squads, including No. 8 Noble and Greenough, No. 9 Rivers, No. 10 St. Sebastian's Country Day, and No. 12 Middlesex.
3. St. John's Prep has leapfrogged past Duxbury, ranked at No. 90 (up 24 spots from a week ago), and sports a record of 13-2 in the Catholic Conference. The Eagles are led by Mark Scalise, a senior attackman who will be attending Harvard. Against No. 14 Boston College High, Scalise scored the winning goal with 49 seconds left in a 10-9 victory. And in a game helping capture the league title, John Jennings scored a goal in the fourth period in a 10-9 win over second-place Xaverian.
4. Duxbury, four-time Division 1 state champions, No. 95 nationally and 16-2 overall, has continued its five-year onslaught with an unbeaten record extended to 85 wins against all Bay State squads. The Patriots, embarking again on the toughest public-school schedule statewide, have posted wins against several of the Bay State's teams, including wins over No. 43 Cohasset, No. 7 Billerica Memorial, No. 24 Scituate, Marshfield, No. 6 Longmeadow, No. 5 Xaverian Brothers, No. 14 Boston College High and even No. 3 St. John's Prep, 7-5. Maryland-bound defenseman Craig Sullivan, is the most heralded of the attackmen while Scott Austin (headed for Cornell) along with Derek Sweet and Gus Quinzani have certainly put the Dragons in position to capture a sixth straight title.
5. Longmeadow, despite a recent loss to Duxbury, climbed to No. 97 nationally. Kyle Smith has 67 goals and 37 assists while James Reardon has registered 53 goals and 41 assists for the Lancers while the defensive corps and goalie Richard Al-Husseini have minimized the goals against. The high-scoring Lancers, who have captured 16 state titles overall - their last in 1997 - and have appeared in 30 state finals overall, average 14 goals a game, with Smith and Reardon accounting for over half the goals.
6. Xaverian Brothers (13-4) has jumped to No. 115 nationally despite late-season losses to St. John's Prep and Duxbury. Midfielders Mark Whalen and Ryan Abely, along with attackmen Brendan Grant and Chris Rigoli, have fueled the Hawks attack thus far.
7. Noble & Greenough, No. 131, with an 11-3 record, has remained steady but lost golden opportunities to move up in the state and nationally in losing, 10-9, to both Philips Exeter Academy and to No. 2 Governor's Academy.
8. Billerica Memorial (No. 142) has absorbed four losses by a total of six goals, three of them by one goal each, including 12-11 to its nemesis, Duxbury (which defeated them in the 2007 state semifinals in double overtime). Attackman Greg Melaugh is the star of the Indians but has ample support around him, including goalie Pat O'Loughlin, Mike Hurley, Adam Foss, Ross Murphy and Mike Slatton, along with solid defensive contributions from several teammates.
9. Rivers, No. 152 nationally, also has had a grueling schedule and with a 13-4 mark has lost to No. 7 Noble & Greenough, 5-4, and No. 10 St. Sebastian. Rivers, 10-9, behind two goals and five assists from Jordan Greenfield, has edged No. 17 Belmont Hill, 6-4. They have a return match with Noble & Greenough this week.
10. St. Sebastian's Country Day. Like Rivers, the Arrows lost by just one goal to Noble and Greenough but also gave No. 2 Governor's Academy a battle before succumbing, 11-7. They own wins over No. 17 Belmont Hill and a 5-4 squeaker over Middlesex, 5-4.
Bay State Lacrosse Notes
* Walpole, No. 11, in first place in the Bay State League, ranks No. 204 nationally but with its 15-0 record is another team with a perfect record left in Massachusetts. Among their stars thus far has been midfielder Davis Butts, senior attackman Greg Nash and senior defenseman Ryan Whittemore. The only thing standing in the way of the Rebels unbeaten regular season is a matchup this week with league rival Wellesley (15-3).
* Completing MaxPreps top 25 is No. 12 Middlesex Academy; No. 13 Andover, Merrimack Valley; No. 14 Boston College High; No. 15 Reading Memorial, Middlesex; No. 16 Phillips Andover, NEPSAC; No. 17 Belmont Hill; No. 18 Northfield Mount Hermon; No. 19 Medfield, Tri-Valley; No. 20 Minnechaug Regional; No. 21 Westborough, Central 'A'; No. 22 Waltham, Greater Boston; No. 23 St. John's, Central 'A'; No. 24 Scituate, Patriot and No. 25 Tabor Academy, NEPSAC.
* King Philip Regional (Wrentham), is currently ranked No. 28 in the Bay State but also has continued its unbeaten streak with a record of 19-0, having clinched the Hockomock League title at 12-0. Senior attackman Matt Schairer has been the scoring leader thus far, while John Cuozzo has been a major contributor on offense, with goalie Nate Robeson and long stickman Chris Pellichero anchoring the defense.
* Bromfield is yet another unbeaten squad. With an independent schedule, the 13-0 Trojans have scored 140 goals and yielded just 47 behind efforts from top scorers such as Jack Wilkinson and Dylan Gatto, in addition to Conner MacKenzie and outstanding efforts from goalie Kevin Wilkinson.
Girls Lacrosse: Westwood Soars to National Recognition
How does Westwood (14-0-1) go from Tri-Valley League champions and 2007 Division 1 Eastern Massachusetts finalist to a team ranked 12th nationally and outscoring opponents, 249-70? Well, it doesn't hurt to be able to apply so much offensive pressure with two High School All-Americans, Alexandra Frank, who has committed to Northwestern, and Erin Massimi, in addition to having promising sophomore midfielder Kelly Rich.
But while the Wolverines are No. 1 in Massachusetts, two other teams aren't too far behind. No. 7 Framingham (16-1-1), in second place in the Bay State League and ranked No. 56 nationally, tied recently with Westwood, 15-15, in a grueling encounter. No. 10 Wellesley (14-0-1) has beaten Framingham and is in first place in the league, while ranked No. 88 nationally,
Russ Waterman covers Massachusetts and Rhode Island for MaxPreps.com. He may be reached at rwathoop3@aol.com
