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| Lincoln-Sudbury remained the king of MIAA Lacrosse with an 8-7 state finals win over BC High |
Our rankings of the best teams in the state at the end of the 2017 lacrosse season, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 6/19)
1. Lincoln-Sudbury (19-1; Last Ranking - 1): The Warriors' third consecutive state championship was the sweetest of them all, as their overlooked senior class went out on top.
2. Hingham (23-3; Last Ranking - 3): Harbormen capped a dominant regular season with a 16-7 thrashing of Longmeadow in D2 State Final. Those wishing to see Hingham vs. L-S could get their wish when the Harbormen re-classify to D1 next season.
3. BC High (19-4; Last Ranking - 6): Eagles won 13 straight to earn rematch with L-S in D1 State Final, but came up just short in an 8-7 thriller.
4. Duxbury (17-6; Last Ranking - 2): A couple of bounces either way during their 11-9 loss to BC High in the D1 South Final, and the Dragons could've been in the State Final trying to upset L-S.
5. Needham (18-4; Last Ranking - 5): These young Rockets will be back and competing for another sectional title after falling to Duxbury in the D1 South semis this spring.
6. Wakefield (20-1; Last Ranking - 4): Despite a shocking loss to Beverly in the D2 North Final, the Warriors put together the best season in program history.
7. Reading (16-4; Last Ranking - 8): Along with brothers Kevin and Mike Tobin, Jack Geiger and goalie C.J. Hart had a phenomenal year to lead the Rockets. The younger Tobin and Geiger will return next year to wreak havoc on the Middlesex League.
8. Longmeadow (21-4; Last Ranking - 23): After ending Medfield’s reign atop Division 2, the Lancers couldn’t handle an absolutely loaded Hingham team in the state final.
9. Medfield (15-7; Last Ranking - 7): Warriors couldn’t pull off another miraculous comeback after falling behind against Longmeadow in the state semifinals.
10. Walpole (19-2; Last Ranking - 11): Jake Hurley and Owen Hunter graduate as two of the most accomplished players in program history, but all the returning Rebels will remember is the sting of a sectional finals loss to Medfield.
11. Ipswich (20-2; Last Ranking - NA): Thanks to a golden group of seniors and some late-game heroics from junior Pat Gillis, the Tigers are D3 state champions.
12. Acton-Boxboro (16-5; Last Ranking - 19): Colonials gave Dual County League rival L-S all it could handle during a 9-7 loss in the D1 North Final.
13. Grafton (22-3; Last Ranking - 21): The hard-nosed Indians slayed their demons by taking down Dover-Sherborn in the state semis, but ran out of magic in a narrow loss to Ipswich in the D3 title game.
14. Dover-Sherborn (17-5; Last Ranking - 9): Along with Medfield, D-S was another Tri-Valley League powerhouse that was stunned at Concord-Carlisle in the state semis. Following a 3OT loss to Grafton, the Raiders will look to rebuild with Bailey Laidman and Jack Mahoney graduating.
15. Newton North (16-5; Last Ranking - 8): After edging Xaverian in a very close quarterfinals matchup, the Tigers were blown away on a scorching afternoon at BC High.
16. Xaverian (9-11; Last Ranking - 15): Despite dealing with a ton of injuries, the Hawks managed to qualify for the state tournament under the Sullivan Rule and play spoiler with a road win over Franklin.
17. Hanover (16-5; Last Ranking - NA): Indians took down Cohasset twice on the way to a state semifinals appearance, but couldn’t come back late against Ipswich.
18. Cohasset (17-7; Last Ranking - 10): Skippers will reload with an excellent group of underclassmen ready to step up next year.
19. Westfield (14-6; Last Ranking - NA): The Bombers stunned St. John’s (Shrewsbury) in the sectional semifinals, but fell for the third time this year to Longmeadow.
20. Franklin (16-5; Last Ranking - 14): Rutgers commit Eric Civetti smashed program records with 100 points on the year. Panthers fans will be excited to have him back for one more season.
21. Beverly (13-10; Last Ranking - NA): Head coach Jim LaSelva was the masterful tactician behind the Panthers stunning 7-6 win over previously undefeated Wakefield.
22. Marshfield (13-7; Last Ranking - NA): Great finish to the season for the Rams, but they were unable to hang on late at Needham.
23. St. John’s (Shrewsbury) (17-4; Last Ranking - 18): Pioneers came up short in a sectional semifinals matchup with Westfield, but were still one of the best teams in their region all year.
24. Hamilton-Wenham (17-2; Last Ranking - 17): The Generals only suffered two losses on the year, but Ipswich ended their run with an 11-7 win in the D3 North Final.
25. Melrose (12-8; Last Ranking – 25): For the second time this season, Melrose fell to Wakefield in a high-scoring thriller, ending their year with a heck of a fight.
Last 10 out: Andover (16-5), Chelmsford (14-5), Concord-Carlisle (13-9), Littleton (18-3), Falmouth (14-4), Nipmuc (19-3), North Andover (13-6), Waltham (12-6), Wellesley (14-6), Winchester (13-7)
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