Nashoba Outmuscles Groton-Dunstable on Opening Night

By John McGuirk (@patsfan1313)

BOLTON - The unexpected second half fireworks show wasn't the only thing lighting up the Nashoba Regional skyline Friday night. The Chieftains offense and defense combined to put on a pretty good light show of their own. Racking up 310 yards of offense, Nashoba opened its season with a flurry, blanking Mid-Wach B Divisional counterpart Groton-Dunstable, 34-0.

Two years removed from winning the Division 2 Super Bowl, the Chieftains, at least early on, appear primed to make another run on Gillette Stadium come December. Although one game is hardly a defining example, nonetheless, this team has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball but, like most clubs, the Chieftains are taking the one game at a time approach.

But starting the season 1-0 can certainly set a precedent of greater things to come.

Central Mass Lax Power Rankings: The End of 2017

It's hard to deny the significance of what coach Alan Rotatori (right) and his Grafton Indians have done the last three years, but is Grafton our top team in CMass this season?

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

The state championships have come and gone, and another season of Central Mass lacrosse is in the books. It was a year of surprises, memorable runs and, unfortunately, tragedy, with the passing of former Tantasqua coach John Pedace.

While it was a bitter sweet season for many in the region, several teams did make their presence known at the state level, some for the very first time. So, without further ado, here are our final Central Mass Lax Power Rankings of 2017. Be on the lookout for our annual CMass All-Stars and Award Winners later this week.

Littleton Runs Away from Groton-Dunstable in D3 C/E Semifinals

By Ryan Bowman (@_ryanbowman_)

CONCORD - Looking to avenge an early season loss, the Littleton Tigers came out in the D3 C/E semifinals firing on all cylinders.

The Tigers easily took care of the Groton-Dunstable Crusaders, winning 13-4 for a spot in the sectional final. It would be hard to point to one specific area Littleton bested the Crusaders today, since the Tigers were pretty much better in all phases.

Because of Danny Angell and Anthony Rausa, among others, the Crusader defense simply could not keep up with the wide array of offense from the Tigers.

Central Mass Lax Power Rankings: Week 7

Grafton junior goalie Matt Nicalek

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Like I said last week, it's too late in the year for lengthy introductions, but this week does bring a new No. 1 team in our Power Rankings, and the league races across Central Mass are starting to stabilize.

Continue below for this week's Top 10.

Central Mass Lax Power Rankings: Week 6

Jared Collari (1) and Griffin Shoemaker (3) are just two of Littleton's many weapons.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

It's too late in the season for lengthy introductions, so I'll just say that this week brings a matchup of the top two teams in our Power Rankings.

Check out our latest Top 10 below as a huge week for CMass lax begins.

Central Mass Lax Power Rankings: Week 5

Nipmuc is the last remaining unbeaten in Central Mass after a wild week.  Photo courtesy of @NipmucHSLax

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Just when you think you've got the region figured out… Wow, did last week give us a lot to think about, and there was a great deal of movement in our rankings as a result.

Let's not waste any time. Continue below for this week's Top 10.

Postgame Blog: Groton-Dunstable Makes Statement Against Tyngsboro

Groton-Dunstable midfielder Liam McDonough (12) celebrates one of his five goals.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

On a cold, damp morning in Tyngsboro, it was visiting Groton-Dunstable that came out hot, jumping on the host Tigers and running away with a 10-3 win Saturday.

It was a complete team effort from the Crusaders (7-0), as junior middie Liam McDonough dominated the face-off X, and threw home five goals, while junior goalie Nevin Tardif stopped 10 shots behind a stellar defensive performance led by senior Nate Forbes.

Here are a few takeaways from today's game.

McDonough Ready for Prime Time

Though he wasn't known state-wide, lacrosse observers in Central Mass knew all about McDonough, a physical middie who can takeover games both at the X and around the cage. McDonough's five goals came both off his ability to win the draw, and his skill to catch passes in traffic and finish off nice feeds from Michael Tammaro, Jack O'Neill and Mitchell Townsend.

PHOTO GALLERY: Groton-Dunstable Lacrosse vs Tyngsboro

Groton-Dunstable pole Nate Forbes defends Tyngsboro middie Kyle Laforge.

Photos by Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

I'll have a postgame blog up a little later, but Groton-Dunstable went on the road and topped rival Tyngsboro 10-3 this morning, sending a statement to the rest of the region.

The Crusaders are now 7-0, and may be the most surprisingly dominant team in Central Massachusetts.

Continue below for photos, and note that you can click any image to enlarge it and launch a slideshow.

RADIO: The Local Sports Lunchbox with St. John's and Groton-Dunstable Lacrosse

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

On this week's edition of the Local Sports Lunchbox on WPKZ we welcome in the stars of St. John's and Groton-Dunstable lacrosse.

Also, I preview each league race in Central Massachusetts, talk about the biggest surprises in the region and look ahead to the biggest games of the next week. Listen in below for all that, and more. on this week's episode.

Central Mass Lax Power Rankings: Week 2

Tantasqua's senior attack trio of Anthony Law, Ben Beaudry and Mike Frio is off to a hot start.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

As you might expect, there was tremendous movement from Week 1 to Week 2 in our Power Rankings. Only top-ranked St. John's is ranked in the same spot as last week, as a slew of upsets and close calls shook up our Top-10.

Check out this week's rankings below.

Central Mass Lax Power Rankings: The Start of 2017

Grafton is coming off back-to-back district titles and state championship game appearances, but with plenty of talent gone to graduation, the Indians will need to find new stars in 2017.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Ah, it's that time of year.

The weather is going back and forth from beautiful to horrid, and I now get to pretend I know how the Central Mass lacrosse season will go.

This year is especially tricky as, outside of St. John's, it seems like every team is losing multiple star players. But, at the same time, many of the best players in the region are back, and nearly all of them will have to carry even bigger loads in 2017.

I'd love to cop out and wait a few weeks to do my first Power Rankings, but that's way too easy. So, with many teams across the region set to open their schedules today, here are my first Power Rankings of the year, which I'm sure will look silly in a few weeks.

2017 Central Mass Lacrosse Preseason All-Stars

Westboro attackman Trevor McNamara will look to build off a monster junior campaign.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

It may not always feel like it, but spring has sprung here in the Heart of the Commonwealth, and that means it's time to start talking Central Mass lacrosse.

Though SuiteSports will now be covering the entire state for both lacrosse and baseball (we're expanding!), you know I've got you covered with the best CMass lax coverage you're gonna get anywhere. Be on the lookout for team/league previews, an updated recruiting database, and our first Power Rankings, all coming soon.

Without further ado, here are our preseason CMass All-Stars.

Nashoba Pulls Away from Rival Groton-Dunstable to win D2 Central

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel1821)

WORCESTER, Mass. - The Midland Wachusett B League was arguably the best league in Central Mass and, perhaps, one of the deepest in the state this season. Four of the five teams (Westborough, regular-season league champion Marlborough, Nashoba, and Groton-Dunstable) qualified for the MIAA Division 2 Central State tournament.

Mid-Wach B was well represented in the sectional final, with Nashoba and Groton-Dunstable facing off for a chance to win a sectional tournament and advance to the state semifinal.

On Saturday night at WPI, the Nashoba Chieftains (20-3) took down the Groton-Dunstable Crusaders (19-4), 59-47, giving Nashoba its first sectional tournament title since 1977.

Previewing the MIAA Boys' Hoops D2 Sectional Finals

Jerrod Clark and the Brighton Bengals have had some pep in their step this tournament season.

By Matt Feld (@mattyfeld612) and Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

We're getting down to the nitty gritty of the MIAA boys' basketball tournament, and the next few days will see sectional championship games played across all 16 sections.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves with all that. Here's our preview of the four sectional finals in Division 2. If you would like to read our Division 1 sectional final previews, you can find them here.

Mendes and Cappadona Lead Marlboro Past Groton-Dunstable

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel1821)

MARLBORO, Mass.- With four teams in Mid-Wach B (Nashoba, Westborough, Groton-Dunstable, and Marlborough) having at least eight wins, the best way to separate them is to see the results when two of the teams go head-to-head.

On Friday night in Marlborough, the Marlborough Panthers (9-2, 4-0 Mid-Wach B) added a 66-48 victory over the Groton-Dunstable Crusaders (8-2, 2-2 Mid-Wach B) to their résumé.

In a game where Marlborough led from start to finish, the Panthers were paced by starting guards Joao Mendes and Owen Cappadona. Mendes led all scorers with 22 points, while Cappadona contributed 19 points and 8 rebounds.

Nashoba Hands Groton-Dunstable its First Loss

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel1821)

GROTON, Mass. -  On Friday night at Groton-Dunstable Regional High School, the Nashoba Chieftains showed that they learned something from their tough loss against Marlborough on Tuesday.

On Friday night in Groton, the Chieftains (8-1) handed the Groton-Dunstable Crusaders their first loss of the season, 55-46.

Groton-Dunstable Holds Off Algonquin to Remain Unbeaten

Led by a strong group of seniors including Ethan Cook (40), Gavin Keough (34), Tyler LeClerc (3), and Logan Higgins (24), Groton-Dunstable held off the Algonquin Tomahawks, 57-51, to remain undefeated.

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel)

NORTHBOROUGH, Mass.- The Groton-Dunstable Crusaders kept their undefeated season intact by taking down the Algonquin Tomahawks, 57-51, on Friday night at Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough.

The Crusaders (7-0) came out firing, hitting shots on their first two possessions of the game. Senior guard Tyler LeClerc scored 8 of his game-high 18 points in the first period. LeClerc had as many first-quarter points as the Tomahawks (3-4), helping Groton-Dunstable grab a 20-8 lead after eight minutes of play.

“(LeClerc) is a playmaker for us,” Groton-Dunstable head coach Greg Gillette said about his starting guard. “He can beat people off the dribble, knock down shots… he’s a skilled player.”

The Tomahawks responded by finding their groove on the offensive end in the second quarter. Senior Dustin Branson, who finished with 10 points and 15 boards, scored 4 points in the first 49 seconds of the second period.

Central Mass Lax District Semifinals Preview

St. John's goalie Matt Mongeau and pole Sam Correnti (4) will be key for the Pioneers against top-seeded Minnechaug.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Seven Central Mass lacrosse teams remain alive across three districts and two divisions, but nearly all of them head into this week's semifinals as underdogs.

Let's take a look at each team left standing, and what they must do to take the next step.

Division 2 Central/West

The only D2 bracket to feature Central Mass teams still has two CMass squads alive, but each will enter the semifinals as underdogs against Western Mass powers.

Central Mass Lax Power Rankings: Week 7

St. John's goalie Matt Mongeau

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

We're too late in the season for pointless introductions, so let's just get to this week's Top-10, where there's some shakeup both at the top, and near the bottom.

1. Algonquin: 12-2, 8-0 Mid-Wach A. D2 Central/West

Last Week: Ranked No. 1. Defeated No. 6 Groton-Dunstable 8-4, Nashoba 14-9 and South Hadley 19-9.

The T-Hawks bounced back from a brutal defeat at the hands of Hingham to lock up at least a share of the Mid-Wach A crown with wins over Groton-Dunstable and Nashoba.

Algonquin can clinch the league title outright with wins over either Wachusett (Tuesday) or Shrewsbury (Thursday) this week, or finish the year perfect in Mid-Wach A play if they defeat both of them.

Things pick up out of league play Saturday when the T-Hawks travel to St. John's for one of the best rivalry games in the state. Gonk will then finish its season next week with a trip to Grafton next Wednesday, so there could definitely be some shakeup in these rankings again.

Postgame Blog and Highlights: Groton-Dunstable Outlasts Marlboro

Groton-Dunstable sophomore Liam McDonough (12) and senior Nick Irby (2) celebrate a fourth quarter goal.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Thanks to a 6-0 run in the third and fourth quarter, Groton-Dunstable pulled away from Marlboro to win 13-9, in what had been a competitive game to that point on Tuesday afternoon.

In fact, the Crusaders (7-3, 1-3 Mid-Wach A) scored three goals in the final 25 seconds of the third quarter, thanks to three straight face-off victories and a pair of scores by sophomore Liam McDonough. At the seven-minute mark of the third, Groton-Dunstable was tied with Marlboro (8-2, 4-0 Mid-Wach C) 5-5, but the Crusaders' advantage in possession time, and just overall energy, carried them to a dominating finish.

Here are a few takeaways, with video highlights at the bottom.