Dover-Sherborn Holds off Grafton for Spot in D3 Final

By Ryan Bowman (@itsryanbowman)

Bolton, Mass. - In the seemingly annual tradition, Grafton and Dover-Sherborn met in the D3 State Tournament for the fourth straight year.

Led by freshman Pierce Gregory’s five goals, the Raiders ultimately prevailed 15-11 and earned the right to take on Cohassett in the Division 3 State Championship on Saturday afternoon at Boston University.

VIDEO CLIPS: Grafton tops Nipmuc for Fourth Consecutive Sectional Title

Videos by Matt Siegel (@SportVideoMA)

Marlborough, Mass. - The Grafton Indians held on for an 8-6 victory over Mid-Mass rival Nipmuc Thursday night, winning their fourth consecutive Division 3 Central/West title in the process.

Our Matt Siegel was there to capture a few video clips of the big win. Continue below for all the highlights.

2018 Mid-Mass Lacrosse League All-Stars

Senior goalie Dan Hollis is just one of many Hopedale stars selected to this season's Mid-Mass All-Star team.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

The 2018 regular season is nearly in the books, and the Mid-Mass Lacrosse League has released its All-Star team following a banner year for the league.

League champion Grafton will look to get back to the Division 3 state championship game for a fourth consecutive year, and the Indians will be joined by fellow Mid-Mass squads Nipmuc, Hopedale and Tantasqua in the postseason.



If your league has released its All-Star team, feel free to pass that along to me at my Twitter handle above, or email it over to jparello86@gmail.com.

Continue below for the complete Mid-Mass All-Star team!

RECAP & PHOTOS: St. John's (Shrewsbury) Pulls Away from Grafton

Story by Andrew Bowman (@andrew_bowman5)

Photos by Ryan Bowman (@_ryanbowman_)

Ed. Note- Scroll down for a full photo gallery from the game, and note that you can click any image to enlarge and launch a slideshow.

Grafton, Mass. - Grafton High School hosted one of the best lacrosse rivalries in Central Mass, with the Indians welcoming regional power St. John's (Shrewsbury).

It would be the visiting Pioneers who would emerge victorious, defeating the Indians 10-4.

RECAP AND PHOTOS: Shrewsbury gets Possessive against Grafton

Mason Kohn controlled possession for Shrewsbury all day, winning 18 of 19 faceoffs against Grafton.

Story by Ryan Morgera (@RyanMor_ASSCO)

Photos by Sydney LaQue (@SydneyLaque)

Ed. Note: Continue below for a photo gallery from the Colonials' big win over the Indians. Click any image to enlarge and launch a slideshow.

Mason Kohn has controlled the faceoff X for the Shrewsbury Colonials all season, and Wednesday was no different, as Kohn helped the Colonials push past Grafton, 13-6, with his dominant performance at the X.

Kohn won 18-19 faceoffs, which helped the Colonials keep possession for a very high percentage of the game. He started off the game with a faceoff win, which led to a long possession for Shrewsbury and eventual Alex Cashman goal. Cole Russo followed that up with one of his own to make the score 2-0.

“Mason on the faceoff draws is huge” said Shrewsbury senior captain Chris Campbell. “It’s make it take it for us, we know if there’s a man down and they score we will get the ball back to try and get another goal. The kid’s a stud, he’s a tremendous leader, and he’s definitely going to play at the next level somewhere. We’re really lucky to have him."

Shrewsbury Head Coach Nate Skermont feels that Kohn “is a game changer at X”. “We respect the heck out of Grafton and what their program has accomplished so we know that being able to get more possessions than them would put us in a position to be successful.”

Grafton’s Jake McCue followed with a nifty goal of his own to get within one of the Colonials, but it wasn’t long until Chris Campbell caused a turnover for the Colonials, led a fast break, then fed to Kohn for his first goal of the day. Score 3-1 Colonials at the end of the first.

Grafton started the scoring in the second when Johnny Malloy found the back of the net off a rip from the top of the box. Campbell was flagged on the play, so Grafton was on man up, but just seconds into the penalty, Shrewsbury drew a penalty and then killed the clock, and they were now on a man up.

Senior Kyle Spagnuolo (1G, 2A) took advantage for the Colonials as he found the back of the cage, followed by Cashman with his second, and two straight goals from Alec Buduo (2G 4A). This pushed the score to 7-2 Colonials.

Steve Rotatori added his first to bring the score to 7-3 Colonials. Mason Kohn added his second, and then Rotatori scored his second as time expired in the second quarter to make the score at the half 8-4 Shrewsbury.

The Colonials outscored Grafton 5-2 in the second half, with goals coming from Russo (3G, 2A), Jackson Lane (1G), Kohn (3G, 1A, and Cashman (3G).

Offensively, the Colonials were able to get on the board early and never turn back.

Kohn said “we scored a couple quick goals early”, and was “just excited to be able to put up 13 (goals) and get a big win today.”

Defensively, the Colonials held Grafton to just 15 shots today. Shrewsbury goalie Mike Fornal had 8 saves in today’s game, which gave the Colonials defense a boost when they needed it.

Senior Jack Tepper said the Colonials “stayed physical and communicated on the slides to keep them from shooting.” He also added that “also when we saw a ground ball we all went on the attack to get the ball back to our offense.” Senior Nick Perron and Junior Sean Vroman helped Tepper on the back end today, which held Grafton to just 7 goals, who’s only losses on the season came when scoring 7 or fewer goals.

Coach Skermont thought that the Colonials “played solid 6 on 6 defense and our footwork and communication was much better than it has been recently.” He also felt the Colonials “clears were nicely executed and that’s attributed to a very spirited practice yesterday.”

Shrewsbury (5-6) takes on Tantasqua tomorrow at 4PM at Tantasqua Regional High School.

Grafton (6-4) plays Nipmuc next Tuesday at 4PM at Nipmuc Regional High School.

PHOTOS

Algonquin Pulls Away from Grafton

By Andrew Bowman (@andrew_bowman5)

Grafton, Mass. - A second half surge by Algonquin lifted the visiting Tomahawks over the Grafton Indians. Led by 5 goals from junior Dom Russo, and 4 from sophomore Noah Larsen, Algonquin defeated Grafton 15-7.

Malloy Lifts Grafton Past Ipswich in OT of Championship Rematch

By Andrew Bowman (@andrew_bowman5)

Grafton, Mass. - It was a cold night for the rematch of the Division 3 state championship between the Grafton Indians and the Ipswich Tigers and, like last year, Monday night’s game was decided by a single goal.

Junior Grafton middie Johnny Malloy netted the game winning goal in overtime, giving Grafton an 8-7 win over Ipswich, and a measure of revenge for last year's defeat at Boston University.

2018 Central Mass Lax Previews: The Grafton Indians

By Andrew Bowman (@andrew_bowman5)

Our previews of some of the best lacrosse teams in Central Mass continues today with the reigning Division 3 Central/West champion Grafton Indians. New contributor Andrew Bowman, a Grafton native who currently attends St. John's High School in Shrewsbury, takes a look at this program which become one of the state's best in recent years.

Grafton Indians

Head Coach:​ Alan Rotatori
Player Captains: ​Matt Nicalek (G), Jimmy Donadio (M), Steve Rotatori (A)
Last Year’s Finish: ​Division 3 State Runner-Up
First 3 Games: ​Ipswich (4/2), @Nipmuc (4/5), @Northbridge (4/10)

Last year, Grafton’s season ended in heartbreak. The Indians lost in the state championship for the 3rd straight year, this time to Ipswich by a single goal. This disappointment came after defeating Dover-Sherborn in the state semifinals, a team that had defeated the Indians in the previous two state finals.

Now, despite another year of losing star players to graduation, Grafton is looking to get right back to where it has been the past three years.

Postgame Blog: Grafton Controls Own Destiny After Defeating Uxbridge

 By Connor Evans (@RonnocEvans)

GRAFTON - Grafton High School was buzzing with fans on Senior Night for the Indians. The visiting Uxbridge Spartans looked to ruin the party, but would ultimately fall to a revitalized Grafton offense, 33-13.

Let's break down all the action.

Grafton Digs Deep Into its Playbook to Edge Leicester

By Brendan Hall (@BHallESPN)

GRAFTON – Now and then, there come times when you’ve got to take a leap of faith to get to where you want to be.

Exhibit “A” in this theory comes in the form of defending D3 Central Mass champion Grafton. Staring down a possible 1-3 start after spotting SWCL rival Leicester a 14-0 lead just four minutes into its contest Friday night, the Indians opted for the more creative side of offensive coordinator Mike Binkoski’s playbook to get themselves off the canvas.

It paid off, with the Indians rallying all the way back to take the lead for good with nine minutes to go, and hold on for a 26-21 win over the Wolverines.

PHOTO GALLERY: Shrewsbury vs Grafton Football

Photos by McKay Lewis

The Shrewsbury Colonials edged the Grafton Indians in this weekend's premier Central Mass clash. You can read Connor Evans' full write up of the game here, but continue below for photos from our McKay Lewis. 

Note that you can click any photo to enlarge it, and launch a slideshow.

Postgame Blog: Shrewsbury Outlasts Grafton in CMass Slugfest

 By Connor Evans (@RonnocEvans)

GRAFTON - Friday’s matchup between the neighboring Grafton Indians and Shrewsbury Colonials was a hard-fought, physical game. Shrewsbury dominated the first half and despite a strong Indians resurgence in the fourth quarter, the Colonials hung on to win 21-14. 

RADIO: Grafton Lacrosse & Chris Kyne from the T&G

Brothers Tom (3) and Matt Nicalek helped anchor another outstanding Grafton defense.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

On this week's episode of "The Local Sports Lunchbox" on WPKZ, Grafton lacrosse stars Tom Nicalek, Brendan Coates and Matt Nicalek call in to discuss the Indians' three consecutive runs to the state championship game.

Then, Chris Kyne from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette phones in to tie a bow on the 2016-17 academic and athletic campaign, discussing the top players, teams and games from a remarkable year in CMass sports.

AListen in for all that, and more, below.

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.

Grafton, Milford and Turners Falls Capture State Softball Titles

Milford celebrates with the Division 1 state championship trophy.

By John McGuirk (@Patsfan1313)

WORCESTER -Now Turners Falls stands alone on its own pedestal.

Arguably the greatest high school softball program in state history, the Indians not only won their third consecutive Division 3 state title on Saturday, but recorded their ninth crown overall, which gives them the most of any program in the Commonwealth, surpassing Bishop Fenwick.

All of this being accomplished in a span of 13 years.

PHOTO GALLERY: Ipswich vs Grafton in the Boys' D3 State Lax Final

Photos by Brian Foley

You can read our full story from Ipswich's thrilling D3 state final win against Grafton here. But now, enjoy these photos captured by our Brian Foley. For even more images by Brian, and to buy prints of some of these fantastic images, click here.

Also note that you can click any image to enlarge and launch a slideshow.

Previews & Picks: The 2017 MIAA Boys' Lacrosse Championships

Grafton will look to bring home its first state championship ever, but the Indians will have their hands full with high-powered Hingham in the D3 title game.

By SuiteSports Staff

The championship breakfasts are over, Boston University's Nickerson Field is set, and six different boys' lacrosse teams from across Massachusetts are ready to play for state championships this Saturday.

To prepare you, SuiteSports asked its editors and lead lacrosse reporters how they saw each game shaking out. Here is what they said.

RADIO: St. John's Wins the Super 8, Grafton Lax Headed Back to BU

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

On this week's episode of "The Local Sports Lunchbox" on WPKZ, a pair of SuiteSports reporters called in to discuss the biggest Central Mass high school games of the week.

First, our Connor Evans phones in to break down Grafton's thrilling triple-overtime win over Dover-Sherborn, and look ahead to the Indians' Division 3 state final against Ipswich. What to expect from that game, including Connor's "X-factor" player for Saturday.

Then, former Monty Tech lacrosse coach Jonathan Shea joined us to talk about building a lacrosse program at a Voke school, with all the unique challenges presented there. Which players helped him guide Monty Tech to back-to-back state tournament appearances, and the program's first playoff win this season. Plus, coach Shea offers his thoughts on the state of Central Mass lacrosse in general.

Finally, our Tom Joyce joins me to re-live St. John's (Shrewsbury)'s historic Super 8 baseball win against St. John's Prep. How did the Pioneers live up to their lofty pre-season expectations, and what was the mood after St. John's finally won the big one?

You can hear all that, and much more, on this week's show below.

Postgame Blog & Video: Grafton Earns Redemption in 3OT Semifinal Win Against Dover-Sherborn

Grafton's Brendan Coates throws home the game-winner in triple-overtime. Photo by Ryan Bowman

By Connor Evans (@RonnocEvans)

CONCORD - I would like to open this article with a disclaimer: I am still relatively new to reporting on high school sports. While I have the utmost respect for both of these teams, it IS worth noting that I did play for Grafton High School for four years. Some players from this game were my teammates.

I just want it to be clear that if I come across as biased tonight, it is in NO way intended to disrespect the achievements of a great Dover-Sherborn team. It is simply that Grafton Lacrosse raised me and I do hold a lot of love for them. That being said, let’s get to it.

In my short 20 years of life I have never witnessed a more enthralling, captivating, riveting, phenomenal sporting event than what I witnessed tonight. The D3 Central/West champion Grafton Indians ventured to Concord-Carlisle to face off against the two-time defending D3 state champions Dover-Sherborn Raiders.

It was a game that neither team would lead by more than one goal, and a game that featured four lead changes and three overtimes. A game where both teams played outstanding lacrosse in all facets. Goalies stood on their heads. Poles forced turnovers. Middies and attackmen found the cage. 60 full minutes of two absolute powerhouses exchanging blow for blow.

At the end of the third overtime, the underdog Indians would finally get the better of the Raiders, who had pummeled them the last two years in the state championship game. On the back of a golden goal from Brendan Coates, Grafton is headed back to BU for a third straight year, but no longer has to worry about the powerhouse Raiders.

Final: 7-6

PHOTO GALLERY: Grafton Lax vs Dover-Sherborn in D3 State Semis

Photos by Ryan Bowman (@_ryanbowman_)

CONCORD - Full story to follow, but first check out these pictures from our Ryan Bowman of Grafton's breakthrough win against defending two-time D3 state champion Dover-Sherborn.

Note that you can click any image to enlarge and launch a slideshow.