St. Sebastian's Lax Takes Down Rival Belmont Hill in Premier ISL Clash

Arrows and their fans celebrate first win over Belmont Hill since 2012

By Nate Weitzer (@nweitzer7)

BELMONT, Mass. -- Over the last four seasons, Belmont Hill boys’ lacrosse has dominated the Independent School League, winning three titles while compiling a 47-5 overall record during that span.

Yet on a rainy afternoon at Belmont’s Gerald Jordan Field, the St. Sebastian’s Arrows asserted their claim to the ISL throne with a 14-11 victory, taking down their archival for the first time since 2012. 

“It means a lot because Belmont Hill is the standard by which the rest of the [ISL] measures itself,” St. Sebastian’s first-year coach Adam White said after the win. “They do everything the right way and that’s really challenged us as a program to up our game. They’re our rivals and it feels good because we have so much respect for them.”

MIAA Top 25 Boys Lacrosse Poll

Eastern Mass. All-American Bryce Adam leads an elite attack for Newton North

Our rankings of the best teams in the state during the 2017 lacrosse season, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 4/11)

1. Lincoln-Sudbury (2-0): Still the undisputed kings of Massachusetts lacrosse, the Warriors have shown little letdown so far despite graduating four senior captains.

2. BC High (4-0): After making a run to the state finals last year, BC High returns elite defender Will Bowen, who has helped the Eagles hang on in close tilts with Needham and Franklin thus far.

3. Medfield (3-0): A dynastic program with three straight Division 2 state titles, Medfield proved capable of taking down regional powers with a win over Shenendehowa (N.Y.) last weekend.

Full Highlights: Longmeadow's Championship Win

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

It's been over two months since Longmeadow took home the Massachusetts division 2 boys lacrosse championship.

The Lancers completed a perfect season in coach Ryan Liebel's first year at the helm, and defeated Eastern Mass power Medfield for the title at Worcester's Foley Stadium. If you want to see the highlights I put together for BostonLaxNet, along with an excellent game story from Bruce Lerch, you can find those here. But, for every goal, and some dope music if I do say so myself, you can check out the full highlights below.

Central Mass Finishes Strong in Final ESPN Boston Poll

There were plenty of goals to celebrate this season for St. John's

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

As I mentioned before, it was a banner year for Central Mass lacrosse, and my buds over at ESPN Boston took notice, ranking three CMass squads in their postseason Top-25.

CMass Lax All-Stars and Award Winners 2013

Jake Foster (left) and Mike Gallo (right) were integral parts of Westboro's outstanding midfield. Also, those Wounded Warrior fundraiser jerseys get my vote for uniforms of the year.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

A spectacular year of Central Mass high school lacrosse came to an end when St. John's fell to eventual D2 state champion Longmeadow in the state semifinals, but many players had seasons to remember.

Whether it was a multi-year starter finishing a fine career, or someone stepping into a new role and excelling, players across the region made their presences known to not only Central Mass, but the entire state.

Please keep in mind that, unfortunately, I only began covering games for ESPN Boston and BostoLaxNet midway through the season, so I didn't get to see every team and player. So, while I made every attempt to research the teams I didn't see, some deserving players may not be honored here. I apologize in advance.

Now, let's take a look at the CMass Lax Suite Stars and my award winners for 2013.

A Banner Year for Central Mass Lacrosse

St. John's and Grafton had two memorable matchups this year, with the Pioneers barely winning both. Here, Grafton All-American Tyler Reilly looks for room against St. John's star defenseman Aidan Fox.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

While Central Mass champion St. John's bowed out in the D2 state semifinals, the Pioneers and region as a whole accomplished a ton in 2013.

Early next week I will release my Central Mass All Stars, but first, here are some of the highlights from what was a memorable 2013 for the CMass lacrosse community.

Big Wins Out of Region

Postgame Blog: Longmeadow Captures D2 State Championship

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Here is your weekly reminder that this blog is only a few of my wandering thoughts from the game. If you would like a full recap, head to BostonLaxNet for a game story, highlights, and a sidebar on coach Ryan Liebel's perfect first season. That last story features video postgame interviews with Liebel, along with players Keegan Dudeck and Drew Kelleher.

Postgame Blog: Longmeadow Defeats St. John's in D2 Semifinal

The officials scolded Josh Freilich for this Superman pose, but I thought it was pretty awesome.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Here is your weekly reminder that this blog is only my wandering thoughts on the game. If you would like a full recap head to BostonLaxNet or ESPN Boston. The LaxNet story also includes video.

Anyways, here we go.

D2 Lax Semifinal Preview: St. John's vs Longmeadow

St. John's junior middie Kevin Butler recorded a hat trick the first time the Pioneers faced Longmeadow.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

If Central Mass is to send a team to the state finals for a third straight year, St. John's will need to avenge a previous loss and hand Longmeadow its first loss of what has been a spectacular 2013 season for the Lancers.

Last Time Out

Central Mass Lax Championship Preview

St. John's senior captain Aidan Fox has been one of the best defensemen in the region this year.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

The top two seeds in the region remain alive in their hunt for a CMass title and beyond.

Saturday's game at Foley Stadium will feature the Pioneers of St. John's and the Indians of Grafton, two teams with a combined three All-Americans and many other players at the top of their positions in the region. The Pioneers won the only meeting between the two squads, an 11-8 home victory in late May.

The game is scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm, but storms entering the area may force a delay or rescheduling. Either way, here is what to watch for when these two teams meet up again.

Postgame Blog: St. John's and Grafton Advance to CMass Final

Grafton celebrates a return trip to the CMass title game.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Here is yet another reminder that this blog is simply my wandering thought on the CMass semifinals. If you would like a full recap of both games and highlights, head to BostonLax.Net. If you would like more on Grafton's 7-3 win over Shrewsbury, head to ESPN Boston.

The Big Five

After his team's win over rival Algonquin, St. John's coach Terry Leary spoke of the depth of competition in Central Mass. When asked if he felt his team had to play two CMass finals in a row, since they had to face fellow "Big Three" members Algonquin and Grafton back-to-back, Leary pointed out that Central Mass is more than that.

CMass Lax Semifinal Preview

Shrewsbury's top-ranked defense will have its hands full with Grafton's top-ranked offense.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

After beginning the postseason with 17 teams, only four squads remain in the Central Mass boys lacrosse tournament.

Two teams from Shrewsbury are still alive, as top seeded St. John's looks to win its first Central Mass crown since 2010, while Shrewsbury is looking for its first CMass title ever.

Also looking to take home its first title is Grafton, led by its pair of high-scoring senior All-Americans. Meanwhile, two-time defending champion Algonquin isn't ready to relinquish the region quite yet. The T-Hawks lead all teams with five Central Mass titles, one more than the four St. John's has won.

Both semifinals will take place at Worcester's Foley Stadium Tuesday, and here is what to watch for.

Postgame Blog: St. John's Eliminates Westboro

Drew Smiley beats Westboro's Dan Terry to seal the game for St. John's.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Here is your weekly reminder that this blog is only my wandering thoughts on portions of the game. If you would like a full recap and highlights of this quarterfinal, head on over to BostonLax.Net.

Midfield Shines Early for Westboro

CMass Names Lacrosse All Americans

Algonquin's Giles Ober

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

The quarterfinals of the Central Mass tournament begin today, and four players still competing have been named 2013 All Americans.

Complete list of All Americans after the jump.

Postgame Blog: Shrewsbury Edges Nashoba in CMass Round One

Senior Cam Kerr scored two goals and dished out two assists for Shrewsbury.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Here is your weekly reminder that this blog is simply my wandering thoughts on a few parts of the game. For a complete recap and video, head on over to BostonLax.Net, and for a game story, head to ESPN Boston.

Shrewsbury Prepared

To say that Shrewsbury was ready for Nashoba's zone defense would be an understatement. The Colonials sliced through the Chieftain zone with surgeon-like precision, and built a 7-1 lead before the Nashoba offense really even got going. Shrewsbury coach Nate Skermont said he knew the Chieftains ran a zone, and his guys felt comfortable after a few days of practicing against it.

CMass Lax Power Rankings: Playoff Time

Junior middie Kevin Butler has stepped up for St. John's in recent weeks.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

The playoffs begin this week, and several teams in Central Mass have title ambitions.

In our final Power Rankings of 2013, the Pioneers of St. John's hold onto the top spot thanks to a edging both Grafton and Algonquin in the past two weeks, and going out of CMass to knock off state power Acton Boxborough.

Power Rankings and playoff outlook after the jump.

Blog: CMass Playoff Bracket Released

Fantastic drawing of tournament bracket provided by Northbridge High School Lacrosse.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

It's Selection Friday for high school lacrosse here in Massachusetts, and the MIAA has set the draw for the CMass Tournament.

Well, sort of. The actual brackets with times and dates are not up on their website yet, but here is a beautiful drawing of the CMass bracket from Northbridge Lacrosse's twitter. I assume the artist we can thank is coach Steve Falconer, but I don't want to jump to any conclusions.

Anyways, here are a few thoughts on the bracket.

Postgame Blog: Algonquin Survives Westboro

Mike Wood recorded a hat trick for the T-Hawks

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Yet another reminder that this blog is just a collection of my wandering thoughts on the game. So, if you would like a complete recap, head on over to BostonLax.Net. Or, if you would like to hear from both sides about the Wounded Warrior Project fundraiser that took place at the game, head to ESPN Boston for that story.

Postgame Blog: St. John's Outlasts Grafton

Drew Smiley and Kevin Butler congratulate Josh Freilich on his first goal. Freilich would record a hat trick for the Pioneers.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Just an FYI for those of you new to the blog, these are just my wandering thoughts from a few parts of the game. If you would like the full recap, head on over to BostonLax.Net, and if you would like to read a side bar about St. John's already playing playoff lacrosse, you can check that out on ESPN Boston.

Now, onto St. John's locking up the No. 1 seed in the district playoffs.

CMass Lax Power Rankings: 5/20/13

Hunter Burdick has come alive offensively for St. John's

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

As we enter the final week of the regular season, St. John's still looks like the class of Central Mass, but they got everything they could handle from Algonquin last Saturday.

The Pioneers needed a Patch Ryan overtime goal to best the rival Tomahawks in a game that proved St. John's could win the close one, and that Algonquin won't be relinquishing it's CMass crown without a fight.

Rankings after the jump.