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.

RADIO: Previewing the 2017 Central Mass Lacrosse Season

Jack Donahue (3) and Drew Kozub (6) should give St. John's one of the most explosive attacks in the state.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

I decided to do something a little different this year, and use my radio show on WPKZ to break down the upcoming Central Mass lacrosse season.

Listen in below for a league-by-league breakdown of CMass lax, with key teams and players to watch. Excuse my occasionally terrible name pronunciations, I promise to get better as the year goes on.

Note that the lacrosse preview takes place across the show's first and third segments, with special guest Sean Sweeney of the Sentinel & Enterprise popping in for the second segment to break down the end of winter sports, and preview baseball/softball.

Central Mass HS Football Power Rankings: Week 5

Wachusett coach Mike Dubzinski talks to his team after the Mountaineers' big win at Leominster.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

I'm no fan of pre-season rankings.

They set up false narratives, raise/lower expectations almost arbitrarily and, let's be honest, they're almost always laughably wrong. At the high school level, where so much can change from year to year, pre-season rankings pretty much only serve to make guys like me look silly.

Yet I was still suckered into doing pre-season Central Mass Power Rankings the last few years… But no more!

Now, with the benefit of the first month of football already behind us, I present our first Central Mass Top 10 of 2016. Man it feels good to do rankings when I actually know something about what these teams are like on the field.


Check out our CMass Top 10 below!

Way Too Early Central Mass Lacrosse Storylines

Chase Kapuscienski (25) is just one of many Grafton stars returning from a team that made the D3 state finals last year.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

I know, I know. It's still basketball and hockey season for many CMass lax bros, but lacrosse season begins later this month for several teams, and is it really ever too early to look ahead? I would say no.

So, with that in mind, here are a few storylines I've got my eyes on as things get warmer and we get closer to crosse time.

New Faces at Power Programs

Algonquin and St. John's have long been two of the very best programs in Central Mass, but each said goodbye to a long-time, successful coach this offseason. Gone are former T-Hawk coach Rich Luongo and Pioneer boss Terry Leary, and with them go multiple district championships and a ton of big game coaching experience.

But programs like these have no problem attracting talented coaches, and that's just what each of them brought in this fall.

Central Mass Coaches Name 2015 Lacrosse All Americans

St. John's senior attackman Jared Ward.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Central Mass' 2015 lacrosse All Americans have been named,

Here are the five players that stood above the rest in the eyes of the Central Mass Lacrosse Coaches Association and earned All American honors. Players are listed alphabetically, then with their high school and college choice following. Also listed below are those players that earned Academic All American honors.

CMass Football Preview: The 2014 St. John's Pioneers

Though widely known for its offense, look for St. John's to be greatly improved on defense, led by senior middle linebacker Sam Norton (66).

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

St. John's has long been one of, if not the, best high school football programs in Central Mass, but the Pioneers had a monkey they just couldn't get off their back: Rival Leominster.

St. John's came into 2013 having lost four straight to the Blue Devils, including a pair of Division I Central Super Bowls. When Leominster took down the Pioneers 33-22 to start the year, it seemed like another CMass season would belong to their nemesis from the north.

Things got even worse in the coming weeks, as St. John's needed a miracle kickoff return from Michael McGillicuddy to survive Fitchburg, and dropped its second in a row to crosstown rival Shrewsbury. The Pioneers then fell into a 20-7 hole against Marlborough.

But then things began to click.

Central Mass Lacrosse Recruiting Database

St. John's middie Kevin Butler (5) is one of many CMass lax players preparing to play in college.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

School may be out, but several Central Mass lacrosse standouts will be spending their summers preparing for the rigors of college lacrosse.

After reaching out to coaches and players in the area, here is my list of which CMass players are continuing their careers at the next level. I know I am missing some, so if you or somebody you know will be playing in college and I don't have it here, shoot me a Tweet at @HerewegoJoe.

More recruiting stories to come this summer.

Central Mass Coaches Name 2014 Lacrosse All Americans

St. John's goalie Steven Kerr

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Central Mass' 2014 high school lacrosse All Americans have been named, and the Town of Shrewsbury is well represented with two selections from St. John's and another from Shrewsbury High School.

Here are the five players that stood above the rest in the eyes of the Central Mass Lacrosse Coaches Association and earned All American honors. Also listed below are the 2014 Academic All Americans from the region. Players are listed alphabetically by high school, with their college choice following.

Post Game Blog: St. John's Too Much for Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury defenseman Griffin Couture (white) and St. John's attackman Drew Smiley (red) fought a physical battle all game.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

If there were any doubts about who the top lacrosse team in Central Mass was, defending district champion St. John's dismissed them emphatically with a 9-0 win over cross-town rival Shrewsbury.

Here is your weekly reminder that this is only a blog of my wandering thoughts, not a complete recap of the game. If you would like a full recap, head on over to BostonLaxNet or ESPN Boston for complete stories.

This Game Could Have Been Close… No, Really

Look, I don't want to make excuses for Shrewsbury, but they weren't as bad as the final score indicated. Through the first quarter, St. John's only won the shot battle 7-6, but still held a 3-0 lead.

CMass Lax Power Rankings: 4/7/14

Shrewsbury is known for senior goalie Chris Gorman and its defense, but the Colonials got downright offensive against Westboro last week.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

There was some major movement in our Power Rankings, but not at the very top, where St. John's showed it will once again be the team to beat in Central Mass.

Just below the Pioneers, always powerful Algonquin looked like its usual self, while Shrewsbury showed more scoring punch than anybody could have imagined on its way to three impressive wins.

Here are our Power Rankings for this week.

2014 CMass Lax Preview: St. John's Pioneers

Senior Drew Smiley (#4) and the Pioneers celebrated plenty of goals last season, but the prolific attackman will have a largely new supporting cast in 2014.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

After watching rival Algonquin take home the Central Mass crown in 2011 and 2012, regional power St. John's reasserted itself last season, knocking off the Tomahawks in the district semifinals, and winning its third district championship in the last five years.

It turns out the Pioneers may end up being the last Central Mass champions for a while, as they will play in the new Division 2 "Central/West" district. This "super" district comes as a part of the MIAA's tournament realignment and will feature the top teams from both Central and Western Massachusetts, officially ending the Central Mass tournament.

The Top Plays of CMass High School Football 2013

Davon Jones made big plays on both sides of the ball for St. John's this year.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Today we close the book on the 2013 high school football season in Central Massachusetts with my end of the year highlight package.

This video features plays and celebrations from the biggest games across Central Mass, including great moments from Leominster, St. John's, Doherty, Littleton, Shepherd Hill, Leicester, Auburn, St. Peter-Marian, Quabbin and Burncoat.

CMass HS Football Power Rankings: 10/14/13

James Gurley helped Leominster defeat Doherty in the region's biggest game Friday night.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

Unfortunately, I was out of town last weekend due to a family emergency, so I missed what turned out to be a crazy weekend of Central Mass football, full of upsets and close games.

This weekend, I'm dragging myself to my own wedding (ugh), so it looks like I'm going to go back-to-back weekends without any CMass pigskin. Crazy, I know. But, rest assured I have read through every game recap and box score I can, and reached out to several area coaches to get their opinions on what is now a jumbled mess of a Top-5.

CMass Video Preview: St. John's Football 2013

Preseason All State safety Davon Jones is also a threat with the ball in his hands.

By Joe Parello  @HerewegoJoe

St. John's coach John Andreoli learned a lot about his team during the Pioneers' annual scrimmage with state power Brockton.

While his banged up and inexperienced offensive line struggled early, leading to some poor decisions from ESPN Boston preseason All State quarterback Drew Smiley, he came away pleased with his team's resiliency and versatility on offense. Perhaps more importantly, the coach was happy with the performance of his defense, coming off a 2012 that saw the Pioneers allow nearly 30 points per game.

Check out the video below for a preview of the Pioneers, including an exciting transfer at running back, a potentially stout defensive front, and the all-around game of star junior Davone Jones. For more on St. John's, be sure to read my written preview of the Pioneers for ESPN Boston here.

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

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.