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If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Since 2021, St. John’s Prep has been the lacrosse team to beat in Massachusetts. The school has captured four consecutive Div. 1 titles, continuing its dynasty with a win over Needham in the final last June.
So the Eagles are keeping the exact same philosophy. Right down to their schedule, which remains virtually identical to the year prior. The only change is they have added a regional power to the slate with a road trip planned to Falmouth (Maine).
Until someone proves otherwise, St. John’s Prep remains the state’s biggest threat with players like Luke Kelly, Sam Wilmot, Jack Weissenburger, Cam McCarthy and Ryan DeLucia all coming back.
You can always count on fellow Catholic Conference schools to challenge in Div. 1. BC High sustained some significant losses in the offseason, but continues to find ways to reload every year under Marcus Craigwell. This season, expect the Eagles to lean on Villanova commit Johnny Krzywda, as well as Nick Emsing, who is headed to Trinity soon. Xaverian will look to Union College commit Johnny Black, who is hoping to build upon his breakout 2024 campaign. Catholic Memorial witnessed a resurgence last spring, turning in one of its best regular seasons in recent years before bowing out in the Sweet 16..
A handful of publics should immediately jump off the page as contenders.
Needham coach Dave Wainwright just wins. The Rockets will look to return to the Div. 1 title game with senior captain Reis Conway propelling the charge.
After yet another trip to the Final Four last year, Acton-Boxboro retains stars like UMass commit Mike Calvo and junior Christian Maranian (42 goals, 10 assists last year) at the helm. The Revolution are one of a few schools from the Route 2 corridor to monitor, along with fellow state titans like Lincoln-Sudbury and Concord-Carlisle.
Other Div. 1 teams on the radar to start are Andover, Franklin, Winchester and Wellesley.
The fascinating aspect with the Div. 2 field is that there is endless parity. Sometimes it’s just about catching fire at the right time, and there is a large crop of title candidates. Last spring, Western Mass. juggernaut Longmeadow won its latest crown with a miraculous 11-10 triple overtime victory against Marshfield.
For Marshfield, it was the first trip to a state final since 2014. Do the Rams have another run in them? They have one of the state’s leading scorers in Jonathan Sullivan returning along with All-American midfielder Charlie Carroll. The school will also lean on face-off specialist Sam O’Brien, and LSM Gavin O’Donohue as it looks to dominate the state’s Eastern quadrant again.
The Rams might have some local competition for supremacy, however, as the Patriot League remains loaded. Duxbury stood atop the state’s Div. 2 power rankings much of last year, then fell to Marshfield in the Final Four (a 10-9 loss). The Dragons bring back John Revegno and Cole Martin defensively, with Liam Goodwin leading the attack. Just up Route 3A, John Todd’s group at Hingham will always remain dangerous, as junior midfielder Cam McKenna looks to continue his impeccable career. Declan Kelly and Colin Lasch will also play vital roles for a veteran-laden Harbormen squad.
Those are just the South Shore’s heavy hitters. Up north, Reading continued a winning tradition by reaching the Final Four in Rob Parkin’s first season as head coach. The Rockets have refueled, with eight college-bound recruits scattered across its star-studded roster. A few names to watch will be UMass (Lowell) commit Cullen Granara (40 goals, 35 assists) and Siena College commit Ben Diemer, as well as Zach Lindmark (41 goals) and Nate Mulvey (38 goals, 25 assists), both of whom are headed to St. Anselm’s.
Billerica might just be one of the highest-scoring teams in the state this year, with two catalysts in junior Kam Tremblay (99 points) and senior Adam Priest (72 points) shouldering the load.
Mansfield enjoyed one of its best seasons in program history in 2024, culminating in a trip to the Round of 8. The Hornets will look to replicate things these upcoming months. Other Div. 2 schools to keep an eye on in the Eastern Mass. field include Walpole, Westwood and Hopkinton.
In the Pioneer Valley, Keith Campbell’s empire at the aforementioned Longmeadow will probably see continued success, but the Lancers might have to contend with the likes of Westfield.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Wyndam Abbott (Xaverian)
Jack Bailey (Catholic Memorial)
Johnny Black (Xaverian)
Mike Calvo (Acton-Boxboro)
Charlie Carroll (Marshfield)
Tristan Clayton (Acton-Boxboro)
Andrew Coffey (Acton-Boxboro)
Reis Conway (Needham)
Ryan DeLucia (St. John’s Prep)
Ben Diemer (Reading)
Nick Emsing (BC High)
Ethan Fennel (Acton-Boxboro)
Liam Goodwin (Duxbury)
Cullen Granara (Reading)
Brandon Hawthorne (Xaverian)
Caden Johnson (Xaverian)
Declan Kelly (Hingham)
Luke Kelly (St. John’s Prep)
Johnny Krzywda (BC High)
Colin Lasch (Hingham)
Zach Lindmark (Reading)
Christian Maranian (Acton-Boxboro)
Cole Martin (Duxbury)
Nolan Martindale (Lincoln-Sudbury)
Cam McCarthy (St. John’s Prep)
Cam McKenna (Hingham)
Nate Mulvey (Reading)
Sam O’Brien (Marshfield)
Gavin O’Donohue (Marshfield)
Adam Priest (Billerica)
John Revegno (Duxbury)
Jonathan Sullivan (Marshfield)
Kam Tremblay (Billerica)
Jack Weissenburger (St. John’s Prep)
Sam Wilmot (St. John’s Prep)
