Division 3-5 boys lacrosse preview: Medfield again a threat to take it all

Every sport has its share of blue blood programs The ones who seemingly find their way back into title contention every single year For almost two decades now Medfield has been in that conversation for lacrosse The Warriors weren t just the top company in Div last spring certain might argue they were a top five squad in the Commonwealth After knocking off Scituate a - mastery to claim the championship last June it s easy to pencil in the Warriors as a favorite again especially with its returning cogs This year expect Medfield to be powered by senior captains Ben Lusby goals last year and All-American FOGO John Olenik face-off winning rate of Junior attackman Braeden Sutton goals assists and Ian Reddy goals nine assists are also expected to take on lead roles for the Warriors Scituate is just like Medfield The Sailors have been a consistent threat at every level dating to their days in Div Since dropping to Div in recent days not much has changed and this year the school brings back its primary scoring threat in senior Willy Robinson career goals assists The Sailors look to build upon last year s run to the championship meeting with the Army West Point commit holding point They will also be led by fellow seniors Owen Hofford and Quinn DeCourcey as well as junior goaltender Lydon O Brien The Cape and Islands League was well-represented among the Div elite in After enduring a gauntlet of a regular season schedule Nauset rolled to the Final Four With Logan Poulin coming back as well as Assumption commit Joey Berardi and Brendan Peno it would not be a surprise if the Warriors catch fire Their longtime league cohort Falmouth also made the state semifinals last spring continuing a winning school tradition This time the Clippers will have to overcome specific key losses but they could remain in the hunt if things break their way After enjoying a memorable pilgrimage to the Elite Burlington witnessed turnover in the offseason Now former assistant Ryan Doherty efforts in for longtime coach Brenden Maney On the field however things remain status quo The Red Devils retain the likes of reigning Middlesex League Freedom MVP Nolan Jennings goals assists as well as Daniel Hanafin goals assists who are expected to lead a star-studded roster Quinn McDonald a Johnson and Wales commit will remain in net Life might just feel a little bit different at Dover-Sherborn as Brian McLaughlin retired from coaching after a -year run with the effort Former Maryland lacrosse star Dan Morris takes over the Raiders looking to start his own era Other Div teams we should be monitoring include Newburyport Nashoba Shawsheen Tech and Apponequet The seas were rough at times during the ferry trips but the final ride back was all worth it for Nantucket which captured the Div crown with an unforgettable - win over Sandwich It was the venture s first-ever championship Can the Whalers repeat It s entirely doable since they will have junior midfielder Arann Hanlon back in the fold leading things offensively His classmate Jeremy Jenkinson is back in net as a stonewall For the past sparse years now Sandwich has approached the pinnacle only to come up just short faltering in the past three Div state championships to Wahconah Cohasset and Nantucket by a combined six goals Could this be the year the Blue Knights buck that trend They will look to bring the elusive championship back over the Sagamore with key figures like Cole Rodgers career goals who is chasing the campaign s all-time goals record His brother Luke will be anchoring the defensive unit while Lincoln Shinn is expected to step up as an LSM Sandwich might have to contend in the South Shore League with Norwell Coming off a journey to the state semifinals the Clippers look to start fresh with leaders such as Jake McGuirk and Oliver Ollie Rice Meanwhile Cohasset will constantly be there lurking as a candidate to go on a deep run The Skippers will lean on their top scoring threats from last year Gus Greene goals assists has started every meeting since his freshman season while Shane Mulcahy goals assists also makes his return Certain may have referred to Swampscott s trip to the Final Four as a Cinderella story given the campaign s tournament seeding No overall Its players might think differently as the Big Blue only dropped two games all of last season Geoff Becket s group will look to prove doubters wrong again The Div field will be contested Expect programs like Lynnfield Weston and Pentucket to be in the mix PLAYERS TO WATCH Joey Berardi Nauset Quinn DeCourcey Scituate Matthew Grafton Abington Gus Greene Cohasset Daniel Hanafin Burlington Owen Hofford Scituate Nolan Jennings Burlington Jason Kane Burlington Liam Keaney Swampscott Max Leavitt Burlington Ben Lusby Medfield Quinn McDonald Burlington Jake McGuirk Norwell Shane Mulcahy Cohasset Lydon O Brien Scituate John Olenik Medfield Brendan Peno Nauset Logan Poulin Nauset Noah Rafferty Cohasset Ian Reddy Medfield Oliver Ollie Rice Norwell Willy Robinson Scituate Cole Rodgers Sandwich Luke Rodgers Sandwich Jason Rothwell Swampscott Lincoln Shinn Sandwich Jake Sloan Burlington Jackson Smith Falmouth Braeden Sutton Medfield