Tag Archives: Duxbury

Jun 14 2012

Mass HS Lax Recap: Duxbury 10, Needham 8 (Div. I Championship)

By Hayden Bird 

CAMBRIDGE, MA – Despite the rain, the weight of unending expectation and implacable opposition from the Needham Rockets, the Duxbury Dragons claimed their ninth boy’s lacrosse state title since 2002 by a 10-8 final score.

Coming into the game, Needham and Duxbury had taken very different paths to reach the state championship. Duxbury (23-2) had cruised in the tournament, never winning a game by less than 10 goals.

Needham (16-6) scrapped every step of the way, including a tight 9-8 win in the quarterfinals over Masconomet.

So the early forecasts for the game skewed heavily in Duxbury’s favor. And at the outset, it seemed that Duxbury would pick up where they had left off against Lincoln-Sudbury, (where they won 18-6).

Charging to a 3-0 lead, the run included two goals from Sam Sweet and one from Jon Gomer.

Gomer, who scored in the semifinals, has found a knack for big-game goals.

“When Jon scores, he does it with style,” said Duxbury coach Chris Sweet.

Needham, bereft of any notion that Duxbury might have an off-night, began to claw their way back in the second quarter.

Goals from Mikey Panepinto and Nico Panepinto brought Needham back into the game by halftime, but Duxbury still led, 6-3.

And though the underdog Rockets trailed, they were spurred on by calming words from their coach Dave Wainwright.

“We just told them to stay calm and relax,” Wainright said of his team’s halftime message.

Yet, the third quarter began badly for Needham, who conceded four goals while only scoring one themselves by Nico Panepinto. Duxbury had tacked on additional goals from Will Siefert, Seamus Connelly, Chris Williams and another from Sweet, who completed his hat trick.

And Henry Narlee, whose face-off dominance has reined supreme in Massachusetts all season, keyed the Duxbury second half run.

“He’s been our unsung hero all season,” Sweet earnestly said of his midfielder following the game.

With the game at 10-4 in favor of Duxbury, it appeared the contest was essentially over.

Yet, Needham had other thoughts. Slowly, but surely, they began finding the net. Four goals in five minutes to begin the fourth quarter made it 10-8 almost out of nowhere.

Duxbury goalie Henry Boungorio could have panicked, having not faced this kind of opposition in the whole playoff run. Still, he kept his nerve.

“I didn’t panic,” said Buongurio. “I know I have a great defense in front of me.”

And Chris Williams, Duxbury’s leader in ground balls, came up with arguably the biggest one of his life when Needham was pressuring late. This all, but iced, yet another state title.

“He’s the scrappiest player we have,” Sweet declared happily afterward. “He’s been that way ever since he was in third grade and he came up big.”

In the end, despite a heroic rally from Needham, the vaunted Duxbury Dragons claimed yet another trophy, causing an eruption of cheers from their fans and players as the final whistle sounded.

Jun 10 2012

Mass HS Lax Recap: Duxbury 18, Lincoln-Sudbury 6

By Hayden Bird 

DUXBURY, MA – In what started as a shootout between two Massachusetts high school lacrosse juggernauts, ended with Duxbury emerging as the definitive victors over Lincoln-Sudbury, 18-6.

After a regular season matchup, which saw traditional powerhouse Duxbury (22-2) struggle to beat the rising Warriors from Lincoln-Sudbury (16-6) by a single goal, the second matchup promised to be a dogfight.

At the outset, Lincoln-Sudbury controlled the face-offs; surprising considering it’s generally the province of Duxbury dominance.

Yet the face-off wins did not initially translate into offense though, and a quick Duxbury counterattack put the home team Dragons into the lead. Duxbury’s Seamus Connelly found Will Siefert to complete a full-field move that took less than 10 seconds, as he deposited the ball into the net for the game’s first goal.

“Today was really a team effort,” said Duxbury coach Chris Sweet.

Still, the early going showed the tenacity that Lincoln-Sudbury has shown all season.

More face-off wins from the away team eventually propelled them toward a first quarter lead. Lincoln-Sudbury attackers Colby Hall and Dan Dalaney silenced the large hometown crowd, seizing a 2-1 lead midway through the opening frame.

And even though Duxbury reclaimed a 4-3 lead by the end of the first, the result was still hanging very much in the balance.

At this point, Duxbury seniors began to take over. Whether or not the difference was senior leadership, (Duxbury has 18 seniors to Lincoln-Sudbury’s three) is impossible to tell.

What is beyond doubt, however, is that Duxbury’s seniors played some of the best lacrosse they may ever play.

“Well, seniors always get it done for Duxbury this time of year,” said Sweet. “Each and every one of them had one of the best games of their career.”

For the entire second quarter, Lincoln-Sudbury did not score and Duxbury began to assert their selves by tallying four unanswered goals to take an 8-3 lead into halftime.

The second half continued Duxbury’s assent in the game, and it started with a turnaround in the face-offs. Henry Narlee scored a third quarter hat trick, and won eight consecutive draws to help Duxbury build a 15-5 lead by the start of the fourth quarter.

In the end, Coach Sweet’s assertion proved accurate in noting, “They’re a great team, but we were just a lot better today.”

The final quarter saw a conclusion of what was team domination by Duxbury. Ten different players scored and goalie Henry Buongorio made key saves to keep the lead comfortable.

“Buongorio came up with some huge saves,” said Sweet in tribute to his steady goalie.

When the final whistle sounded, Duxbury emerged with a 12-point victory and a berth in the state finals.

“We’re certainly going to enjoy this for a little bit, but were going to get right back to work to get ready for Wednesday,” declared Sweet after that game.

Duxbury will face Needham next Wednesday at Harvard University at 7:45pm.

Jun 7 2012

Connelly, Sweet Powered Duxbury’s Attack Against Franklin

By Matt Noonan 

DUXBURY, MA – Head coach Chris Sweet made it quite clear on Wednesday that his entire Duxbury team is a unit, not individuals.

Although, against the Franklin Panthers in the MIAA Div. 1 East quarterfinals, Sweet’s notion wasn’t entirely exhibited, as seniors Seamus Connelly and Sam Sweet fueled the Duxbury attack with eight goals and three assists en route to a 15-3 victory.

“All three of our attackman have developed some good chemistry and Sam is more of a set-up guy and understands that’s his role, and Seamus is a great catch-and-shoot guy, [who] understands his role,” explained Coach Sweet. “They’ve developed some good chemistry, and I hope that can continue into the next round of games.”

Both Sam and Seamus, who have spent the entire season together on attack, expressed that the main reason why the Dragons were so successful against the Panthers was due to their ball movement, which opened lanes for various players to dodge and shoot.

“The whole offense [has to] be moving, and if they’re not then we look bad, so really it’s the other three-four guys out on the field that help us out and help us look good,” said the younger Sweet.

“Our whole offense, obviously Sam in particular was moving the whole time, moving the ball quick and luckily I was able to be on the last end of some of those passes,” said Connelly.

Duxbury also exhibited a 2-2-2 offensive formation for a majority of the first half, which allowed Connelly and Sweet to assist the Dragons attack, especially in the first half.

“We were in a 2-2-2 offense for the most part, so when me or [Will Seifert] dodges from behind, we’re looking to the crease and Seamus is on the crease and he’s got the best hands on the team, and he’s the best finisher,” exclaimed the younger Sweet. “So, we just get it to him, and it’s in the back of the net.”

“It definitely all starts with Sammy and Will Seifert behind the goal, they kind of just do their own thing, and I kind of do my own thing up top with the middies, and we got a couple ankle breakers, so it’s easy to put the ball in the net,” Connelly exclaimed.

The Dragons are now two wins away from earning their second consecutive state championship, and will return to their turf on Saturday when they welcome Lincoln-Sudbury to Duxbury, a team that they barely defeated earlier this season.

“It’s certainly going to be tough. We’ve got L-S, and we beat them by a goal [and] by the skin of our teeth a couple weeks ago, so that’s going to be a huge game, and we’re just going to have to ride our seniors like we always do,” stated Connelly.

“We just have to dig deep. It was a close game last time. We’ve just got to come out strong, come out pumped up and they’re a good team, so it’ll be a battle,” exclaimed the younger Sweet.

Jun 7 2012

VIDEO: Ross Tanner (Franklin) Reflects On His Final High School Lax Game

By Matt Noonan 

DUXBURY, MA – Playing in his final game as a member of the Franklin boy’s varsity lacrosse team, senior attack Ross Tanner concluded his career with two strikes against Duxbury’s sophomore netminder Nick Marrocco in the second half of Wednesday’s MIAA Div. 1 East quarterfinals match.

“I got two open netters, so I’ll take that,” exclaimed Tanner.

After Tanner’s strikes had been recorded, Duxbury responded with two more tallies to secure their lead for good, as the Dragons defeated the Panthers, 15-3.

Yet, despite the loss, Tanner exclaimed that his team was focused on earning a spot in the quarterfinals, especially since the senior class hadn’t made it that far in past tournaments.

“We set our goals to get [to the quarterfinals], and that’s what we did,” Tanner said. “We took down Mansfield, [which] was a tough game, blew them out a little more than we thought we were going to, but we got the win, [and advanced to Duxbury].”

Franklin, which ended its 2012 campaign 16-5, will graduate eight seniors, but return 22 underclassmen next season. And even though Tanner ended his senior year without a trophy, he explained that it was still a fun final season with the Panthers.

“It was a great senior year. I’ve never gotten this far [because] the last two years, we’ve been knocked out in the first round, so to get to the third round [was] kind of enlightening”

Jun 6 2012

Mass High School Lax Recap: Duxbury 15, Franklin 3

By Hayden Bird 

DUXBURY, MA – In yet another display of force, the Duxbury high school boy’s lacrosse team downed Franklin to reach the state semi finals, 15-3.

In what was essentially uncharted territory for Franklin’s senior class, which hasn’t made it this far in the state lacrosse tournament, they came in riding an impressive 16-5 record.

Yet from the opening faceoff, it became eminently clear that Duxbury was not in the mood for upsets.

The Dragons (21-2) stormed into the game with five unanswered first period goals.

No respite came for the away team in the second quarter either, as players like Seamus Connelly, Sam Sweet and Henry Narlee continued to dominate.

As always, the key to Duxbury’s success came from their preparation.

“We had a good week of practice and we had Franklin scouted,” noted Duxbury head coach Chris Sweet. “So we came in very confident and I think that showed right off the bat.”

By halftime, the score stood at a lopsided 9-0 for Duxbury.

Duxbury senior Seamus Connelly powered the Dragons offense with six goals. (Photo Credit: Matt Noonan for Noontime Sports)

Even with key players like Max Randall out, and others still trying to return from injury; Coach Sweet and his team haven’t missed a step.

“That shows our depth. It’s kind of a logjam of good players,” said Sweet. “Max Randall was out today, but he’ll be back on Saturday.”

Duxbury now moves onto the semi finals against Lincoln-Sudbury this Saturday. The game will be played in Duxbury at 2pm.

Franklin coach Lou Verrochi expressed his thoughts on the year ending for his team by saying, “I’m sad to see it go, but Duxbury is just in a class of their own.”

He then gave a nod to departing seniors by saying, “I can’t say enough about them. They’ve been four-year starters, some of them, and you know they’ve had a great career. I’m going to miss them. It’s going to be tough to replace them, but we’re young.”

Jun 1 2012

Mass HS Lacrosse Recap: Duxbury 16, Framingham 3

By Hayden Bird

DUXBURY, MA — Duxbury high school varsity lacrosse made short work of Framingham on Friday afternoon in the first round of the Div. I state tournament, 16-3.

Coming off a bye during the preliminary round, Duxbury (20-2) showed no signs of what coach Chris Sweet worried about.

“I knew we’d have to shake off some rust, and we came out and just really delivered to start,” said Sweet.

The away team barely had time to get oriented in the game when they found themselves down 4-0.

With players like Sam Sweet, Seamus Connelly and Will Siefert pacing the offense, (all had multiple goals), there was little Framingham could do, overwhelmed by customary Duxbury precision.

“We looked sharp from the start, which is a good sign,” noted Sweet. “I was pleased.”

By halftime, the score had skyrocketed to 12-2.

Much of Duxbury’s advantage in the game could be tied to their dominance of face-offs. Henry Narlee helped the Dragons beat the Flyers to 12 out of 17 face-offs, igniting incessant attacks, which wore down the opposition.

After a frenetic opening two quarters, things settled down for a more languid second half.

Duxbury continued to play their regular players for a time, before giving way to the bench, though they still won the second half, 4-2.

The final score ended 16-3when it was over.

Sweet noted that part of the difficulty at this point for his star-laden team is not looking past early round opposition.

“I think part of the tradition here at Duxbury is that the seniors here know this time of year. You have to make some sacrifices and make smart choices,” explained Sweet.

And he also acknowledged the impressive crowd that turned up to watch.

“It’s playoff time here in Duxbury, and everyone gets excited,” said Sweet.

Yet he refuses, along with his team, to get carried away.

When asked how he thinks this current crop of skilled seniors will be remembered, he said quickly, “Ask me after the playoffs.”

“Hopefully,” he added breaking into a smile, “we make it to the state championship.”

May 11 2012

Mass High School Lax: Duxbury Marches Past Wellesley, 9-3

By Hayden Bird

DUXBURY, MA – In a game that was billed as two of the top teams in Massachusetts’ high school lacrosse, Duxbury (15-2) asserted themselves with typical confidence, and marched past Wellesley to a comfortable 9-3 victory.

Wellesley (12-3) came into the contest riding a seven-game winning streak, including impressive victories over Norwood and Medfield in recent weeks.

Yet when tested with an away game at Duxbury, Wellesley fell prey to intricate passing and stifling defense.

“They’re a really good team and they’ve got great players and are well coached,” noted Duxbury head coach Chris Sweet. “You know we had to play really well to beat them today.”

Duxbury dominated possession early on and ruthlessly fought to regain control in the instances when it was lost.

Midfielders like Andrew Buron, Cam Mullins, Henry Narlee and Jon Gomer, (among several others) all scrapped with their Wellesley counterparts in an early bid to seize the initiative.

By the second quarter, Duxbury had largely done this, as back-to-back goals from attacker Seamus Connelly stretched their lead to 6-1.

Connelly, a senior, was a fixture in Duxbury’s offense, which continuously cycled possession before exploiting gaps in Wellesley’s defensive structure.

Still, the obvious development of the game was on the other end of the field. Not so much from an event or series of events as it was the lack of events.

Suffocating Duxbury defense ensured that it was a light workday for goalie Henry Buonagurio.

“It made it easy for Buonagurio today,” Sweet said afterward.

By halftime, Wellesley was looking second best and Duxbury coaches could be overheard stressing that their team not lose focus.

Senior Duxbury defenseman Matt O’Keefe implored his teammates to keep up their impressive start.

“Let’s keep it at one goal,” said O’Keefe. “Let’s make a statement.”

The second half brought more possession for Wellesley, though they failed to capitalize on it. And before the Wellesley players could begin to sort out the five goal deficit they faced, the deficit increased to six.

Courtesy of senior attacker Will Siefert, Duxbury made it 7-1. Only then, with the game all but out of reach, did Wellesley respond.

Midfielder Reed Westerman scored off an assist from Peter Crane to cut the deficit to five once again.

Unfortunately for the away fans though, it proved too little too late.

Duxbury’s incessant midfield slowly, but surely ground down the game, passing their opponent’s chances in the game to death.

“We were just trying to take advantage of our defense and be really patient on offense, take care of the ball and not make mistakes that give the ball back to the other team,” said Sweet.

The final quarter brought no change in the result, (Duxbury continued to dominate), but did bring arguably the most interesting and bizarre play of the game.

Wellesley goalie Connor Darcey, one of the finest high school players at his position in the state, showed remarkable skill and versatility as he charged up field and scored for the Raiders, making the score, 8-3.

It was a stunning move, surely not an everyday occurrence in any sport that utilizes a goalie, let alone lacrosse. Yet it proved inconsequential to the result of the game.

One more goal from Connelly rounded out the day as Duxbury finished a 9-3 winner.

It marked the 30th consecutive win Duxbury has recorded against Massachusetts opponents, dating back to the end of the 2010 season.

Dec 2 2011

Eastern Massachusetts Division I, II,III Super Bowl Predictions

Are you ready for some High School Super Bowls?

By NoontimeSports.com 

Super Saturday is upon us, which means it’s time to make some bold predictions for the upcoming Division I, II and III Eastern Massachusetts Super Bowls, which will be played at Gillette Stadium.

Here’s our staffs predictions for three Saturday championship games, enjoy.

Division III – Concord Carlisle vs. Oliver Ames

Dan Libon – If you are wondering what the Patriots could do on Saturday against the Tigers, then you might want to revisit their shutout victory from earlier this season against Lincoln Sudbury. It would be a great story if Oliver Ames comes out on top, but in all honesty, C-C has too many weapons on both sides of the ball. C-C 28 OA 17

Ryan Lanigan – The Patriots will feel right at home at Gillette Stadium, but not many teams fill the stands like the townies from Easton. There is no doubt CC is an elite team, but I’ve gone on record before saying, Oliver Ames is a team that screams “determination.” This could turn into one of the more entertaining games of the day. OA will make it close, but they’ll fall just short. C-C 24 – Oliver Ames 14.

Matt Noonan – The story of Oliver Ames has been an exciting one this year, but against the Patriots of Concord-Carlisle, I’m expecting the Tigers to lose. CC has a great offensive and defensive unit, and oh, by the way, they also lost at Gillette Stadium last year, so that’s some motivation for the Patriots to win, right? CC 28 – OA 10

Division II – Duxbury vs. Tewksbury

DL – With the longest winning streak in the state, Duxbury is in great position to win their second Division II championship in two-years. They can beat you with quarterback Matt O’Keefe or by shutting down their opponent on defense. Duxbury 14 Tewksbury 0

RL – Duxbury did a wonderful job keeping Charles Ruffin and the King Philip offense out of the end zone to advance to the Super Bowl while Tewksbury has recovered from a rough start to play in the big game. I believe Coach Dave Maimaron will have the Dragons ready to go. Duxbury 28 Tewksbury 7

MN – Hands down, I’m picking Duxbury. They’re fast, quick, aggressive and athletic, and certainly, they’ve got a quality quarterback that’s most likely going to toss two touchdowns before the buzzer sounds. Duxbury 21 – Tewksbury 7

Division – Boston College High School vs. Needham

DL – What am I most excited for in this particular matchup? Hmm… the two top tight ends in the state! Expect BC High quarterback Bartley Regan to have plenty of time in the pocket when looking for teammate Jameson McShea. BC High 28 Needham 14

RL – Both of these teams are beyond deserving to be in the Super Bowl. As a Brockton High graduate, I’ll give a lot of credit to Needham for knocking off New Bedford – our Big 3 rival. BC High has done a marvelous job recovering from the loss of star running back Preston Cooper. The Eagles defense, (four shutouts) will be clashing with a Needham team that has posted 42 points in two straight games. It will be close, but I think BC High will pull it out. BC High 21 Needham 14.

MN – After losing quarterback Drew Burnett to a season ending injury, Needham has rallied around Ryan Charter, who enters Saturday’s tilt with 14 touchdowns in six games. Needham head coach Dave Duffy admitted after Tuesday’s game that their opponent on Saturday is tough, big and physical. However, the Rockets are a team that have always exhibited a lot of heart and passion this season, so I’m expecting the underdogs to somehow find a way to knock-off the Eagles in this one. Needham 28 – BC High 24 

Dec 2 2011

MIAA Super Bowl Saturday – Gillette Stadium Schedule

By NoontimeSports.com 

Headed to Gillette Stadium on Saturday for the MIAA Super Bowls? If so, here’s the list of games that’ll be played in Foxborough, enjoy.

* Eastern Massachusetts, Division III – Concord-Carlisle vs. Oliver Ames (9:00AM)

* Central Massachusetts, Division I – St. John’s High School vs. Leominster (11:00AM)

* Western Massachusetts, Division I – Longmeadow High School vs. Springfield Central (1:30PM)

* Eastern Massachusetts, Division II – Duxbury vs. Tewksbury (3:30PM)

* Eastern Massachusetts, Division I – Boston College High School vs. Needham (6:00PM)

* Eastern Massachusetts, Division IV – Cardinal Spellman vs. Mashpee (8:00PM)