Its time.
Here is a breakdown of each sectional with picks and players to watch out for. I am looking forward to being wrong on everything and wearing every one of your Twitter chirps.
Division I North
The only Division I North team that was able to figure out St. John’s Prep all season was Lincoln-Sudbury, and that was all the way back on April 1 in a 6-5 defensive showdown. It’s now two months later and SJP enters the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed in the North sectional and the Eagles are in the midst of a nine-game heater where they’ve averaged 14 goals a game against quality competition (BC High, Xaverian, Needham, Central Catholic).
The Eagles also were awarded with the benefit of Acton-Boxboro and Lincoln-Sudbury serving as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the North, meaning the earliest the Eagles would see either of these two perennial Division I heavyweights would be in the sectional finals.
Two sleepers to watch out for in this sectional are No. 4 Çentral Catholic and No. 5 Lexington. Oneniotekowa Maracle has been a wizard for the Minutemen all season long and is the type of player that could carry Lexington to a long Cinderella-type run. CC meanwhile plays an extremely stout defensive game, holding opponents to five goals or fewer a ridiculous 13 times this season. If both of these teams meet up in the second round, the matchup between Maracle, Declan Hewitt and the rest of the Lexington offense against Central Catholic’s elite defensive group should be something special. Both offer St. John’s Prep a difficult semifinal matchup if that comes into fruition.
Pick: St. John’s Prep over Lincoln-Sudbury
This is probably one of the best teams SJP has ever had. Their offense, led by the likes of Pat Keefe, Michael Ott and Michael Kelly along with elite play at the face-off X by Craig Yanonne has been next to unstoppable. St. John’s Prep is deservingly the No. 1 seed in Division I North and the bracket lines up in their favor if they can take care of business in the early rounds.
Division I South
Needham went undefeated in Bay State Conference action, defeated Newton North 15-11 in their season finale to win the league title, and still, the Tigers were seeded ahead of the Rockets at No. 4 and Needham at No. 5. Tough break for the Rockets, especially considering the team they’ll be matching up against in round-one is the reigning state champion and No. 12 BC High Eagles, a team that ended Needham’s season in 2018 en route to the state title. It’s also worth noting that BC defeated the Rockets 13-12 back in April.
Jason Child has proved to be every bit worthy of all the preseason hype he received as one of, if not the, top attack-man in the state. Child and fellow senior captain Brendan Walsh will need to ball out in the early rounds for Needham to make a long run. If the Rockets can get over the hump against BC in the first round, they’ll take on the winner of Newton North and Wellesley in the quarterfinals. I don’t think I need to explain the feelings that Needham has for both Wellesley and North, but they aren’t exactly anything nice.
Atop the bracket is No. 1 seed and perennial power Hingham. The Harbormen (18-2) enter the tournament on a 10-game win streak and appear to be rounding into form at the perfect time after a couple tough mid-season losses to Duxbury (8-7 OT), and Lincoln-Sudbury (12-9). Hingham will be without Sam Ward (shoulder) on offense but they have the depth and key pieces such as Cooper Dainton and Cole Finney to still put up insane offensive numbers in this tournament.
Franklin is another team I’m high on after the way they ran through their competition in the Hockomock League. Unfortunately for the No. 2 Panthers, they AGAIN are formatted to face Xaverian before the sectional final as Tim Gardner’s No. 3 Hawks have ended Franklin’s season each of the last three years. Matt Lazzaro has emerged as one of the top players in the state this season for Franklin and has filled the void left behind by Eric Civetti extremely well, and yes, they still have one of the top face-off men in the state in Jacob Alexander. Expect Lazzaro to see a lot of Dylan Gardner if and when Franklin and Xaverian come together in the sectional semifinals as it seems to be a tradition at this point. Xaverian has the pieces on offense in Andrew Perry, Jack Daoust, Sam Jean and Trevor Carroll to make a lot of noise in this tournament.
And how could one forget about Duxbury? The No. 6 Dragons may feel a bit under appreciated after going undefeated in league play with wins over Hingham and Scituate as well as key non-league wins over Longmeadow and Medfield. Sam Heppenstall has been a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses all year, and I’d expect that to continue in this tournament. As the No. 6 seed, Duxbury will likely square off against old pal Xaverian in the second round.
Marshfield and King Phillip is an intriguing 8/9 matchup. The Rams gave top-seed Hingham a fight before the Harbormen pulled away in the second half for a 12-6 victory on May 23. A quarterfinal rematch between these two rivals would be a fun watch.
Another team of note is Natick, who defeated Wellesley for the first time in program history this season and earned the No. 7 spot in the South sectional. Unfortunately, Natick suffered a tough blow with star junior midfielder Isaac Tallino, who is out for the tournament with a broken clavicle.
Pick: Hingham over Xaverian
The Harbormen are battle tested and hungry after losing to BC High in last season’s South Final. Deservingly the No. 1 seed, Hingham wouldn’t have to face any of Duxbury, Xaverian or Franklin until the South finals. The road to Nickerson Field is in Hingham’s favor and rightfully so.
Division I Final: St. John’s Prep vs. Hingham
These two played a thriller back on April 6 in a 14-12 win for the Harbormen. Wes Rockett clang iron with a little under a minute to play on a shot that would have tied the game. SJP is hungry to avenge that tough defeat and Hingham is ready to take the final step in their program’s exceptional development and win the Division I state title.
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Division II North
Winchester has been a force in Division II North all season and are rightfully the top seed in the sectional. The Sachems are the clear favorite to come out of this region having suffered just one defeat all season long (Lincoln-Sudbury, 15-10), but reigning Division II champ and No. 3 Reading, led by the play of stud attack-man Mike Tobin, may have something to say about that.
Another team to watch out for is No. 6 Billerica. The Indians have a stout defensive corps led by junior LSM/close D Nolan Houlihan and senior captains Ben Stone and Brian Sardella. Billerica may not pose the type of offensive threat that a Winchester or Reading does, but defensively they can match up with anybody. A quarterfinal matchup featuring Mike Tobin against Billerica’s handful of high-level defensive poles would be intriguing to say the least.
Marblehead is also a team to keep an eye on. A 10-0 record in league play is nothing to bat an eye at. However, potential semifinal round matchups against Tobin and the Rockets or Billerica and their loaded defensive corps both pose tough tasks.
Pick: Winchester over Reading
There is a lot of talent in this sectional but it just feels like Winchester is a slight step ahead of everybody else. I like Reading or Billerica to give the Sachems a game in the sectional final but I think Winchester is far and away the most talented team in Division II North.
Division II South
Canton is a sleeper in Division II South. The Bulldogs were a bit inconsistent throughout the regular season which featured wins over King Phillip, North Attleboro, and Scituate but also losses to Ashland and Foxboro. Nevertheless, Canton caught the benefit of not having to play Oliver Ames until the sectional finals at the latest with the Tigers serving as the No. 4 seed and the Bulldogs at No. 3.
The top-two teams in this section are Hanover at No. 1 and Sandwich at No. 2. These two faced off on May 21 as the Indians fought their way to a 13-11 win, and that’s really the difference between Hanover earning the top seed instead of the Blue Knights. Hanover will have their work cut out for them with potential matchups against No. 4 Oliver Ames or No. 5 Old Rochester. As will Sandwich with Canton certainly not being a throw-away game. However, I still like these two taking care of business and meeting up again for the sectional title.
Pick: Sandwich over Hanover
The Blue Knights are without a doubt the top cape team this year (excluding the Islands if that’s allowed). It’s tough to beat a team twice, never mind beating them twice in a two or three-week span like Hanover would have to do if they matchup with Sandwich in the sectional finals.
Division II Central/East
This is without a doubt one of the strongest sectionals and historically one of the craziest. Last season, DII C/E featured FOUR overtime games, two of which involved the cardiac kids from Concord-Carlisle. Get your blood pressure pills handy because it could be another chaotic sectional’s worth of games.
As the No. 1 seed, Medfield is the obvious favorite. The Warriors played an absolutely loaded schedule that featured the likes of Xaverian (9-6 win), Duxbury (12-7 defeat), Dover-Sherborn (12-9 win), Hopkinton twice (both wins), and BC High (9-7 loss). Medfield bolsters a loaded offensive unit headlined by the likes of Mike Hauptman, Jack McCordic, Jake Sherman, and Jimmy Cosolito. Medfield’s defensive unit is easily top-three in the state with All-American John Schofield serving as an anchor with players such as James Wilder, Mike McNeil, and Derek Gemski really beginning to flourish.
The two toughest teams Medfield would have to face, CC and Hopkinton, is the 2/3 matchup, meaning the Warriors catch the benefit of not having to see either until the sectional finals at the latest.
Westwood is a different team than they were last year when Division II Player of the Year Jake Antonucci helped lead them to the sectional finals. However, the No. 5 Wolverines have a ton of players with significant postseason experience back such as LSM Matt Cawley, fogos Kevin Lyons and Charlie Harrington, as well as attack-men Ryan Healey and Conor Donohue. If Westwood can get by No. 4 Foxboro, it’ll set up an interesting semifinal against Medfield if the Warriors are able to take care of business against No. 8 Walpole on Thursday.
Hopkinton is a team that I’m very high on and looks to be rounding into form at the perfect time. Dan Norton and the Hillers have adjusted to life without Will Abbott accordingly and have proven the ability to win in a variety of ways. Of Hopkinton’s 13 wins, their final two against Dover-Sherborn and Minnechaug are the most impressive after scoring 17 on DS and holding Minnechaug to just four. Cory Bannon’s play in net will be a deciding factor and guys like Connor Sullivan and Luke MacDonald are names to watch out for on the offensive side of the ball.
Pick: Medfield over Hopkinton
Last season, these two TVL rivals met in the first round of the Central/East sectional. This season, the bracket sets up for them to meet again but this time for the sectional title. Hopkinton will have to take out the reigning champs in Concord-Carlisle in order to make it happen, but the Hillers definitely feel they have the depth and the talent to make a long run. CC could very easily end up repeating, but I think Medfield is just a bit better than the rest of the field.
Division II Central/West
Historically, Division II Central/West has belonged to Longmeadow, especially of recent with the Lancers reigning as champions each of the last four seasons. This year, Longmeadow will look for the five-peat but their road is bit more difficult than past seasons. As the No. 5 seed, the Lancers are slated to face Shrewsbury in the quarterfinals. A win sets up a date with a very good and top-seeded Algonquin team.
On the other side of the bracket in the No. 2 spot is St. John’s Shrewsbury. Another quick historical note: Longmeadow has been SJS’s kryptonite as the Pioneers entered this season having not beaten Longmeadow since 2011. However, on May 9 the Pioneers took out the Lancers in quadruple overtime, so with demons now relinquished, St. John’s can feel a little better heading into the tournament knowing they hold the ability to beat the perennial Western power Lancers if it comes down to it.
As the No. 2 seed, St. John’s gets to avoid a matchup with Longmeadow until, you guessed it, the sectional finals. The Pioneers will take on the winner of No. 7 Wachusett and No. 10 Nashoba in the quarterfinals, and if victorious, an intriguing potential matchup with No. 3 seed Minnechaug awaits.
Pick: St. John’s over Algonquin
These two played a 10-9 thriller back on May 7 and I’d expect nothing less if they meet up again with the sectional title on the line. St. John’s will be out to avenge that tough defeat and I really like the offensive rhythm these guys are in with Owen Boss, Colin Deso, and Timmy LaCroix really beginning to gel as a unit. Trevor Vigeant is another guy who could have a big outcome on who wins this sectional for SJS.
Division II State Semifinal Matchups:
Medfield vs. Sandwich
St. John’s (Shrewsbury) vs. Winchester
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Division III Central/East
Feel like we say this every year but I really like what I see out of No. 1 seed Dover-Sherborn. The Raiders have filled the voids of departed 2018 offensive weapons such as Michael Mastrobuono and Jack Dillon extremely well with guys like Henry Kenny, Ford Pegram, and Noah Sampson excelling in expanded roles. Erik Niit and Timmy Polk have both been extremely solid all season long and are going to be main focal points of the DS offense in this tournament. Pierce Gregory is the biggest name to know. Since getting their star sophomore attack-man back from a broken wrist midway through the year, DS is 8-3 with their losses all coming narrowly to Division I power Franklin (9-8) and Division II heavyweights Medfield (12-9) and Hopkinton (17-11).
Pick: DS over Weston
These two schools know each other extremely well and have played some epic lacrosse games over the years. I think Weston might have been a little under appreciated by the tournament committee after being awarded the six seed. Weston’s road to the sectional final is anything but easy with No. 3 Tyngsboro and No. 2 Littleton standing in their way, but I think they hold the ability to make a long run. Expect the Wildcats to play with a chip on their shoulder. DS will face familiar opposition with Ashland or Hopedale in the quarterfinals and the winner of Medway/Holliston looming in the semifinals. DS has won five straight Central/East sectionals for a reason and I expect that trend to continue in 2019.
Division III South
The defending sectional and state champion Cohasset Skippers being the No. 3 seed is pretty wild. The majority of Cohasset’s schedule was not even against Division III schools and they still played everybody extremely tough, even knocking off rival and perennial DI power Duxbury (12-11) on April 11. But, I digress considering the teams at No.’s 1 and 2 certainly fit the criteria.
As the No. 3 seed, Cohasset faces the task of having to hand No. 2 Nantucket its first defeat of the season if these two take care of business and meet up in the sectional semifinals. On the other side of the bracket sits top-seeded Norwell, who upended Cohasset 9-8 on May 7. Norwell boasts an impressive resume with wins over quality DII teams such as Westwood, Scituate, Hanover, and Sandwich and their lone slip-up coming against Foxboro (8-6). A potential quarterfinal matchup with rival Rockland is certainly intriguing, followed by a potential date with Bishop Stang if the Spartans can take care of business against either No. 5 Hull or No. 12 Coyle & Cassidy.
Pick: Cohasset over Norwell
Very difficult to beat a team twice in the same season, especially one as talented as Cohasset. Mason Fitzgerald is one of the top goalies in the state and as we saw last season, he has the ability to help lead a team to a sectional and state championship. I think the Skippers repeat.
Division III North
Pentucket proved be a force in Division III North this season, but they did not excel against the teams they’ll have to go through in order take home the sectional title. No. 4 Dracut took them out 10-7 on May 15, No. 11 Hamilton-Wenham beat them 7-5 back in mid-April, and No. 3 Bishop Fenwick took them down 11-10 on April 18. Luckily for Pentucket, two of those three (Hamilton-Wenham and Bishop Fenwick) will not be playing on their side of the bracket. However, still looms Dracut, a team that finished 13-5 and winners of five straight including their 10-7 win over Pentucket.
Pick: Dracut over Bishop Fenwick
Dracut is hot right now and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least bit if the Middies made a run to a sectional title that included wins over No. 1 Pentucket in the semifinals and No. 2 Bishop Fenwick in the sectional final. They are better than a four-seed, don’t be surprised if and when they show it.
Division III Central/West
Personally, I think the two best teams in Division III this year are Dover-Sherborn and Grafton (spoiler alert), so I am very excited that the Central/East and Central/West champions will not be squaring off in the state semifinals like last season. Onto this specific sectional, this is Grafton’s to lose. The Indians are buzzing right and enter the tournament on a 12-game heater. Grafton’s two losses this season came to Division II powers Algonquin and St. John’s Shrewsbury, no shame in either of those.
As the top seed, Grafton gets the benefit of not having to see either No. 2 Wahconah (17-1) or No. 3 St. Bernard’s (16-2) until the sectional final. Mount Greylock makes for a potential interesting semifinal matchup, but I think Grafton has the talent advantage with guys like Matt Gillatt and Ryan Warner leading the charge.
Pick: Grafton over St. Bernard’s
This Grafton team is a wagon, one that I think few teams in Division III outside of Dover-Sherborn or Cohasset can compete with.
Division III State Semifinal Matchups:
Dover-Sherborn vs. Cohasset (Rematch of last season’s state final)
Dracut vs. Grafton
Flanny's Thoughts 