A way-too-early look at the 2027 boys lacrosse season

It had been a while since there was a boys lacrosse season as wide open and exciting as 2026.

Two of the three championship games came down to the wire. Portsmouth missed out on the Division II final for the first time since 2019, while Bishop Guertin missed the D1 final for the first time since 2004.

The three champions from 2025 – those two, plus Plymouth in D3 – all lost in the semifinals, which meant there would be no repeat champions in any division. That hadn’t happened since 2015, which was the last time there was a major shift in divisions.

Well, guess what is happening in 2027? With a new two-year cycle set to begin for the NHIAA next school year, there will be a lot of change on the horizon.

The plan for boys (and girls) lacrosse was to move all teams that are classified as D1 schools into the top division, giving it 20 teams for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. That means Portsmouth, Winnacunnet, Goffstown, Timberlane, Spaulding and Alvirne will be moving up.

Oyster River will see its co-op with Newmarket come to an end, keeping the Bobcats in D2 while John Stark, Coe-Brown, Plymouth, Bow and ConVal are slated for a move up to D2. St. Thomas and Derryfield will continue petitioning up to D2.

Lebanon, Milford and Kennett were expected to petition to stay in D3, although Kennett may have to stay in D2 based on the NHIAA’s petitioning rule. The Eagles had already petitioned down for the last cycle and were in the playoffs last season, which by rule, should mean Kennett has to stay in D2, but that hasn’t been determined yet.

Also, after not having a varsity team last season, Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough may not be returning to varsity competition in 2027, while Belmont, which last had a varsity team since 2017, has been trying to return. For this exercise, we’re going to assume Kennett is in D3 and one of ILMA or Belmont will also be in D3.

Division I

The division was as unpridctable as ever this year, with Pinkerton not only winning its first title since 2019, but also ending Bishop Guertin’s streak of 86 wins in a row against in-state opponents and its streak of title-game appearances.

And even with that, the Astros still had to hold off Bedford in the final seconds to win the title, as the Bulldogs gradually got healthier and closer to full strength seemingly with each passing week.

While all three of those teams will lose some huge pieces, all three have a nice foundation expected to return. Exeter, which was a few minutes away from possibly reaching the final, will have some holes to fill on defense, but has a pretty young group that should return and keep the Blue Hawks competitive.

They’ll all need it, as Winnacunnet and Portsmouth move up with what should be solid returning cores and will be competitive right away. Add in Londonderry and Merrimack, which were on the younger side this season, and Dover, which had its best season in D1, and this could be the deepest the division has ever been.

So why not add one more wrinkle? It seems likely that D1 will experiment with a shot clock beginning in 2027.

Too-early playoff predictions (14): Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Concord, Dover, Exeter, Goffstown, Londonderry, Merrimack, Nashua South, Pinkerton, Portsmouth, Timberlane, Windham, Winnacunnet.

Division II

Derryfield goes into the year with a lot returning from its championship roster, but so does Coe-Brown, which was undefeated in D3 while winning the program’s first title. Both programs look like they could be early favorites if they return everyone expected to for next season.

Right there with them should be Oyster River, which loses some key seniors but has a good young core expected to be back, and St. Thomas, which had a young roster last year and could be a dangerous team, again if everyone returns.

Hollis Brookline took its lumps in 2026 but has the talent to bounce back in the new D2, while Souhegan’s young roster should be able to take another step forward. Bow and Plymouth both lose some key seniors but should have enough returning to compete in a different division.

Too-early playoff predictions (9): Bow, Coe-Brown, Derryfield, Hanover, Hollis Brookline, Oyster River, Plymouth, St. Thomas, Souhegan.

Division III

The NHIAA’s petitioning rules are going to make this a strange season in the division, as the teams that petition down are ineligible for the postseason in the first year of the cycle, but that doesn’t change the number of teams that make the playoffs.

So that means that you’d likely have 10 teams battling for nine playoff spots (or nine for eight depending on how many teams there are). On top of that, seven of the 11 teams that made the playoffs are either no longer in the division or ineligible to make the playoffs.

Hopkinton is the only team from the 2026 final four that will still be in the division in 2027, so it sure looks like the Hawks will go into the year as the favorite. Campbell, Bishop Brady and Gilford were the only other teams to reach the postseason.

The Giants had their best season in recent memory, but will have to find a way to replace some key pieces, as will the Golden Eagles. The Cougars also have holes to fill but look like they’ll have more pieces returning.

Like Hollis Brookline, Laconia had an uncharacteristically down season and should bounce back next year while Trinity and Pelham showed signs of taking a step last season.

Too-early playoff predictions (9): Bishop Brady, Campbell, Gilford, Hopkinton, Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough, Kearsarge, Laconia, Pelham, Trinity.

Only 35 weeks until the start of the 2027 preseason.