Bedford closes gap with Bishop Guertin for top spot in MerchSquared.com/NHHSSports Boys Lacrosse Coaches Poll
One week into the regular season was all it took for voters to begin to split on who the top team in the state is.
One week into the regular season was all it took for voters to begin to split on who the top team in the state is.
Bishop Guertin held on to the top spot in the MerchSquared.com/NHHSSports Boys Lacrosse Coaches Poll for the 38th week in a row, but the separation between the Cardinals and Bedford, who remained at No. 2, got much smaller.
The Bulldogs picked up six first-place votes and finished just five points behind Bishop Guertin, which received 11 votes for the top spot this week.
The Cardinals have a busy week after having just one game last week, as they’ll travel to Exeter, Merrimack and Windham on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, respectively. Meanwhile, Bedford goes to Nashua South on Monday and then hosts Longmeadow (Mass.) on Wednesday.
Pinkerton and Exeter traded spots, with the Astros moving up to No. 3 and the Blue Hawks dropping to No. 4. Pinkerton hosts Dover on Monday and Manchester on Thursday while Exeter hosts Billerica (Mass.) on Tuesday and Bishop Guertin on Wednesday before going to Cape Elizabeth (Maine) on Saturday.
Derryfield and Portsmouth also swapped positions in the poll, as the Cougars finish out the top five and the Clippers come in at No. 6. Both have three-game weeks, with Derryfield hosting Alvirne on Monday and Timberlane on Friday with a trip to Portsmouth on Wednesday in between. The Clippers go to St. Thomas on Monday and then to Spaulding on Friday.
Moving up from the final spot in the poll, Merrimack comes in at No. 7 this week. The Tomahawks go to Keene-Monadnock on Monday, host Bishop Guertin on Thursday and go to Dover on Friday.
Goffstown gets into the top 10 for the first time ever. The Grizzlies enter at No. 8 and will go to Spaulding on Monday, host Oyster River-Newmarket on Wednesday and then play at Winnacunnet on Friday. St. Thomas dropped two spots to No. 9 and the Saints will go to Timberlane on Wednesday and host Merrimack Valley on Friday after Monday’s game against Portsmouth.
Winnacunnet comes in at No. 10, down two spots from last week. The Warriors play at Oyster River-Newmarket on Monday, then host Dover and Goffstown on Wednesday and Friday, respectively.
Here is this week’s MerchSquared.com/NHHSS Boys Lacrosse Coaches Poll. These are the top 10 lacrosse teams in the state, with records, first-place votes/points, and last week’s ranking (T=tie).
- Bishop Guertin (0-1), 11/164, 1st
- Bedford (2-1), 6/159, 2nd
- Pinkerton (2-0), 122, 4th
- Exeter (2-1), 114, 3rd
- Derryfield (2-0), 104, 6th
- Portsmouth (2-1), 87, 5th
- Merrimack (2-1), 47, 10th
- Goffstown (1-1), 39, NR
- St. Thomas (1-1), 35, 7th
- Winnacunnet (2-1), 23, 8th
Dropped out: Londonderry.
Also receiving votes: Timberlane (2-0), 15; Coe-Brown (3-0), 10; Laconia (2-0), 4; Hopkinton (2-0), 3; Londonderry (0-1), 2, 9th; Hollis Brookline (2-0), 2; Windham (2-1), 2.
The coaches poll is voted on by coaches from all three divisions, as well as members of the media.
