D1 Boys Lacrosse Preview: Bishop Guertin looks to defend its championship

There were a lot of things different about the 2021 boys lacrosse season, but in Division I, there was one thing that wasn’t.

The Bishop Guertin High School boys team reached the title game for the 16th year in a row, winning its first title since 2017 and the 10th in program history. But for the first time since 2012, the Cardinals’ opponent was a team other than Pinkerton.

Exeter made its first title-game appearance since 2010 and gave Bishop Guertin quite a run. This year, despite all three programs graduating a large amount of seniors, they are back in familiar spots – with the Cardinals as the favorite and the Astros and Blue Hawks in the best position to challenge.

Nashua South looks like it might have the talent and experience returning to make a playoff run, although depth could be an issue for the Panthers. Concord, Merrimack and Londonderry will also be in the mix for a top four playoff spot.

The division is back to 13 teams this year, with Keene-Monadnock moving up after creating a co-op in the offseason, which means nine teams will make the playoffs.

Favorite

• Bishop Guertin: While Bishop Guertin lost a lot of talent from last year’s team, there is a lot returning to keep the Cardinals at the top. That starts at faceoffs, as senior JJ Murphy is back, along with seniors Nick Dahl (defense) and Xander Dunsmoore (midfield). Those three, along with junior goalie Zach Connerty will serve as captains for the Cardinals. Dunsmoore will be joined by a big group of juniors on offense, including Connor Bouvier, Tim Kiely and Connor Guibord at midfield, and Quinn Cepeil, Aiden Laurendeau, Marcel Vernon and Emerson Warren at attack, along with sophomore Brady Dumont. Dahl is joined on defense by juniors Colin Roark, Dylan Yeung and Charlie Bellavance and sophomore Alex Dumont.

Challengers

• Exeter: The Blue Hawks snapped Pinkerton’s run of title-game appearances, but like Bishop Guertin, Exeter lost a ton to graduation – 16 seniors – and saw longtime coach Gerry Holly step down. Matt Brewster takes over as just the second coach in program history and he’ll have a few returners to help lead the way, starting with seniors Aiden Drunsic and Matt Denman on attack. Senior middie Adam Neil will also give Exeter some key leadership while junior goalie Ryan Tatman returns. Tanner Smith and Owen Williams are also expected to step up and play key roles for the Blue Hawks.
• Pinkerton: The Astros came up short of the final for the first time since 2012 and just the sixth time since boys lacrosse became an NHIAA sanctioned sport in 1994. Pinkerton lost a dozen seniors to graduation, but like Bishop Guertin, have players returning in key positions. That includes sophomore Cole Franks on faceoffs and the goalie duo of juniors Curtis Michaud and Tyler LeBlanc. Also back at midfield is senior Riley Spellman and juniors Michael Uber and Joey Gallo, while senior Liam Prescott and junior Ryan Lynch return at attack. Senior Kyle Zirn will lead the defense for the Astros.

Contenders

• Nashua South: In terms of numbers, the Panthers didn’t graduate as much as some of the other top contenders, but they lost two of their top scorers and FOGO. South returns one of the top goalies in the state in senior Ethan Johnson while the offense has plenty of options with seniors Griffin Johnson (attack), Nate Campbell (midfield) and Connor Rowsell (midfield) returning. Senior middies Rhett Medling and Mike Rutstein will also see a lot of time while senior Parker Fleury and freshman Beau Dubois will jump in at attack. Junior Cody Goode is back to lead the defense.
• Concord: The Crimson Tide lost just four seniors from 2021 and are loaded with juniors and seniors. Seniors Dan O’Brien (attack/midfield) and Parker Fredrickson (defense) will serve as captains for Concord. Colby Bettens returns at goalie and Zan Alberici is back at FOGO for their senior year. Juniors Joey Tarbell (midfield) and Nate Doherty (attack) are poised for a big season while junior Brody McGonigle will play a big role at LSM.
• Merrimack: The Tomahawks return a big senior class, led by Shea Goodwin at midfield and Camden Wheeler on defense. Matthew Todd (attack) and Maverick Landery (defense) also return to give Merrimack four strong senior leaders. Also back on defense are junior Reimello Hyde, senior Connor Williams and senior Alex Griffin, who also saw time last year in goal. Connor Patch, Alec Vietry and Justin Sullivan will play key roles as they join the varsity.
• Londonderry: After graduating 21 seniors, the Lancers will have one of their younger teams in recent memory. Seniors middies Jess Morin, Riley Boles, Jack Bernie and Connor Howe will look to lead the way along with junior midfielder Kyle McPhail, junior defender Dylan Wrisley and junior goalie Dane Duarte.
• Bedford: The Bulldogs strength will be its defense behind returning seniors Matt Desmond (goalie) and Parker Henrichon. Senior middies Joe Mikol, Andrew McGee and Josh Beaton and junior LSM Nick Hadley will also be looked at to step up on defense. Junior middie Sean Toscano and sophomore attack Derek Kulesza will try to lead the offense for Bedford.

Dark Horse

• Salem: The Blue Devils return a trio of seniors on defense, including Johnny Smith (captain), Hunter Day and Dom Buchieri. They’ll be joined by juniors Ryan Clarkin and Owen Arsenault while sophomore goalie Jack Schoenrock is back. Salem’s offense will be led by senior Jackson Doughty and juniors Matt Doyle, Marcus Bellomo (captain) and Brennan Chane. Sophomores Bennet Atkins and Tommy Titone will also be looked to contribute while freshman Teddy Hannon and sophomore Colby Savageau will be in the mix as well.

Rest of the Field

• Dover: Leading the way for the Green Wave will be senior captain Preston Kozlowski, who will be Dover’s top attackman, while sophomore Micah Krick will look to take on a larger role at midfield this season. Senior LSM Gabe Rubio is back to lead the defense while sophomore goalie Dom Chalifour returns after a strong freshman campaign.
• Nashua North: The Titans have one of the best athletes in the division returning in junior middie Jack Peters, while junior Alex Jenkerson is also back at midfield. The defense will look to senior Josh Kane and senior goalie Devyn Lavoie to lead the way. Senior Trent Gerlowski will lead the way at attack while freshman Luke Peters should also contribute.
• Souhegan: The Sabers took a hit to graduation and saw their coach, Keith Bertrand, step down not long before the season started. Nick Lambros steps in to lead Souhegan and he’ll have and handful of returning players, starting with senior Tony Garrant and sophomore Cole Manning on offense.
• Keene-Monadnock: A lot of changes this season for the Blackbirds, who move back up to D1 in a co-op with Monadnock, and there is a new coach in Kristian Smith, who was an assistant last season.

Preseason Predictions

• Playoff Teams (9): Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Concord, Exeter, Londonderry, Merrimack, Nashua South, Pinkerton, Salem.
• Final Four: Bishop Guertin, Pinkerton, Exeter, Nashua South.
• Championship: Bishop Guertin over Pinkerton.
• Offensive Player of the Year: Aiden Drunsic, Exeter.
• Defensive Player of the Year: Ethan Johnson, Nashua South.