D1 Boys Lacrosse Preview: Bishop Guertin tries for its 4th title in a row

The year was 2004.

George W. Bush was in the last year of his first term as President, the Patriots were coming off their second Super Bowl title, and yours truly had just graduated from college.

And in New Hampshire, Concord defeated Souhegan in the Division I boys lacrosse championship game.

It’s the last time a D1 title game has been played without Bishop Guertin in it. It’s also the only time that neither Bishop Guertin nor Pinkerton were in the title game.

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Neither of those streaks appear likely to end this year, as the Cardinals have their sights set on a fourth straight title and 13th overall. The second of those would be an NHIAA record, breaking a tie Bishop Guertin currently has with Pinkerton.

While the Cardinals go into the year as the favorite, the rest of the field may not be as far behind as its been in the past. Pinkerton, Exeter and Bedford go into the season hoping to give Bishop Guertin a run for it’s money, while Merrimack and Londonderry lead the next tier of teams eyeing a playoff berth.

Favorite

Bishop Guertin (18-3, champs): The Cardinals lose a lot of talent every season, but the players gone from a year ago – 17 who graduated, while goalie Liam O’Keefe transferred to Loomis Chaffee – left a lot of holes to fill.

But what the Cardinals also have is a lot of talent returning.

Leading the way are two of the top players in the state, senior attackman Brady Dumont and senior defender Alex Dumont. Both give Bishop Guertin a go-to player at their respective position who can shoulder a lot of the load when needed.

Also returning on defense are seniors Finn Moran and Sam Patenaude, along with juniors Noah Guarrera, Avary Whitehead and Logan Venne. They’ll be joined by midfielders Matthew Bressan (senior), Ronan Balistreri (senior) and sophomore Hunter Duaney. Junior Colin Foley and sophomore Tyler McLeod will see time at LSM while seniors Will Murphy and Michael MacDonough return at goalie.

Junior Paulo Vazquez will handle faceoff duties while seniors Caleb Yeung and Micah Dunsmoor will lead the way at midfield. Junior Jeremy Warren and sophomores Cam Hayden and Hudson Schmitt also return at midfield, while newcomers Beau Dubois (junior), JP Dunsmoor (sophomore) and Jackson Warren (freshman) will see time as well.

At attack, Brady Dumont will be joined by senior Cater Jozokos, juniors Michael Ponto and Liam Connerty and sophomores Owen King and Sean McGarry.

Challengers

Bedford (11-6, lost in quarterfinals): The Bulldogs return a roster that could help them get back to the final four for just the second time since 2017, despite losing a dozen seniors from a year ago.

The defense looks to be a strength, with seniors Kevin Sheridan, Spencer Henrichon and Tristan Kerr leading the way, along with juniors Brian Riccio and Thomas Frongillo. Also back are goalies Ian Fletcher (senior) and Ethan Conn (sophomore), both of whom saw varsity minutes last season.

Senior Derek Kulesza and junior Luke Purnell are back to lead the offense at attack, while sophomores Brody Helton and Bennett Matthews return at midfield.

Exeter (14-6, lost in semifinals): The Blue Hawks have solid returning players at every spot on the field, but will have to find away to replace 14 seniors from last year.

Senior goalie Ethan Bernich returns to lead a defense that also includes seniors Tanner Smith and Harry Carciola, while senior Andrew Nicholas will see time on defense and at LSM.

Junior Will McIlroy returns to handle faceoffs while senior midfielders Sean Delelo and Evan Delorie are also back. The offense will be led by junior middie Marshall Lasewicz and senior attack Owen Williams.

Pinkerton (15-6, lost in final): The Astros got back to the final for the first time since 2019, but with 10 seniors graduating – and FOGO Cole Frank transferring to Proctor Academy – Pinkerton will need a lot of guys to step up.

Leading the way will be a class of eight seniors, including midfielders Cody Santomassimo, James Erickson and Alex Tsetseranos. All saw time on varsity last year, with Tsetseranos handling some faceoff duties. They’ll be joined by juniors Matthew Morrison, Benjamin Quintiliani and Ronan Connors and sophomore Dylan Stingel.

Seniors Adam Scala, Cole Summers and Richard Wong, along with junior Kyle Ushkevich, got some experience a year ago on attack, but will have some big shoes to fill for the Astros. Sophomore Matthew Gormady will also see time on attack.

A pair of seniors, Brayden Berry and Alec Henry, return to lead the defense, along with juniors Zach Baker and Jackson Chase. They’re joined by sophomores Brendan Carney, James Caruso and Caleb Hobden. They’ll be playing in front of freshman goalie Owen Perkins.

Contenders

Merrimack (11-6, lost in semifinals): The Tomahawks reached the final four for the first time in program history last year, and while Merrimack graduated nine seniors, all played key roles and provided great leadership.

Conor Dunn is the lone senior returning with varsity experience, as he’s back to lead the midfield, along with juniors Max Giles and Henry Tobin. They’ll be joined by newcomers senior Eddy Johnson, junior Nathaniel Bergen, sophomore Cayden Dine and freshmen Hudson Rousseau and Gabe Gorman.

Defense should be an early strength for Merrimack, with juniors Beau Lamontagne and Colby Smith and sophomore Gavin Hickey back in front of sophomore goalie Mason Tremblay. Junior Liam McIsaac, sophomore Josh Kahn and freshmen Bret Vietry and Trevor Shorette will also see time on defense.

The attack will be all new for the Tomahawks, with senior Landon Bedard and juniors Jake Miller and Peyton Connelly leading the way. They’re joined by sophomores Sean Anderson and Brady Perkins.

Londonderry (8-9, lost in quarterfinals): The Lancers saw 10 players graduate from last year’s team, and like Merrimack, they’re strength early on should be on defense.

Returning for Londonderry on defense are seniors Cam Brutus, Owen Rondeau and John Patles and junior Cam Ayotte, while senior Logan Huard returns at LSM. They’re joined by goalies Colby Walden (junior) and Nathan Barette (senior).

Senior Sam Melia returns to lead the midfield, along with seniors Ty Parsons, Jake Perron and Aiden White. Also returning is junior Liam Knight, who will see time at midfield and on attack, where he’ll be joined by returning junior Parker Lewis.

Juniors Tiago Keyes (midfield) and Blake Thomson (attack) and sophomore Aiden Stowell (midfield) will have a chance to play a bigger role for Londonderry as well.

Dover (5-12, lost in quarterfinals): The story for the Green Wave begins in goal with senior Dominic Chalifour. Despite the low win total, the Dover goalie turned in an outstanding season as a junior and is poised to shatter the state record for career saves this season.

Chalifour will have an experienced defense around him, led by seniors Toby Zielfelder, Jr., and Orion Jennison-Henderson and sophomores Quintin McCormick and Bryson Glidden. They’re joined by senior LSM Jackson Bairstow, senior middie Riley Joyce and junior middie Landon Gray.

Senior Lukah Ready will serve as a two-way middie for the Green Wave while senior Micah Krick and junior Ben Tower are also back at midfield. Freshman Owen Wood will handle faceoffs for Dover while also seeing time at midfield.

Junior Tobey Desroches and Kyle Behan will be joined on attack by sophomore Logan Carter while freshman Sylas Brown will also be in the mix.

Dark Horse

Concord (5-13, lost in quarterfinals): A year ago, the Crimson Tide had a lot of seniors and a lot of freshmen on the roster; this year, it’s no surprise that Concord’s core is made of sophomores. If that core can develop quickly, the Tide could be in for a memorable year.

Leading the way on offense will be sophomore Carter Doherty, who will see time at attack and midfield. He’s joined by senior middie William Chorlian, sophomore middie Liam Yeatman and freshman middie Jaden Haas, who should also handle faceoffs.

Sophomore Logan Shimer returns at goalie while senior Sebastian Nichols and junior Broc Pelchat are back on defense. Nichols could also see time in goal if need be.

Rest of Field

Salem (4-11): The Blue Devils have enough returning to make a push to earn their first playoff berth since 2018, led by senior midfielder Bennet Atkins.

Atkins will be joined at midfield by junior Logan Smith while juniors Kaden Leahy and Teddy Hannon return on attack. Junior Parker Killian steps in at midfield and will handle faceoffs while freshman Colin Salkovitz will also see time at midfield.

Senior goalie John Shoenrock returns to lead the defense, along with junior Danny Hughes and middies Logan Halloran (senior) and Reily O’Brien (junior). Freshmen Kaden Alsup and Jack Richard will also play a role on defense.

Nashua North (5-13): The Titans will have a huge hole to fill with the graduation of Jack Peters, but hope to do so with more of a committee approach.

Seniors Alec Jenkerson (midfield) and Brody Sutton (attack) both return to lead North offense, along with junior Andrew Culliane (midfield) and sophomore Nick Wilkinson (attack). Senior Jace Colon returns at goalie while junior Jevon Anson will see time at defense. Freshman goalie Josh Parsons will also be in the mix.

Manchester (3-12): The Kings look to bounce back from a tough first year back in D1. Manchester should be strong in the midfield, with seniors Joey Velez and Talen Perron returning. Seniors Lukas Tafe (attack) and Mack Tripp (defense) also return to give the team experience at those positions.

Sophomore Cam Velez steps in at goalie while senior Connor McFarland (defense) and junior Collin Beaulieu (LSM) will see time. Freshman Cade Tripp joins the Kings on attack.

Nashua South (3-15): The Panthers strength looks to be on defense, where junior goalie Jake Lynn takes over the starting job full time after stepping up last year after an injury.

Senior Severen Johnson, junior Andrew Convery and sophomore Tyler Benzekeri give South experience around Lynn on that side of the ball.

Junior Broden Landsteiner is back at midfield along with sophomore Raiden Chao, who will handle faceoff duties, and they’ll be joined by sophomore Cody Jackson and freshman Grant Imbeault. Senior Wyatt Solis-Serber and sophomore Owen Roy return on attack with junior Luke Lowell will joining them.

Postseason Predictions

Teams (8): Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Concord, Dover, Exeter, Londonderry, Merrimack, Pinkerton.

Final four: Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Exeter, Pinkerton.

Championship: Bishop Guertin over Bedford.

Offensive Player of the Year: Brady Dumont, Bishop Guertin.

Defensive Player of the Year: Alex Dumont, Bishop Guertin.