D3 Boys Lacrosse Preview: Campbell, Plymouth look poised to take next step

The road to last year’s Division III championship was a tough one for the Trinity High School boys lacrosse team.

With the number of contenders in the division in 2022, which ever team is left standing in the end might have had an even tougher road.

As scheduling looks a little more normal after last season’s regional set up due to COVID-19, there will be regular-season matchups between the teams those teams. No fewer than five programs, and maybe one or two more, look to have a shot at taking the title this season.

At the top of the list are Campbell and Plymouth, as they each return a core of players that could lead their respective teams to the title. Not far behind are Laconia, Hopkinton and Trinity, and keep an eye on a few others, like Pelham, Lebanon and Bishop Brady.

The division will have 14 teams for this season, which means nine will advance to the postseason.

Favorites

• Campbell: The Cougars turned in the best season in program history in 2021 and they return a lot of talent to try to improve on that this year. That includes senior Brendan Boschi and sophomore Andrew Willnus on attack and seniors Jack Noury and John Newell at midfield. The defense has seniors Eric Coates and Brady Robicheau returning along with junior goalie Ryan Guerrette and junior LSM Jackson Kanaley. Senior Nick Carignan and sophomore Lucas Craig will see time on faceoffs and at midfield while sophomore Wyatt Tarr, senior Eddie Britt and freshman Nick Hershberger looking to contribute on defense. Freshman Scott Hershberger and senior Tiernan Sullivan will get a chance to play at midfield.
• Plymouth: The Bobcats made it to the title game for the first time in program history and they have the players returning to make another run. Leading the way is senior goalie Jacob Marcoux, who will be joined on defense by seniors Ethan Fogg (LSM), Andrew Newman and Joe Peters and juniors Matt Cleary and Mason Lessard. Juniors Caden Sanborn and Brendan Marcoux return at attack along with seniors Adam Barton and Tyler Stokowski. Seniors Nick Therrien and Mamush Tighe also are back at the midfield position.

Challengers

• Laconia: The Sachems graduated just one senior from a year ago and return nine starters, including senior midfielder Cole Roy. Senior Tim Ausevich was an all-state FOGO a year ago and will see time as a two-way middie this season. Seniors Evan Rollins and Evan Carignan are back on attack while senior Lucas Beane will see time at attack and midfield. Senior Cam Harriman returns in goal with seniors Jake Mello, Edgar Conroy and Zach Whitney (LSM) also returning on defense. Sophomore Carson Tucker returns from injury at midfield along with sophomore Brody Rollins. Junior Cody Newman and sophomore Alex Richardson will see time on defense while junior Isaiah Sorrell (midfield) and sophomores JP Harriman (attack/midfield), Sam Mize (attack) and Keaton Beck (attack) will see time. Freshmen Eli Nadeau (midfield) and Brady Stevens (attack) will also have a chance to contribute.
• Hopkinton: The Hawks were kept out of the final for the first time since 2016 but will have a chance to go back thanks to a solid returning core. Senior Ryan Brown and sophomore Patrick Buss are back on attack while seniors Aidan Burns, Josh Duval and Ethan Molnar return at midfield. Senior goalie Eli Standefer returns after missing time due to injury last year and he’s joined on defense by senior John Sullivan and junior Steven Reddy. Garrett Fitzgerald (senior, attack), Lincoln Wilson (junior, midfield) and Cam Bassett (sophomore, defense) should play key roles for Hopkinton.
• Trinity: The Pioneers won their first title since 2015 a year ago, but they were hit hard by graduation and transfers. Still, Trinity returns a lot of talent and added a couple of players that will provide a nice boost. The defense will be the team’s strength, with senior and two-year captain Matt Miclette leading the way. Also back is senior defender Mike Evans, who will also handle faceoffs, along with junior goalie Nick Guerra and senior LSM Mattie Beausoleil. Junior goalie Chase Hunt also joins the mix to give Trinity a solid pair of netminders. Seniors Austin Pepin (midfield/attack) and Lucas Fraser and sophomore Andrew Overy (attack) are back to lead the offense. They’ll be joined by junior attack Tyler Manning

Contenders

• Pelham: The Pythons will be led on attack by seniors Tyler Katin, Connor Hamilton and Colby Meehan. Senior Keegan McKenney and sophomore Cam Cook return at midfield while junior Cam Cote will be looked at to step up. Senior Ethan Giniewicz will handle faceoffs and see time as a defensive middie. Memphis Patterson will lead the defense in front of senior Justin Roche, who will start in goal for the first time. Freshman Mason Frechette and Ben Howe should also contribute this season for Pelham.
• Lebanon: The Raiders return a solid core on offense, with senior attack Griffin Auch returning along with senior middies CJ Childs, Allisdair MacPhail and Noah Mekus. They’ll be joined by freshman Colin Maher, who should contribute for Lebanon. The defense will be anchored by senior Colbie Delisle and sophomore Danny Keefe.
• Kearsarge: The Cougars have seen an increase in numbers, but only about half played varsity or junior varsity for Kearsarge this season. Leading the way on offense will be juniors John Fraioli and Matthew Berns at attack and Mason Russell at midfield. Also back on attack are senior Ford Simano, junior Troy Madigan and sophomore Aiden Chicoine. The defense will be anchored by junior Teddy Woods and sophomore Owen Garzia while sophomore Alex Tockman is also back. Kearsarge also has a large group of sophomore middies returning, including Colin Croto, Aiden Deegan, Jason Dyment, Parker Goin, Tanner Lewis, Broady Roberts and Sawyer Slaton.

Dark Horse

• Bishop Brady: The Giants have 11 players returning this season, eight of whom saw major time a year ago. That includes offensive leaders Nathan Nelson (junior, midfield) and Owen Currier (senior, attack) and they’ll be joined by senior middie Brendan Caterino. Freshman twins Henri and Will Brochu will also help the offense from the attack and middie positions, respectively. Junior Tucker Townsend will handle faceoffs for Bishop Brady while Brayden Murphy will step in at goalie.

Rest of Field

• Milford: The Spartans have a number of returning players, but the question is how quickly can they come together. Leading the way will be captains Logan Barnhill (senior, midfield), Chuck Urda (junior midfield) and Jack Seale (junior midfield). Other returning starters include Harris Jones (sophomore, attack), Tyler Descoteau (sophomore, defense) and Luca DeRosa (senior, defense). Junior Andrew Herner and sophomores Cade Bouchard and Hugh Palmer also return on attack while sophomores Kaleb Francoeur and Alex Johnson are back at midfield. They’ll be joined by sophomore Matt Duby and freshman Braydon Atwood. Sophomores Dart Boudreau and Shane McCormick return on defense with freshman Justin Desmarais and goalie James Brew joining them.
• Gilford: The Eagles have eight players returning from last season, led by seniors Max Barlett (middie), Luke Loyer (defense) and Jaxen Cole (attack). Sophomores Colin Logan and Aiden McKenzie also return at midfield while Dylan Hamel should play a key role as well. Junior Zoltan Stefan and sophomore Luke Jackson join Loyer on defense while sophomore Tristen Reinhold joins Cole at attack.
• Stevens: The Cardinals have a pair of key returners in senior Hunter Christian and sophomore Landon North-Avery. Seniors Reeve Wilkinson and Colby Reed, juniors Kaden Thyne and AJ Rozzel and sophomore Ethan St. Amant will also be looked to contribute for Stevens.
• Hillsboro-Deering
• Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough

Postseason Predictions

• Playoff teams (9): Bishop Brady, Campbell, Hopkinton, Kearsarge, Laconia, Lebanon, Pelham, Plymouth, Trinity.
• Final four: Campbell, Plymouth, Laconia, Trinity.
• Championship: Campbell over Plymouth.
• Offensive Player of the Year: Brendan Boschi, Campbell.
• Defensive Player of the Year: Matt Miclette, Trinity.