D3 boys lacrosse teams chasing Hopkinton as playoffs begin

The question entering the Division III boys lacrosse tournament may not be who will raise the championship plaque, but rather who will get to play the Hopkinton High School team for the title.

The Hawks (14-0) are three wins away from a perfect season and the program’s first championship since winning the D3 title in 2011, and they enter Friday’s quarterfinal with Bishop Brady (8-6) as the favorite, for good reason.

Hopkinton has been dominant all season, not just going undefeated, but winning games by an average of 11.9 goals. The Hawks’ closest game of the season was an 8-7 win over second-seeded Kearsarge on May 12 – the second time the two teams played – which was the only time Hopkinton scored fewer than 12 goals.

But while Kearsarge played Hopkinton twice, account for the Cougars’ only losses this season, the other two top four teams, No. 3 Monadnock and No. 4 Plymouth, didn’t and would certainly like a crack at the Hawks.

All four quarterfinal matchups are scheduled for Friday. Here’s a look at each game.

No. 8 Bishop Brady (8-6) at No. 1 Hopkinton (14-0), 5 p.m.

• The Giants opened some eyes this year, with big wins over Laconia and Pelham and close losses to Monadnock and Plymouth. But when these two teams met on May 23, the Hawks dominated, winning 13-1. Bishop Brady then dropped the regular-season finale to ConVal, when a win would have given the Giants the fifth seed. The regular-season meeting was part of a stretch that saw Hopkinton allow an average of 3.0 goals in its final six games.

No. 5 ConVal (9-5) at No. 4 Plymouth (12-2), 5 p.m.

• These two teams met on May 4, with the Bobcats claiming an 11-6 win on their home field. That dropped the Cougars to 2-3, but they finished by going 7-2 the rest of the way, and they’ll be looking to get to the semifinals for the first time since 2014. Plymouth played well in the month of May, going 9-1 and averaging 12.1 goals per game. The Bobcats will be looking to reach the semifinals for the fifth time in six years.

No. 7 Trinity (8-6) at No. 2 Kearsarge (13-2), 5 p.m.

• The Pioneers have struggled to score goals at times this year, but their biggest struggle likely came in an 8-0 loss to Kearsarge on April 12. It was the only meeting between the two teams and one of six times this year Trinity scored four goals or less. The Cougars allowed more than eight goals just twice all year – a 10-9 win over D2 Merrimack Valley and a 14-6 loss to Hopkinton. Kearsarge was also the two seed a year ago and lost to Plymouth in the quarterfinals.

No. 6 Laconia (9-6) at No. 3 Monadnock (13-2), 5 p.m.

• The defending-champion Sachems needed to pick up a pair of wins in the final week of the regular season to continue their title defense. Just before that, Laconia dropped an 11-6 decision at Monadnock on May 19 in the teams’ only meeting this year. The Huskies finished the regular season on a nine-game winning streak and will be looking for their first playoff win since 2012.

Quarterfinal winners: Hopkinton, Kearsarge, Monadnock, ConVal.

Final: Hopkinton over Kearsarge.

Schedule: Quarterfinal, June 2, at higher seed; Semifinals, June 7, at Laconia High School; Final, June 10, at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter.