Derryfield boys lacrosse faces tough competition in quest for 5th straight D2 title

While the Derryfield School boys lacrosse team saw its overall win streak come to an end, there were two other streaks that continued for the Cougars in 2019.

The program won its fourth-straight Division II title last spring, making it four years since Derryfield has lost a game to a division opponent.

There were a few that came close last year, as both Winnacunnet and Portsmouth came up a goal short against the Cougars in the regular season. Both teams should be in the mix to challenge Derryfield, along with Windham, Goffstown, Hollis Brookline and a handful of others.

Favorite

• Derryfield (19-1 in 2019): The Cougars have made this spot home in winning the last four division titles, but they will have big holes to fill, starting in goal. Three juniors – Ryan Caparrelli, Jaxon Snyder and Liam Hill – will all have a shot at replacing four-year starter Avry Truex. Senior Jacob Scholten and junior Will Mancini will look to lead the defense, while midfielders Connor O’Brien (junior) and Joe MacDonough (senior) will share faceoff duties. The offense could be deeper, despite losing Jon MacLean and John Anderson, with seniors Matt Weimer and Gunnar Senatore returning at attack to go with middies Henry Howe (senior) and Chas Dean (junior). Juniors Ryan Etzo and Nathan Dudley will look to get more time at attack while seniors Josh and Jake Ehret will step in at midfield.

Challengers

• Windham (8-8): The Jaguars battled a tough schedule last year to finish 12th in the division and nearly upset semifinalist Goffstown in the prelims. Windham returns what should be a solid offense, led by seniors Jake Rust, Parker Rice and Tommy Doe and junior Nate Levine. Sophomore attackman Alex Ryan also will be in the mix for the Jaguars. Seniors Mason Belsky and Cooper Melvin return to lead the defensive midfield while the addition of freshman goalie Chase Hunt will allow Bobby DiCicco, last year’s starter, to return to long pole.
• Portsmouth (16-5): The Clippers have one of the biggest holes to fill after the graduation of middie Cole Brams, who led Portsmouth’s offense and handled faceoffs. But the Clippers have depth returning, with senior Ryan Groleau and junior Jack Parker back to lead the attack and senior Austin Edwards and junior Jack Dowling back at midfield. Seniors Andrew Madden, Jacob Boutin and David Blodgett will see more time on offense as well while juniors Anders Rantilla and Houston Heidinger and sophomores Mike Durkin and Dom Malderi will be asked to step up. On defense, Nolan Pafford and Jack Waldo return to split time in goal, while seniors Patrick Mountjoy and Noah Diep are back along with senior LSM Alex Liebel and defensive middie Trevor Nelson (senior). Juniors Henry Fitzpatrick and Owen Ingwesen will also see time on defense.
• Winnacunnet (14-4): The Warriors lost some key players from the team that made the program’s first championship appearance, but they return plenty to make another long run. That includes senior middie Gavin O’Hara and junior attack Jack Ellis to lead the offense, along with junior middies Cole Fisher, Ben Chase and Ben Marrick. The defense returns senior Hunter Madore along with senior defensive middie Jake Murray and goalie Carter Renaud.

Contenders

• Goffstown (13-5): The Grizzlies head into the year with a new coach in Bill Lawson, who previously coached at Bow and Manchester Central in the early 2000s. Junior goalie Grady Chretien returns to lead the Goffstown defense along with senior Caleb Gorton. Junior John Erwin also returns to lead a young Grizzlies’ offense and handle faceoffs.
• Hollis Brookline (12-4): There will also be a new coach leading the Cavaliers – the program’s third in four years – as former HB football coach Milt Robinson takes over. Junior attackmen Joe O’Reilly and Hunter Hudzik are coming off a solid year and will lead the Cavs early on on offense. Senior Sal Fabbio and junior Scott Walsh are both back to keep the defense strong.
• Merrimack Valley (11-5): The Pride return one of the top players in the division in senior middie Colby Mercier, while the defense has senior goalie Jessy Hirwa back to lead the way.
• St. Thomas (11-7): The Saints have had the misfortune of running into Derryfield in the quarterfinals in three of the last four years. With the group St. Thomas has returning, this season could be different. The Saints have plenty of experience on offense, with senior Brendan Tersolo and junior Matt Barnes returning at attack and senior middie Aaron Broom back as well. Senior goalie Peter Schultz gives the defense plenty of experience and leadership.

Dark Horse

• Kingswood (8-7): The Knights enter the year with a new coach, as former assistant Mike Manning takes over at Kingswood. He’ll have a solid defensive core returning, with junior co-captain Bailey Savage leading the way. Sophomore Carter Morrisey also returns on defense along with senior Connor DeMasi and junior Andrew Cartier while sophomore Josh Paraskos returns in goal. Junior co-captain Davis Ekstrom is back to lead the offense while senior middie Dan Dougherty returns after missing most of last year with injury. Junior attack Rob Doherty also returns for Kingswood.
• Oyster River (7-9): The Bobcats were a young team a year ago, but they picked up valuable experience. Leading the way for Oyster River is junior attackman Hayden Marshall, who led the Bobcats’ offense. Sophomore attack Marc Parsons also returns while starting middies Emerson Moore (junior), Gabe Goodwin (sophomore) and Matt Koener (junior) also return. Sophomores Keegan Horne, Nico Colarusso and Jake Lyczak will also compete for time at midfield while freshman middie Sam Guilmette will also make an impact. The defense will be led by junior captain Ethan Todd along with sophomores Zach Serrano and Trevor Borges, along with LSM Amani Harvey. Sophomores Alex Closson and Chris Pillar will also see plenty of time on defense, as will freshman Curtis Leitz.

Rest of Field

• Coe-Brown (6-8): The Bears almost got into the postseason in their first year in D2. Coe-Brown will have it’s biggest freshmen class in the program’s young history, but also return a solid group of seniors to lead the way. The Bears will look to captains, and four-year starters, Ryan Nester, Cole Hodgdon and Jacob Radwan to provide leadership this season.
• Merrimack (11-7): The Tomahawks will be relying on youth in 2020, with just two seniors on the roster. Steven Petz (junior, attack), Matthew Todd (sophomore, attack) and Jason Hostler (junior, midfield) return to lead the Merrimack offense while Sean Powers (senior, midfield), Declan Covell (junior, midfield) and Connor Lanigan (junior, midfield) will also be in the mix. Senior Harrison Faust and junior Dan Best both return at midfield, while junior attack Aiden Laporte and junior middie Brett Michalewicz join the varsity. The defense will be led by juniors Jake Trahan, Dylan Sadowski and Sean Morrilly while sophomores Camden Wheeler and Aiden Ward (goalie) step in, along with junior Nathan Lemire.
• Bow (7-9): The Falcons will have a familiar face on the sideline, as Ross Mondello, who coached at Bow from 2011-14, returns after serving as an assistant at New England College. Bow’s strength will be on defense, where senior goalie Aiden Roy returns, along with three of the team’s four starters, including junior Samuel Ralston. Junior middies Andrew Robbins and Cooper Larrabee will try to carry the offense as the Falcons try to fill some holes made by graduation.
• John Stark (8-7): The Generals have a new coach in Thomas Zervos and will look to senior Kayden Easter to carry the load on offense.
• Manchester Central (7-7): The Little Green returned to the playoffs after dropping down to D2 last year, but lost a handful of top players to graduation. Central will lean on senior goalie Owen McNichols to carry the defense.
• Alvirne (2-12)
• ConVal (2-12)
• Kennett (2-12)
• Manchester Memorial-West (3-11)
• Pembroke (1-13)
• Spaulding (0-14)

Playoff Predictions

Playoff teams: Derryfield, Windham, Portsmouth, Winnacunnet, Goffstown, Hollis Brookline, Merrimack Valley, St. Thomas, Kingswood, Oyster River, Bow, Coe-Brown, Merrimack, Manchester Central.

Final four: Derryfield, Windham, Portsmouth, Winnacunnet.

Championship: Derryfield over Portsmouth.