Division I

Division I boys lacrosse preview

It’s been 13 years since the Division I high school boys lacrosse championship didn’t feature Bishop Guertin or Pinkerton Academy, and that doesn’t appear to be changing this season.

Pinkerton’s Sean Donohue tries to slow down Bishop Guertin’s Johnny Bruno.

It’s been 13 years since the Division I high school boys lacrosse championship didn’t feature Bishop Guertin or Pinkerton Academy, and that doesn’t appear to be changing this season.

In 2004, Concord beat Souhegan for the lone D1 final that didn’t have at least one of the Cardinals or the Astros participating. The teams have played for the title the last four years and coaches around the state predict a fifth time is on its way.

Bedford, Exeter, Londonderry and Souhegan will do their best to keep that from happening, but barring major injuries by one or both, it might be easier said than done.

Favorites

Bishop Guertin (20-1): The Cardinals won their sixth title in seven years and seventh title in nine years last season by handing Pinkerton its only loss. While Bishop Guertin lost some top players, it reloaded with a pair of talented juniors in Brian Cameron (attack) and Drew Hailey (midfield), who transferred from Brewster Academy and Salem, respectively. Returning for the Cardinals are all-state performers Brennan McInnis (midfield), Doug Barker (defense) and Colin Casey (goalie).
Pinkerton (20-1): The Astros came up short of winning back-to-back titles for the first time since 2002, but should be in position for another shot this year. Leading the way on offense will be sophomore Ryan Auger, while junior goalie Alex Sturgess also returns for Pinkerton.

Contenders

Bedford (14-5): The Bulldogs not only took a hit from graduation, they lost two of their top returners – senior Colby Gendron and junior Zac Tucci – to prep school. Bedford will be solid on defense, led by goalie Sean Tierney and defenseman Cormac McCarthy.
Exeter (15-5): Coming off a semifinal appearance, the Blue Hawks have suffered some injuries on defense in the preseason and are trying to replace nine seniors. Exeter has depth at offense, starting with juniors Mike Penna and David Fitzgerald. Junior Ben Baldasaro and sophomore Conor Flanagan look to lead in the midfield.
Londonderry (11-8): The Lancers are coming off a quarterfinal loss to Exeter with the hope of being a top four team this year. Londonderry will look to senior middie Peter Navarro to lead the way.
Souhegan (12-7): The Sabers will be looking to reach the final four for the third year in a row, this time with new coach Keith Bertrand leading the way. Souhegan graduated its top offensive players from a year ago, but returns a solid defense, led by seniors Foster and Alex Burnley (LSM and goalie, respectively).

Dark Horses

Concord (8-10): The Crimson Tide returned to the playoffs a year ago and picked up a win before falling in the quarterfinals. Concord should be in contention again with eight starters returning, led by senior goalie Ethan Donlon and defensemen Alex Marceau and Liam Connolly.
Nashua South (11-9): The Panthers remain a young team coming off a quarterfinal appearance, but they have experience, led by the junior class. Zach Clancy looks to lead the South offense, while Sean Holland will stabilize the midfield.
Hanover (7-11): The Marauders just missed out on a playoff spot last season and will be in contention to get back this season. Hanover will be young on defense, but does return Reed Winter, Jake Acker and Brian Seltzer on offense this season and Graham Penfield could also have a big year. Pat Logan (LSM) will look to lead the defense.

Rest of the field

Salem (7-11): The Blue Devils came up just short of a postseason spot a year ago and have a new coach this year in Mark White. Salem returns a solid core on defense that includes seniors Jacob Rosentrater (LSM) and Ryan Beaulieu along with juniors James Hayes and Sebastian Farah (goalie). Juniors Ben Genest and Nick Gore are joined by sophomore Mitch McGinn in the midfield while junior Layne Parenti looks to lead the offense.
Nashua North (7-10): The Titans were able to sneak into the playoffs a year ago and gained valuable experience for a team that has 10 returning seniors. James Petz (goalie) and Shaffer Rancourt return to lead the defense, and senior Brendan Martin and juniors Todd Redman and Troy Bottari give North a strong attack. The Titans also return a lot in the midfield, with seniors Tyler Dubien, Joey Paige, Jeff Baldassari and Mason Dane (LSM) leading the way.
Merrimack (3-14): The Tomahawks struggled a year ago and have a young team this year that will look to Alec Bronchuk, John Tiano and Adam Black to lead the way.
Manchester Central (1-16): The Little Green haven’t won more than one game in a season since 2014, when they finished with four wins.