Division I boys lacrosse preview

The Bishop Guertin High School boys lacrosse team’s run of 13 straight Division I championship game appearances will come to an end one of these years.

It just doesn’t look like 2018 will be that year.

The Cardinals enter the season as the favorite in the division, as they return a lot of talent after winning back-to-back championships, and seven of the last eight titles.

Pinkerton once again poses the greatest challenge to Bishop Guertin, as the teams have met in five straight finals, with the Astros winning in 2015. Bedford and Exeter will also have a shot at getting to the final four and beyond.

Favorite

• Bishop Guertin (18-2 in 2017): The two-time defending champions enter the season as the clear-cut favorite thanks to the return of All-Americans Brian Cameron and Brennan McInnis, along with all-state performers Drew Hailey, Doug Barker, Sean Cameron and Ryan Flynn. The Cardinals do have some holes to fill, including in goal and at faceoffs. Sophomore goalie James Heitmiller appears to have the first hole filled, the second is up in the air. Bishop Guertin again plays a loaded out-of-state schedule, with games against Mercer Island, Wash., (April 9); at Needham (April 17); at Boston College High (April 21); at Reading (May 8); Xaverian Brothers (May 12); Duxbury (May 23). The Cardinals will play at Pinkerton on April 30.

Contenders

• Pinkerton (19-2): The Astros have the offense, led by junior Ryan Auger (All-American), senior Chris Valentine and sophomore Chad Teresky, and they have the goaltender in senior Alex Sturgess, who was an All-American last year, to reach the championship game the sixth year in a row and make a run at Bishop Guertin. Where Pinkerton has question marks is on defense, where the Astros lost Ryan Albrecht and Kyle Fortier to graduation, and at faceoffs, where they lost Nathan Laliberte to prep school. Pinkerton also plays a tough out-of-state schedule against Medfield (April 29); at Cohasset (May 5); Longmeadow (May 12); Andover (May 18); at Lincoln-Sudbury (May 22).
• Bedford (12-7): The Bulldogs took a couple of hits to graduation, including goalie Sean Tierney, defenseman Cormac McCarthy and attackman Brandon Howe. But Bedford has LSM Eric Flynn back, along with Devin LaFrance (midfield), Kyle Fink (attack) and Colton Krasinski (defense). Junior midfielder Ryan Toscano also looks to have a big year for the Bulldogs. Bedford plays an out-of-state schedule that includes Scarborough (April 11); St. John’s Prep (April 27); at Acton-Boxborough (May 4); at Westford (May 19).
• Exeter (12-8): The Blue Hawks overcame injuries and a slow start to last season to reach the semifinals as the sixth seed. This year, Exeter returns some standout players, particularly on the defensive side with sophomore goalie Henry Vogt playing behind senior defensemen Liam Orifici and Haeden Finerty. Senior Mike Penna will lead the offense after earning first-team all-state honors a year ago. The Blue Hawks will play three out-of-state games, including Cohasset (April 21); at Acton-Boxborough (April 24); Newburyport (May 18).

Challengers

• Souhegan (8-8): The Sabers lost three standouts on defense with the graduation of goalie Alex Burnley, LSM Foster Burnley and defenseman Finley Morgan. But Souhegan returns starter Palmer Belowski on defense and junior goalie John Lohnes gives the Sabers a strong replacement in net. Plus, Souhegan’s young offensive players from a year ago, including Tyler Hall, Ethan Hopey and Nicholas Jordan, all have another year of experience. Souhegan plays just one out-of-state game this year at Framingham (April 21).
• Londonderry (13-4): The Lancers were hit hard by graduation, losing 13 seniors, including standout FOGO Tyler Grant. Londonderry does have a handful of contributors returning, including senior defensemen Corey Hicks and Troy Knight, while all-state middie Jake Holland moves to attack. Juniors Joshua Harmon and Ross Carroll will share goaltending duties to start the season for new Londonderry coach Roger Sampson.
• Hanover (10-9): The Marauders managed to find their way back to the playoffs last season, but lost some key players, including all-state performer Reed Winter. Graham Penfield returns to lead the attack while senior captains Colin Rozzi and Brian Pattison are solid in the midfield and senior LSM Alex Mosenthal and seniors Mike Staiger and Mike Mackall lead the defense. The Marauders play a handful of out-of-state games, including Champlain Valley Union (April 9); Thornton (April 20); Yarmouth (April 21); Essex (May 2); Middlebury Union (May 19).

Dark Horse

• Nashua South (6-11): A slow start kept the Panthers out of the playoffs last season, but South returns a strong core of seniors, led by Sean Holland and Devin Linscott. The schedule is tough to start the year again for the Panthers and South ends the year with a tough stretch of road games.

Rest of the field

• Concord (11-7): Like Londonderry, the Crimson Tide took a huge hit from graduation a year ago, but unlike the Lancers, the numbers just aren’t there for Concord. There are some experienced players back, including Spencer Burgess and Drew Livingston, but the rest of the lineup is filled up with inexperienced players.
• Nashua North (4-13): The Titans have one of the top offensive players in the division returning in senior Todd Redman. North also has back midfielder Troy Bottari and defensive middie Sam Evans, but there are a lot of newcomers who will need time to get acclimated to the varsity game.
• Salem (4-14): The Blue Devils have some experience returning, including midfielders Ben Genest and Nick Gore, but Salem will have an uphill battle to get one of the final playoff spots. Brendan Megan takes over as head coach, the third for the Blue Devils in the last three seasons.
• Manchester Central (2-14)
• Merrimack (1-15)

Playoff Predictions

Playoff teams: Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Exeter, Hanover, Londonderry, Nashua South, Pinkerton, Souhegan.

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

Championship: Bishop Guertin over Pinkerton.

Preseason OPOY: Brian Cameron, Bishop Guertin.

Preseason DPOY: Alex Sturgess, Pinkerton.