Division III-IV

Division III boys lacrosse preview

For the second year in a row, Division III saw a team run the table, as the Hopkinton High School boys lacrosse team went undefeated on the way to its first title since 2011.

Repeating as champion might be even more of a rare feat for the Hawks, as no team has successfully defended its title in D3 since Laconia won three straight from 2003-05.

Hopkinton is one of a handful of teams that looks to have a shot at raising the championship plaque at the end of the season. Plymouth and Trinity will challenge the Hawks while Laconia, Pelham and Kearsarge will also be in the mix.

Favorites

Plymouth (12-3): The Bobcats return a captain at every level on the field, with potential offensive player of the year Nolan Farina leading on attack. Connor Magowan will be the top middie for Plymouth while Josh Johnston and goalie Chris Patnaude will lead the defense. The Bobcats also return seniors Konnor Bird, Pat Lillicotch and Sawyer Wilcox on attack along with middie Jake Little and defensemen Mac Doyle and Thias Silvia.
Trinity (8-7): The Pioneers will look to a pair of all-state middies to lead the way, with captains Mike Etzo and Nate Arcand looking to provide leadership on both ends of the field. Eli Buck returns to give Trinity a solid FOGO, while Owyn Desroshers returns from injury to lead the defense with sophomore Greg Fallon and freshman Sam Carpenter. Ethan Messner steps in at goal while Garrett Kondeck recovers from an injury. Jimmy Kosiarski will be joined at attack by freshman Ryan Etzo and junior Will Brown.
Hopkinton (17-0): The Hawks lost a lot from last year’s championship team, but there’s enough talent left to make a run at back-to-back titles. That includes senior Gerry Donahue, last year’s D3 Defensive Player of the Year, and sophomore middie Colby Quiet. Jake Tomlinson returns on attack to lead the offense while Carter Quiet returns to the midfield after an injury kept him out for most of 2017. Alex Rousseau steps in for Derek Amoth in goal, while Thayer Maughan, Ryan Donahue and Carter Haley fill out the defense.

Contenders

Laconia (9-7): The Sachems came close to reaching the semifinals a year ago as the sixth seed, but fell to Monadnock in overtime. Laconia returns eight starters, including seniors Drew Muzzey (midfield/defense), Riley Roy (attack) and Steve Towers (goalie), who all played in the 2016 championship game as sophomores. Also back are middies Jakob Steele and Cole Reid while Garrett Whitney and Noah Shastany return on defense. Parker Minor also returns to join Roy at attack.
Pelham (8-6): The Pythons have talent returning from a team that just missed the playoffs last year, but was without a coach until after the preseason started, so it may take time for everyone to get on the same page. Sophomore Charlie Katin will likely see his role expand after earning all-state honors as a FOGO last year.
Kearsarge (15-3): The Cougars, last year’s runner-up, lost one of the top players in the state, Justin Norris, to graduation. But the return of Tate Nurme (attack) and Emerson Tyler (FOGO) should keep Kearsarge in the mix for one of the top seeds in the division.

Rest of the field

Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough (4-10): Kevin Driscoll takes over as coach in the program’s second year, as the Lakers return all 10 of their starters from last season. That includes midfielder Liam Brown, who was first-team all-state as a freshman, and senior Brendyn Marsh, a midfielder who made the second team in 2017. Clayton Hornkohl returns in goal and Thomas DeTolla is back on attack after missing all of last season. ILM also has nine new players joining the program.
Campbell (4-10): Chris Beede and the Cougars also return a lot for the program’s third varsity season. Campbell’s strength could be on defense where Zach Wilson, Jake Hartwell, Adam Breton, Dylan Bryant and Garrett Walker all return in front of junior goalie Billy Randolph, who was pressed into action as a freshman. Nick McCarthy and Colby Wilson will lead the attack for Campbell.
Coe-Brown (4-10): The Bears are also a young varsity program that looks to be on the rise, led by senior defender Mitchell Wade. Seniors Ben Watson, Ben Heyligger and Sam Godwin will look to lead an improved offense with junior Ryan Whitcher, while Dom Cronshaw and goalie Zac Sheehan return on defense. Griffin Bono and Cole Hodgdon are looked to solidify the midfield for Coe-Brown.
Monadnock (14-3): The Huskies graduated 14 seniors from last year’s semifinalist, but return some key pieces, including juniors Tim Hart and Chandler Mattson.
ConVal (10-6): The Cougars got to the semifinals last year after upsetting Plymouth on the road, and ConVal should be in the mix for a playoff spot with the return of a number of seniors, including all-state performers Zach Obuchowski.
Bishop Brady (8-7): The Giants lost a large number of players from last season’s playoff team, but return one of the top offensive players in the state in senior Bryce Johnson.
Lebanon (4-10): The Raiders enter the year with a young team, with just one senior on the roster. Leading the way will be captains Nate Chickering, Luke Sandman and Caiden Skakalski.
Stevens (0-14): The Cardinals are looking to turn around what has been a rough stretch with a group that coach Peter Lynch feels will surprise a few people. Leading the way will be senior middies Donovan Putnam and Alex Devre and senior defender Nick Stone. Sophomore goalie Tucker Derosier was forced to start a year ago and that experience should help this season. Sophomores Keaghan McAllister and Quentin Bicknell look to take on bigger roles this season.
Milford (4-10)
Gilford (5-9)