Division I

Pinkerton, Bishop Guertin favorites to reach D1 boys lacrosse final for 8th year in a row

There was already going to be a huge change in Division I boys lacrosse this season before the phrase “global pandemic” was on anyone’s mind.

The next time the Pinkerton Academy boys lacrosse team takes the field, Brian O’Reilly won’t be patrolling the sideline after the longtime coach decided to step down after 39 years as the Astros’ head coach. During that time, O’Reilly won 563 games and led Pinkerton to 12 NHIAA titles, including the last two D1 championships.

Steve Gaudreau, who has served as an assistant for the Astros, steps in to lead Pinkerton, one of a handful of new coaches in the division in 2020. Matt Muser (Nashua North) and Christian Day (Salem) also are new coaches in D1, while Jamison Hines will start the year as the head coach at Keene after taking over midseason in 2019.

A year ago, the Astros won a back-and-forth championship game over Bishop Guertin, the seventh season in a row the teams have met in the final and the 11th time since 2005. The pair are the favorites again to reach the title game, but Exeter could be poised to challenge for one of those spots.

The Blue Hawks have fallen in the semifinals in each of the last three years and will be looking to get to the final for the first time since 2010. Other teams that could be in contention for a final four spot include Londonderry, Nashua South and Souhegan.

Here’s a look at the teams in the division.

Favorites

Pinkerton (17-4 in 2019): The Astros not only took a hit with O’Reilly’s retirement, but they also lost faceoff specialist Gennaro Marra and attackman Ryan Auger, the program’s all-time leading scorer, to graduation. Pinkerton will still be strong offensively, with Mason and Hunter Drouin returning, along with seniors Connor McCormack, Jeff Potvin, Brendan Anthony and Mason Barbone and junior Aidan Price at attack. The biggest addition will be the return of senior midfielder Nathan Laliberte, who transferred back to Pinkerton after two years at Governor’s Academy. Laliberte will take over on faceoffs, while seniors Jack Ludden and Joe Marra return at midfield along with Jackson Morrisette (junior) and Riley Spellman (sophomore). The defense will be led by senior Jonathan Holland while senior Andrew Hassler and junior John Ziniti will try to replace Jack Sweeney in goal. Also back on defense are juniors Jake Manning, Declan Turner, Anthony Samiotes and Kiyoshi Dustin.
Bishop Guertin (18-3): The Cardinals return three All-Americans from last year in seniors Sean Cameron (midfield), Ben Abladian (attack) and James Heitmiller (goalie). Also back on defense are senior Matt Frechette, juniors Aidan Ahearn and Matt Cranney and LSMs Aidan Wilkie (senior) and John Sullivan (junior). Cameron will be joined in the midfield by seniors Joe Lupo and Mason Carroll and juniors Chris Heitmiller and Michael Kiely while the return of junior middie Nick McGovern, who was hurt most of last season, will give Bishop Guertin a boost. At attack, juniors Dawson Clark and Declan Wilkie join Abladian while freshmen Connor Bouvier (midfield) and Dylan Yeung (defense) will see time. Sophomore JJ Murphy and senior Steve Bouchard will share time on faceoffs.

Challengers

Exeter (14-6): The Blue Hawks have been knocking on the door to the championship game the last three years and will try to get through behind a solid returning core, led by senior goalie Henry Vogt. Exeter has a strong midfield back, led by juniors Spencer Clark and Connor Holly while senior Dayton Christenson will look to lead the Blue Hawks at attack.

Contenders

Nashua South (9-10): South returns almost all of its lineup in tact, led by a core group of seniors, including Joe Bodi (attack), Joe Buturla (midfield), Garrett Fleury (midfield), Jaiden Dupont (FOS), Jordan Bodwell (attack), Kyle O’Connor (defense) and Zach Gauthier (midfield). Also back on offense are juniors Drew Fleury and Jaden Murphy and sophomore Griffin Johnson. Sophomore Ethan Johnson returns in goal while sophomore Alfred Latulippe will be joined on defense by junior Tyler Armeen and freshman Cody Goode. Sophomore middies Connor Rowsell and Nate Campbell also return while juniors Aidan Walsh and Sam Fletcher will step in at midfield.
Londonderry (10-8): The Lancers enter the spring with 17 seniors on the roster, many of whom were part of the D1 champion football team in the fall. Leading the way for Londonderry on defense will be seniors Kyle Proulx and Devin Rheaume and junior Robby Derhak, along with senior LSM Jake McEachern, while senior Blaine Hopkins and junior Ian Ward will provide depth. The Lancers get a boost at midfield with the return of senior Jeff Wiedenfeld, who didn’t play a year ago, along with junior Zach Fawcett. The pair will lead a large group of returning middies, including seniors Matt Jones, Joey Payson and Joey Stowell and juniors Isaac McCune, Aidan Dennis, Jake Kester and Jake Naar. Senior Cole Keegan is back to lead the offense along with senior Derek Mower and junior Hunter Smith. Kobe Forbes, Tyler Kayo and Alex Gruchot will handle faceoffs for Londonderry while Cooper Bartlett, Gabe Ramshaw and Tim Breau will have a crack at goal.
Souhegan (13-6): A semifinalist a year ago, the Sabers will try to fill some big holes with a young roster. Souhegan returns just three seniors, including middie Curtis Redd, LSM Andrew Merenda and long pole Will Darnall. Redd and junior Riley Lawhorn will look to lead the offense from the midfield, with help from junior attackman Will Boyle and sophomore Colin Duckless. Junior Connor Holland and sophomores Tony Garrant and Chris Weeden will be looked to to step up at midfield. Junior Luke Manning also returns on defense, as he takes on a bigger role. Sophomores Billy Davidson joins the defense while junior Nathan Fritz will try to replace John Lohnes in goal.
Hanover (11-5): The Marauders return one of the top faceoff guys in the state in senior midfielder Brendan Brigham. Senior captains Caleb Morse and Toño Correa will lead the team in the midfield while fellow senior Carter Auch will anchor the Hanover defense. Junior Noah Fahey returns to take the lead role on attack for a Marauders team that lacks experienced depth but has seen an increase in numbers.

Dark Horses

Timberlane (7-9): The Owls will try to build off last year’s playoff success behind the one-two punch of seniors Matt Licata (attack) and Cody Fleming (midfield). Joining those two on offense will be juniors Ryan Freeman and Jack Noyes, who can both fill in at attack and midfield. Also returning are seniors Seth Marcotte and Tim Trassati, who are both two-way middies, while senior Kris Paquette will handle faceoffs. Senior Adrian Rolon should add athleticism to the midfield as well. The defense will be led by junior Billy Savage and senior LSM Evan Sapienza. Senior Ben Post moves into a starting spot on defense and sophomore Joe Shivell will add depth in front of freshman goalie Brady Marsten.
Concord (10-7): The Crimson Tide put together a solid year in 2019, and despite graduating six, will be young this year, with 36 sophomores and freshmen in the program. Concord’s experience is on defense, with seniors Mike Leahy, Noah Merfeld, Joey O’Brien and Drew Magee leading the way. Junior Aiden Pope is also back on defense. On offense, juniors Sam Nichols and Eaton Tarbell are back, along with sophomore Ryan Doherty.
Bedford (6-10): For the first time since moving up to D1, the Bulldogs missed out on the postseason. Bedford will turn to its four senior captains to try to get back into the playoffs, as Jonathan Giroux (midfield), Jack Grogan (defensive middie), Alex Troyer (attack) and Cullen Steward (goalie) will lead the Bulldogs. Also returning for Bedford are juniors Max Maniello (midfield), William Enners (LSM) and Connor Arbusto (attack).

Rest of Field

Dover (5-10): The Green Wave graduated 19 seniors from last year, nine of which were starters. While Dover has a promising sophomore class coming up, there are experienced upperclassmen who will try to carry the load in 2020. Offensively, junior attack Luke Gepert and senior attack Liam Mone will look to lead the way while senior middie Fin Wingren also returns. Sophomore Preston Kozlowski and junior Jonny Rodriques will step in for Dover on offense as well. Junior Abram Schwartz will step in to replace Seb Cook in goal, while LSM Asa Forbes joins Michael Dyer, Tyler Schneider and Joseph Hoeing to lead the defense.
Nashua North (1-16): Muser steps in as the Titans’ third head coach in the last four years and inherits a senior class with almost a dozen returners. North’s strength looks to be its defense, with senior goalie Ryan Palmer back, along with seniors Aidan McGrath and Kyle Krulikowksi. Offensively, the Titans will look to seniors Chris Leroux and Eric Evans to lead the way.
Salem (3-13): The Blue Devils graduated a number of players from last season, but senior Adam Hailey returns to lead the defense.
Keene (0-14): The Blackbirds struggled in their first year in D1 a season ago, going through a midseason coaching change that saw Hines take over as head coach.