Lacrosse is a game of momentum, dictated by runs of goals and faceoffs. And no high school squad in the state has more momentum than the Hopkinton boys’ lacrosse team, which has won back-to-back Division III titles and gone 34-0 in the process.
The Hawks did graduate three 2018 D-III First Team players, including Defensive Player of the Year Gerry Donahue. But they also return six starters, including D-III First Team midfielders Colby Quiet and Paul Molnar, who are both captains, and D-III Second Team defender Kiernan Byrne, a four-year starter.
“We’re looking strong again this year, with a big senior class (14 seniors on the roster) and some promising newcomers,” said Deacon Blue, who is entering his seventh year as Hopkinton’s head coach. “Our overarching strategy for the season is to build off past success while adapting our system to our new personnel.”
The Hawks have been testing their new personnel and system adjustments in the preseason with scrimmages against teams from bigger schools, like D-II’s John Stark and Coe-Brown and D-I’s Nashua South and Londonderry. They played Londonderry even and beat the other three teams, results that have only boosted Hopkinton’s confidence.
“We had never scrimmaged D-I teams before, this was the first year we got to do that, and it was really fun to play a competitive game like that,” Byrne said. “So after those scrimmages, I’m assuming we’re going to be pretty good again this year.”
Competitive games have been rare for Hopkinton, which won its 17 games last year by an average of 9.1 goals per contest and finished the season with a 13-6 win against Laconia in the final. The closest any team came to the Hawks in 2018 was five goals – Gilford in the season opener (an 8-3 Hopkinton win) and Trinity on May 16 (9-4).
Staying hungry and focused while blowing out most opponents can be difficult, but the Hawks are doing their best to avoid that pitfall.
“We’ll be adding some new stuff in order to evolve and stay ahead of the curve in D-III,” Blue said.
“You kind of have to make it more about yourself and just trying to improve,” Byrne said. “Like in my case, how many groundballs can I get or how many takeaways. Or it’s how many goals or how many assists can you get.”
There will still be challenges for the Hawks. They lost one of their top defenders, senior Carter Haley, when he tore his ACL in the scrimmage against Stark. Haley’s loss hurts on multiple levels – not only was he excellent with a long pole, but Haley was also stepping up to fill the leadership role vacated by Donahue.
There’s a new man in the cage in junior Benny Madden, who will replace D-III First Team goalie Alex Rousseau. There are some talented teams that would surely love to dethrone the Hawks, like Plymouth, Kearsarge, Inter-Lakes-Moultonborough and Laconia. And there are areas where Blue sees room for improvement from his own team.
“We do a great job of pressuring other teams and playing an up-tempo style but could improve on our time of possession and shot selection,” Blue said.
So, there are some hurdles for Hopkinton, but no one on the team is expecting to trip over them.
“We’ve got Ryan Hughes on defense, and he’s been looking really good, and we have another senior back there, Thayer Maughan,” Byrne said. “It sucks to lose Carter, but we’re going to be solid on defense.”
“The team is very dedicated and works hard, so there is no doubt that we can overcome any obstacles we encounter,” Blue said.
Opposing defenses will likely focus on Quiet, a rugged athlete with a nose for the goal who Byrne described as “just ridiculous,” but there are plenty of other Hawks who can help carry the offensive load. Senior Joe Sawitsky is another returning midfield starter along with Quiet and Molnar, who just captained the John Stark-Hopkinton ice hockey team to back-to-back D-III titles. Senior Corey Breault, Hopkinton’s third captain this year, is back to lead the attack, along with returning starter Nick Higginbotham, a junior.
If any of those key players gets hurt or needs a break, the Hawks have plenty of guys ready to fill the void. There are 39 players on the varsity and JV rosters combined, a record number for the program and an impressive feat considering the school has only 270 total students. That interest is both a sign of all the good things Blue and his staff have done over the years, and a sign of good things to come for Hopkinton lacrosse.
“We owe this turnout and our success to a great youth rec program, consistent success and a positive culture on the team,” Blue said. “Our main emphasis has always been to have fun and build each other up, rather than putting each other down. It is my strong belief that this is how coaching and team sports should be approached, rather than winning at all costs in a system of harsh discipline.
“Kids don’t need extra stress in their lives; they should be provided a safe and secure atmosphere where they are encouraged to thrive. This, to me, has been our secret to success.”
(Tim O’Sullivan can be reached at 369-3341 or tosullivan@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @timosullivan20)