Division III lacrosse is always a tightly contested battle. Last year, five local teams all entered the playoffs with hopes of making a run, but were all stopped short of their goal one way or another.
Coe-Brown, led by Coach Tony DePalma, was upset in a tight championship match against Plymouth, 7-5. It was the best season the program had ever had, yet their goal was thwarted by a gritty Bobcats team.
The team is returning a lot of experience on the 36-man roster. It graduated some firepower on offense that will be a main priority early on, led by first-team all-state junior Sam Frye.
Overall, though, DePalma knows his team can go far again if they take care of business.
Last season, Hopkinton and Kearsarge were both knocked out of the playoffs by that Bears team and are both returning with relatively young cores that could surprise some teams in the division.
On the other side, Bow and Bishop Brady are returning many of their players who led them into the playoffs last year. Bow is returning an intact offense ready to pummel and Bishop Brady’s defense is all back, hoping to shut down younger teams.
It will be another hotly contested battle for every inch in Division III.
Division I
CONCORD
Coach: Jeff Smith (14th year).
Last year: 8-11, reached prelims.
Returning starters: Liam Yeatman, sr., A/M; Noah Wyatt, sr., D; Harry Snow, sr., G.
Top newcomers: Liam Dunn, fr., A/M; Henry Diaz, fr., M; Terry Cain, fr., A/M.
Outlook: “Senior-heavy team and we return veteran group. Five senior captains and five returners on offense and most of the defense back. Liam Yeatman, Braden Beauregard and Ben Ryder are seniors on offense returning. Young players to watch on defense, Grady Brown (Goalie) and Jax Diachenko (Defense) both sophomores.” – Jeff Smith
Teams to beat: Bishop Guertin, Pinkerton, Bedford and Exeter.
Division II
MERRIMACK VALLEY
Coach: Sean Gill (fourth year)
Last year: 6-10, reached prelims.
Returning starters: Carter Garland, sr., D; Colin Reardon, sr., A; Carter Lankhorst, jr., FO/M; Gavin Anderson, jr., M; Adrian Buss, so., G; Dylan Lemieux, so., D; Romeo Robles, so., LSM.
Top newcomers: Nate Wallace, jr., SSDM; Carter Diminico, fr., M.
Outlook: “After graduating 14 seniors last year, most would consider this a ‘rebuilding’ year; but we have a lot of experience, not only in our returners but also in our younger players. We expect to return to the playoffs this season and that will remain our goal.” – Sean Gill
Teams to beat: Portsmouth and Derryfield.
PEMBROKE
Coach: Bill Lawson (fourth year).
Last year: 2-13, did not make the tournament.
Returning starters: Chuckie Braga, sr., A; William Chabot, sr., M; Shane Bowen, jr., D; Jake Menczywor, sr., LSM; Jacob Hanson, sr., LSM; Kevin Benard, sr., A; Chase Boggs, so., M; Jackson Olisky, sr., A.
Top newcomers: Colin Dube, sr., M; Mason Hurley, so., D.
Outlook: “We are a much more mature team this year with 12 returning players, including the return of goalie Shane Eldredge who missed last year due to injury. The expectation is that this maturity will translate in an ability to win those close games. We start the season with a solid defense and look for our offense to improve as they get more time on the field.” – Bill Lawson
Teams to beat: Portsmouth and Derryfield.
Division III
BISHOP BRADY
Coach: Sean Hockensmith (second year)
Last year: 10-6, reached prelims.
Returning starters: Noah Abdat, jr., D; Joey Richardson, sr., A; Ray Weatherbee, jr., G; Thadius Schmolke, sr., M.
Top newcomers: Ryan Haught, sr., A; Alex Barcza, fr., A; Massimo Palleli, sr., FOGO.
Outlook: “With Ray and a majority of our defense returning, we are hoping to build off of last year’s success and make a substantial playoff run. We also are an older, more experienced team now with a good leadership group.” – Sean Hockensmith
Teams to beat: Plymouth, Coe-Brown, Bow, Lebanon and Hopkinton.
BOW
Coach: Devin Calkins (fourth year).
Last year: 11-4, reached prelims.
Returning starters: Brad Ekstrom, sr., G; Sam Bennett, sr., M; Niko Mallios, jr., A; Wyatt Premo, jr., A; Parker Kazanowski, sr., M; Cam Czarnosz, sr., M; Kian O’leary, sr., A; Joe York, sr., D.
Top newcomers: Lucas Nowakowski, D; Devon St. Cyr, so., A; Harrison Fournior, so., A; Benny Reardon, so., LSM; Dale Berg, jr., D; Kyle Cimis, jr., LSM/Defense; Gavin Szafran, jr., SSDM; Brendan O’Keeffe, sr., SSDM.
Outlook: “We only graduated 4 and had 1 transfer. We put a lot of effort into our JV player development the past few years and many of those players are going to fill varsity roles this year. We return our entire offense, got a few key guys back from injuries last year, and added some really talented younger guys into the mix. We’re definitely deeper than we’ve been in the past.” – Devin Calkins
COE-BROWN
Coach: Tony DePalma (eighth year).
Last year: 17-1, D-III runner-up.
Returning starters: Abel Szatko, so., SSDM; Jason Pogorek, sr., D; Joseph Fenton, sr., A; Colby Strum, sr., D; Rorik Collins, jr., LSM.
Top newcomers: Quin Purinton, jr., SSDM; John Baer, fr., A/M; Xander Ballou, sr., FOGO; Marcel Noury, fr., D.
Outlook: “We are coming into this season with the goal of competing in every moment of every game and knowing that if we keep our focus there, control the things we can, and not worry about the things we can’t, that we will be in a good position to work towards another shot at a ring. This is a really fun and dedicated group of young men who love the game and are a pleasure to work with every day. Looking forward to seeing how we can do in yet another very competitive D3 landscape.” – Tony DePalma
Teams to beat: Plymouth and Hopkinton.
JOHN STARK
Coach: Thomas Zervos (fourth year).
Last year: 3-11, did not make the tournament.
Returning starters: Wyatt Puza, sr., D; Shane Brunini, jr., D; Cam Shaw, sr., A; Charlie Pierce, so., M/FO; Parker Hamel, jr., G.
HOPKINTON
Coach: Deacon Blue (14th year)
Last year: 12-4, reached semifinals.
Returning starters: Rowan Boyle, jr., M; Owen Buss, jr., A; Jacob Lanman, jr., G; Jackson Westover, jr., A; Kaleb Huse, sr., D; Shane Smith, sr., M.
Top newcomers: Nick Staples, jr., D; Tyler Gross, jr., M; Aiden Skelding, so., M; Simon Chervek, fr., D.
Outlook: “The team is both hard-working and talented, and we are clicking up and down the field. We return most of our offense and are playing very well on defense and at the JV level. We are excited to put our systems to work over a challenging first two weeks of games.” – Deacon Blue
KEARSARGE
Coach: Chris Boucher (third year).
Last year: 10-6, reached quarterfinals.
Returning starters: Justin St. Onge, sr., M; Cooper Russel, jr., D; Quinn Cusick, jr., M; Eli Whipple, jr., M; Joe Taylor, sr., A; Brayden Slayton, jr., A.
Top newcomers: Blake Grieco, sr., M.
Outlook: “For the upcoming 2026 season, Kearsarge Boys Varsity Lacrosse embarked on a new chapter under the leadership of third-year head coach Christopher Boucher. The Cougars are adopting a ‘small but elite’ philosophy, fielding a streamlined roster of 26 players, a notable reduction from previous years. This change comes in the wake of substantial roster turnover, with 20 players graduating over the last two seasons nine in 2025 and eleven in 2024.” – Chris Boucher
“Coach Boucher has also welcomed new staff members, JV coach Nate Taylor. Returning for their 3rd year as assistant coaches, Bret Cusick and Hans Whipple, to support the team’s ambitions. Expectations for Kearsarge to be in the 7 to 10 range in D3 playoffs.”
Teams to beat: Coe-Brown, Hopkinton and Plymouth.