Senior attacker Joseph Fenton and junior Sam Frye have been through the up and downs together. Fenton started off slow in his first two seasons, he said. But Frye pushed him to become a better player. Their determination led them to last season, when they fell short as Frye watched with a season-ending injury.
Against Bow on Saturday it all came together. Fenton scored a hat-trick and provided two assists, while Frye scored four goals with one assist. This was their redemption.
“All of our stars were out there. It was just awesome to play with everybody and have a good time,” Fenton said, as the realization hit that high school lacrosse was over.
His performance marked a big personal milestone: 50 goals in a season and 200 career points. That was minor compared to winning the Bears a state championship in Laconia on Saturday.
No. 1 Coe-Brown (17-0) made it look simple in the win over Bow for the Division III championship, 15-8, their first in program history.
At one point in the third quarter, Coe-Brown junior goalie Jackson Alie dove for a low save to his right. He picked up the ball and flipped it to midfield to Chris Oquendo. Oquendo slipped it past two Bow defenders to junior Sam Frye, who ran forward. Frye found Glenn Papineau, who scored with a quick flick.
Four years ago when the current seniors were just starting out, the team was middling with a 7-8 record and a first-round exit. Since the start of the 2025 season, the team has lost one game: the 2025 championship to Plymouth.
Eighth-year head coach Tony DePalma’s been there for the ride of building a championship-level program.
He thought of everybody who helped along the way. The school, the parents and most importantly, his players. On a fan-made sign that read “Unfinished Business” he crossed out the “Un” to celebrate.
“We knew that if we stayed together and put in the work, that we would have a shot,” DePalma said. “I’m just unbelievably proud of them, all of them.”
Coe-Brown almost let Bow back in. They took advantage of the Falcons’ frustrations and let loose three goals to finish the first half while Bow’s penalized players watched on.
It was a difficult end for No. 2 Bow (14-3). They cut it as close as 5-4 with two goals by TJ Ingalls, one by Parker Kazanowski and another by Sam Bennett.
Head Coach Tucker Johnson knew his team had to play with intensity and physicality. Unfortunately, that also cost them in some crucial moments.
The team prepared the right ways, practiced early and battled through a long season to get to the last game. They showed up when they didn’t have to and that’s what got them closer than any other team not named Coe-Brown.
“Life’s not always going to go your way, and it’s what makes up your character and who you are and how you are as a person, is how you respond to that,” Johnson said he told his boys.
The Bears’ defenders, Rorik Collins and Colby Strum were machines at taking advantage of Bow’s mistakes. All three created turnovers, scooped ground balls and got the Bears offense moving.
Strum said the team was ready for Bow’s surge after nearly letting Hopkinton stay ahead in the semifinal. There would be no game-tying goal, no punch in the mouth, he said.
Also for the Bears, senior Garrett Ward scored a hat-trick. Sophomore Glenn Papineau and freshman Charlie Frye added two each. Alie finished with 12 saves on 20 shots in an impressive showing defensively.
“Feels like the mission is finally complete that we’ve worked for all year,” Alie said.
