Boys lacrosse: St. John’s Prep eyes three-peat

When John Pynchon first took over as head coach at St. John’s Prep in 2017, his first goal was to establish a new culture, one where the Eagles could have sustained success.

Today, Pynchon’s team has emerged as one of the top squads in New England, the winner of two straight state titles.

St. John’s Prep (17-1) is the favorite to three-peat. Led by electrifying scorers such as Johns Hopkins commit Jimmy Ayers and a rising star in midfielder Jake Vana, the school enters the Div. 1 statewide tournament as the top seed.

However, the field has plenty of parity. Thanks to standouts like Patrick Maroney and Will Emsing, second-seeded BC High is definitely a contender to meet Pynchon’s group in the state final for a third straight year. And four public schools remain very real threats with No. 3 Acton-Boxboro, No. 4 Franklin, No. 5 Hingham and No. 6 Lincoln-Sudbury all slated to vie for the crown.

“We’re going to have to play well,” said Pynchon. “Those teams are all great. I honestly believe, with us playing the winner of Winchester-Wellesley, that team could beat us. Honestly, if we don’t show up and play well, I think anyone in that top-17 (group of schools) could top us. I think that goes for all brackets. If we played this out thing 100 times, do I think us and BC High probably end up at the top most of the time, I do. I think BC High is incredibly talented. I think they’re the next-best team we’ve seen this year. But A-B is also very good. Hingham is excellent, Franklin is phenomenal… so, I think any one of those teams, if they win a state championship this year and someone says you should be surprised, no, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

The Div. 2 playoff field is shaping up to be an exciting one, with Reading (17-1) entering as your top-ranked program. The Rockets are in the midst of a historic season, boasting an MIAA team rating of 11.3349. However, the Granara trio and their teammates will have to contend with second-seeded Nauset and third-seeded Duxbury for it all. Fourth-seeded Longmeadow lost a few critical pieces from last season’s championship-winning roster, including Coleson Hanrahan, who scored the game-ending goal in overtime last season. Yet, the Lancers have had a resurgence. Billerica will look to return to the finals itself, while Scituate figures to cause problems. Seventh-seeded Marblehead enters the postseason with a perfect 18-0 record, and should definitely not be counted out.

After coasting to a Div. 3 championship in 2022, Norwell responded by rolling to a 14-3 record this spring, and is understandably the top-seeded team once again in its respective field. With stars such as Syracuse commit John Mullen and senior Austin Shea leading the pack, you’d have to believe this is the Clippers’ title to lose, although second-ranked Pentucket and third-seeded Newburyport should compete, along with No. 4 Grafton. Fifth-seeded Medfield endured one of the tougher schedules in the state, and emerged on the other side with a 12-6 record. Don’t be surprised if the Warriors embark on a long journey. After a successful season in the Merrimack Valley Conference, Dracut will look to make history as the No. 6 seed. Keep your eyes out for possible Cinderella runs from schools such as No. 12 Apponequet (15-1) and No. 31 Lenox (17-1).

The Div. 4 tournament has essentially come down to the same handful of schools since its recent inception. Three of last year’s top four seeds are back. Cohasset (15-2) is the ultimate favorite, and will look to capture its first title since 2018, when the school won the Div. 3 championship. Charlie Donovan and the Skippers start things off with the top overall seed, but second-seeded Sandwich will look to make its comeback as the Blue Knights hope to avenge last season’s loss in the finals to Wahconah. Third-seeded Dover-Sherborn is always a perennial title contender in this bracket, as is No. 4 Weston. One possible school to watch out for as a surprise? Sixteenth-seeded Old Colony, which sits undefeated at 18-0.

BOYS LACROSSE

DIV. 1

Champion: No. 1 St. John’s Prep

Runner-Up: No. 2 BC High

Final Four: No. 1 St. John’s Prep, No. 2 BC High, No. 5 Hingham, No. 6 Lincoln-Sudbury

Sleeper: No. 14 Chelmsford

Best First Round Matchup: No. 13 Needham vs. No. 20 Natick

Potential Upset: No. 21 Bridgewater-Raynham over No. 12 Algonquin

DIV. 2

Champion: No. 1 Reading

Runner-Up: No. 3 Duxbury

Final Four: No. 1 Reading, No. 2 Nauset, No. 3 Duxbury, No. 5 Billerica

Sleeper: No. 14 Westwood

Best First-Round Matchup: No. 15 Nashoba vs. No. 18 Silver Lake

Potential Upset: No. 20 Canton over No. 13 Plymouth South

DIV. 3

Champion: No. 1 Norwell

Runner-Up: No. 2 Pentucket

Final Four: No. 1 Norwell, No. 2 Pentucket, No. 5 Medfield, No. 6 Dracut

Sleeper: No. 31 Lenox

Best First-Round Matchup: No. 16 Nipmuc vs. No. 17 Shawsheen

Potential Upset: No. 19 Holliston over No. 14 Foxboro

DIV. 4

Champion: No. 1 Cohasset

Runner-Up: No. 2 Sandwich

Final Four: No. 1 Cohasset, No. 2 Sandwich, No. 3 Dover-Sherborn, No. 4 Weston

Sleeper: No. 11 Rockland

Best First-Round Matchup: No. 14 Assabet Valley vs. No. 19 Archbishop Williams

Potential Upset: No. 21 St. Bernard’s over No. 12 Littleton