New England High School Notebook: Highlighting Four State Championships

By NoontimeSports.com 

It was an exciting weekend for a few New England high school lacrosse teams that captured their respective division or class championships.

Here is a recap with some links of what you missed from this past weekend’s finales in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont, as well as what occurred earlier this month when Rhode Island crowned six state champions.

Connecticut Boy’s Lacrosse 

• In Class L, the Darien Blue Wave cruised past 19th seed Wilton, 13-3, to erase memories of last year’s one-goal setback to Ridgefield. The win provided the Blue Wave with its fourth Class L title since 2015. Darien led Wilton, 9-2, at the break, thanks to an impressive half field goal that kept momentum on the Blue Waves’ side.
• In Class M, New Fairfield cruised by Weston, 18-2, on Saturday after handling East Lyme (19-4), Daniel Hand (18-5) and Guilford (17-7) in the first three rounds of the postseason. The victory provided New Fairfield with its second-straight Class M championship as they beat Hand last June, 13-11.
• In Class S, St Joseph used a six-goal run in the second half to defeat Bacon Academy, 9-3, to claim its second-straight state title, as well as its third since the 2015 season.

Connecticut Girl’s Lacrosse 

• In Class L, the Darien girl’s lacrosse team capped its 2019 campaign with a 12-6 win over New Canaan. The win provided the Blue Wave with its sixth title since 2013. Additionally, the victory erased memories of last year’s tournament run, which saw New Canaan edge Darien, 12-11, in the semifinals before beating Ridgefield, 19-7.
• In Class M, East Lyme defeated St. Joseph, 10-6, to claim their first title since beating Amity in the 2006 Division II championship. Saturday’s win capped an impressive postseason run, which saw the Vikings score wins over Mercy (11-9), Fitch (13-9) and Masuk (9-4).
• In Class S, New Fairfield, the top seed in this year’s tournament, rolled past Stonington, 18-5, to provide the Rebels with their third-straight championship. New Fairfield completed the three-peat with victories over Morgan (20-6), Sheehan (10-5), and Weston (9-6).

New Hampshire Boy’s Lacrosse 

• In Division I, Pinkerton Academy scored its second-straight two-goal championship win over Bishop Guertin this past Saturday at Bill Ball Stadium. The Cardinals of Bishop Guertin defeated the Astros earlier this season when the two teams met in mid-April. After losing to Hingham in mid-May, the Astros returned to the win column to finish their 2019 campaign on a 10-game winning streak.
• In Division II, Derryfield finished its 2019 campaign with some hardware by defeating Winnacunnet, 9-1. The two teams met earlier this season with the Cougars claiming a hard-fought 9-8 win. Derryfield lost just once this season but finished its season on a seven-game winning streak.
• In Division III, Hopkinton capped its season with a 15-5 championship over top-seed Pelham. The Hawks fell to Pelham earlier this season by a score of 9-5. Hopkinton would rebound, though, finishing their regular season slate on a five-game winning streak.

New Hampshire Girl’s Lacrosse 

• In Division I, the third-seed Bishop Guertin outlasted Pinkerton, 12-11, to claim their second-straight championship (BG needed overtime to beat Bedford last June). Prior to edging the Astros, the Cardinals beat both Bedford (10-9) and Merrimack (19-6).
• In Division II, Portsmouth, the top seed in this year’s tournament, defeated Winnacunnet, 10-5, to claim its third-straight championship. The win was also Portsmouth’s second victory against Winnacunnet in the title round in three seasons.
• In Division III, Hopkinton celebrated its first-ever championship in program history with a 12-11 win over Derryfield. The win erased memories of last season, which saw Hopkinton fall to Laconia, 10-6.

Rhode Island Boy’s Lacrosse (Championships occurred earlier this month)

• In Division I, top-seed La Salle finished its season with a 7-6 championship win over Moses Brown, which entered the postseason as the second seed. Prior to beating Moses Brown, La Salle knocked-off Bishop Hendricken, 17-7, in the semifinals.
• In Division II, second-seed South Kingstown needed to score a trio of wins, including a title round victory over top-seed Portsmouth to secure a 12-10 championship win. Curtis Rasmussen highlighted his team’s win with 17 saves, while Max Willette added seven points on five goals and two assists. The championship victory was the first for SK.
• In Division III, fourth-seed Westerly outlasted second-seed Narragansett, 8-7, to cap its season with a 16-3 record. Prior to beating Narragansett, the Bulldogs scored wins over PCD/SRA Co-op (15-3) and Burrillville (11-10).

Rhode Island Girl’s Lacrosse (Championships occurred earlier this month) 

• In Division I, the Moses Browngirl’s lacrosse team cruised to a pair of victories in the seven-team tournament, including a convincing 24-8 win over second-seed Barrington. Prior to beating Barrington earlier this month at Cranston Stadium, Moses Brown cruised past fourth-seed Wheeler by a score of 21-8. The win over Barrington provided Moses Brown with fifth-straight Division I championship.
• In Division II, third-seed Middletown defeated top-seed Westerly, 15-11. Isabella Cecchi and Regan McEnroe were one of five Islanders to locate the back of their opponents’ net. Prior to beating Westerly, Middletown scored wins over Portsmouth(9-8) and Chariho (19-9).
• In Division III, Rocky Hill, which was competing for the first time in the Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL), captured its first title with a 13-9 win over Toll Gate. Rocky Hill also scored tournament wins over Pilgrim (12-10) and Ponaganset (9-5).

Vermont Boy’s Lacrosse 

• The Champlain Valley Union (CVU) boy’s lacrosse team captured its seventh-straight Division I crown with a 15-13 win over Burr and Burton.
• Fourth-seed Stowe secured its second Division II crown in three seasons with a 9-7 win over third-seed Harwood.

Vermont Girl’s Lacrosse

• Top-seed South Burlington capped a perfect season last Saturday with a hard-fought 8-7 win over Burr and Burton.
• In Division II, the Vergennes/Mount Abraham girl’s lacrosse team claimed its first-ever state championship with an exciting – well, more dramatic 10-9 win over St. Johnsbury. The championship win caps an exciting third season for the program.

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