High school boys’ lacrosse tournament: Favorites, sleepers, players to watch for Divisions 1-4 - The Boston Globe (2024)

Here is a deeper dive on all four brackets:

Division 1

Favorite: No. 1 St. John’s Prep.

Sleepers: No. 6 Andover, No. 8 Catholic Memorial.

Players to watch: midfielder Ted Budreski (Winchester), midfielder Trey Clayton (Acton-Boxborough), long-stick midfielder Jimmy Kenney (Needham), attack Dante Mariani (Xaverian), midfielder Marshall Rice (BC High).

Best first-round matchup: Monday, No. 17 Bishop Feehan (11-8) at No. 16 Natick (10-8), 5 p.m.

Longest road trip: No. 22 Weymouth at No. 11 Saint John’s (Shrewsbury) — 63.7 miles.

Analysis: The Prep has dominated D1 en route to three straight state titles, topping rival BC High in each state final after coasting through the bracket. Prep remains the favorite, although there are several contenders — including No. 3 Acton-Boxborough, No. 4 BC High, No. 2 Lincoln-Sudbury, and No. 10 Winchester — that are very dangerous after some of their new starters got valuable experience during the regular season. No. 8 Catholic Memorial played Prep close in two regular season losses, and finished second in the Catholic Conference. No. 6 Andover also gave the champs a run, and has one of the most sophisticated offenses in the state under Bryan Brazill.

Division 2

Favorites: No. 1 Duxbury, No. 2 Hingham.

Sleepers: No. 8 Reading, No. 10 Westwood.

Players to watch: attack Cullen Granara (Reading), midfielder Brayden Mattera (Walpole), FOGO Sam O’Brien (Marshfield), attack Brendan Varnerin (Westwood), midfielder Sam Wien (Duxbury).

Best first-round matchup: Monday, No. 23 Grafton at No. 10 Westwood, 5 p.m.

Longest road trip: No. 25 West Springfield at No. 8 Reading — 101 miles

Analysis: It’s impossible not to list No. 1 Duxbury and No. 2 Hingham as co-favorites given how close each matchup has been between the rivals over the past several seasons. Duxbury scored a dramatic overtime win April 30 in round one, and the top seeds in D2 could be on a collision course for a rematch in the state final. Perennial power and third-seeded Longmeadow will have something to say about that, as will defending D2 champion Reading, a dangerous draw as the eighth seed. No. 4 Marshfield stunned Duxbury to open the season, and No. 5 Walpole finished strong with a close win over Needham to build momentum heading into the tournament. No. 7 Mansfield is coming off the program’s best regular season record in over a decade. There are plenty of lower seeds in this bracket capable of pulling off early upsets, including No. 10 Westwood, No. 11 King Philip, No. 12 Sharon, No. 13 Bridgewater-Raynham, No. 15 Hopkinton, and No. 19 Algonquin.

Division 3

Favorite: No. 1 Medfield.

Sleepers: No. 6 Burlington, No. 23 Shawsheen Tech.

Players to watch: goalie Tommy Bushy (Falmouth), midfielder Owen Kreuz (Newburyport), long-stick midfielder Brendan Peno (Nauset), attack Wyatt Pastore (Dover-Sherborn), midfielder Will Robinson (Scituate).

Best first-round matchup: Monday, No. 23 Shawsheen Tech at No. 10 Apponequet, 6:30 p.m.

Longest road trip: No. 27 Martha’s Vineyard at No. 6 Burlington — 108 miles.

Analysis: Medfield has proven capable of competing with any team in the state, regardless of division, but the top-seeded Warriors won’t settle for another stellar regular season. Medfield fell in the sectional final in 2021, the D3 state final in 2022, and lost again to two-time champion Norwell in the state semifinals last season. So coach John Isaf will be able to keep his team focused in a push for the program’s first title since 2016, the last year of a three-peat from Medfield. While Norwell shifted down to D4, No. 2 Scituate filled that void after moving from D2 down to D3 under the new alignment. No. 3 Falmouth has reloaded after making a run to the state final, as is No. 4 Newburyport, which lost to Falmouth in the state semifinals last June. Led by the Hanafin brothers, junior Nolan Jennings, and others, No. 6 Burlington is coming off the program’s best regular season in 50 years, and is a sleeper to watch. No. 8 Dover-Sherborn looks to make some noise after shifting up from D4, and No. 14 Pembroke is hosting its first state tournament game against a tough No. 19 Essex Tech squad. Shawsheen went undefeated against a lighter schedule, but the Rams have the chops to make some noise if they can get past No. 10 Apponquet.

Division 4

Favorites: No. 2 Norwell, No. 3 Sandwich.

Sleepers: No. 13 Swampscott, No. 19 South Shore Voc-Tech.

Players to watch: goalie Shane Corcoran (Sandwich), long pole Max Field (Swampscott), midfielder Hunter Grafton (Abington), midfielder Will Norton (Lynnfield), long-stick midfielder Griffin Starr (Nantucket).

Best first-round matchup: Monday, No. 24 Old Colony at No. 9 Nipmuc Regional, 4:30 p.m.

Longest road trip: No. 23 Seekonk at No. 10 Wahconah Regional — 131 miles

Analysis: Let top-seeded Nantucket use this preview as bulletin board material, with two South Shore League teams seeded below the Whalers listed as our top contenders to win the D4 state title. Depth and experience could play a factor in helping No. 2 Norwell or No. 3 Sandwich make another deep run, with Sandwich looking to finish the job after losing in consecutive state finals, while Norwell is coming off consecutive D3 state titles. No. 5 Cohasset won D4 last year, but is young on the attacking end. No. 10 Wahconah and No. 9 Nipmuc can run with anyone in this bracket, and No. 4 Lynnfield is a balanced contender looking to crash the party of consensus favorites from the South Shore and Cape & Islands. No. 13 Swampscott pulled out five one-goal wins this season, and No. 19 South Shore Voc-Tech is another underdog worth watching after the Vikings won the Vocational Small tournament this past week.