Who is Hot? High School Lacrosse Preview

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

The Tomahawks celebrate a Central Mass Championship after defeating rival St. John's 10-9

With several teams contending for state titles, there is sure to be some intense action this year in Central Mass lacrosse. Algonquin rode a wave of momentum to three last-second wins in the state tournament, but ultimately fell in the championship game. St. John’s was the victim of some late game Algonquin heroics, and will need to replace several key players if they hope to be in the hunt again. Shrewsbury overcame a terrible start to qualify for the playoffs, but the Colonials will need to replace several key players to get back this season.

Runner up not good enough for Algonquin

A successful year by the Tomahawks ended in disappointment when they fell 13-9 to Medfield in the state final. Algonquin finished 2011 with a record of 20-5 and won 10 consecutive games to reach the state championship game. Despite losing nine seniors, coach Rich Luongo thinks his program now has a camaraderie that can fortify it for another state title run.

“It’s going to be more about gelling as a team and buying into the program than X’s and O’s or athletic ability,” Luongo said. “In previous years, we may have had more athletic teams, but last year’s team really gelled and came together. I think this team is a lot like last year’s.”

While replacing All-Americans Bill Hegarty and Nick Mazzola will not be easy, there appears to be young players ready to step up for the Tomahawks. Defenseman Patrick Murphy looks ready to fill Mazzola’s shoes on defense, and Conor Healey is already one of the most prolific scorers in program history, scoring 57 goals as a sophomore in 2010. There will certainly be pressure on Davis Kraft to continue his scoring run from last year’s postseason, but the pieces seem to be in place for another successful season.

St. John’s must replace veterans to again contend

Speaking of Davis Kraft, it was his four-goal effort that helped Algonquin move past St. John’s and capture the Central Mass championship. The 10-9 defeat ended an otherwise successful season for the Pioneers, and stopped them a game short of the state championship game. To take the next step and reach the title game, St. John’s will need to replace senior forward Steve DeFlumeri and senior goaltender Dan Harvey.

Two players that should carry the offensive scoring load are Jeff Desko and Hunter Burdick. Desko is the Pioneers’ leading returning scorer, and St. John’s will need him to improve on his already impressive numbers(42 goals, 32 assists) to make up for the loss of DeFlumeri. Captain Sean Wilson and Aidan Fox both return on defense, and will need to play well if the Pioneers are to improve upon their 16-6 mark from last season.

Shrewsbury hopes strong finish can carry over

Few teams start 1-4 and qualify for postseason play, but that is exactly what Shrewsbury did a year ago. After losing four of their first five, the Colonials found their stride and went 10-4 over the next month to clinch a playoff birth. The clinching game was an 8-3 victory over Nashoba, but the Chieftains would get revenge two weeks later when they eliminated the Colonials from the playoffs 6-4.

It was a tough end to a season that saw the Colonials rebound from a nearly disastrous start, but getting back to the playoffs will be an even taller task this season with the departure of many key players. Shrewsbury loses leading scorer Tim Casey, and fellow attacker Andrew McShane. Looking to pick up the slack will be junior attacker Cam Kerr, a 30-goal scorer a year ago. Another area the Colonials must rebuild is in net, where they lose last year’s starter Steve Doerfler. If Shrewsbury hopes to build on last year’s 11-10 record and playoff berth, they will need to find a new reliable option at goaltender.