slides: Central Mass Lacrosse and Other Bay State Games Medalists

Josh Daigle

Marlborough's Josh Daigles was an integral part of the revitilization of the Central Mass lacrosse program. The crafty junior helped hold together Central's midfield.

"His speed was a key to our success," Central coach Bruno Nardone said.

Alex Sabel

Algonquin's Alex Sabel led Central with 10 goals on the tournament. The talented freshman played on the freshman team in the loaded Algonquin lacrosse program, but has already proven he has the makings of a star.

"With Alex Sabel, I'm not really surprised (about his success), and it's great to see that he has gotten to that level and that he had a great tournament," Algonquin head coach Rich Luongo said. "He's a kid we gave a long, hard look at to move up to JV."

Matt McIntire

Milford goalie Matt McIntire played every minute between the pipes for Central, and the junior is using this off-season to get ready for the recruiting scene of his senior year.

"This summer I have done nothing but lacrosse," McIntire said. "I'm preparing my self to get better for my senior year and expose myself to college coaches." 

Paul Nardone

The son of coach Bruno Nardone, Paul Nardone enjoyed a successful Bay State Games as well. The physical freshman who played JV at Algonquin last season has bounced from midfield to attacker, but coaches know he has the strength and talent to play both.

"Paul Nardone was someone we moved up to JV really fast," Luongo said. "He's a big strong kid with a lot of talent. It's just really great for the program to have these kids come out of nowhere to have the kind of tournaments they did, and it's all you can really ask for."

Father and Son

The Nardone father-son duo proved to be wildly successful in their first season in the Bay State Games. 

"I'm one of those guys that is even harder on his own kid, but he was really phenomenal," the elder Nardone said. He later added. "I'm not really that short, but he's 6-foot-2!"

Winning Bronze

The lacrosse team took home bronze with a 5-3 victory over Metro. Sabel scored twice and added an assist while Nardone chipped in two goals. 

Central's defense was so stifling that McIntire faced only seven shots on the day, stopping four of them.

Connor Byrnes

The Central Mass boys hockey team got off to a great start in the Bay State Games, defeating Coastal 12-2. Connor Byrnes of Blackstone Valley Tech was a late addition to the roster, but coach Al Mucci was thrilled to have him.

"I really think Connor is going to help us from a depth perspective and up front," Mucci said.

Rob Labonte

St. Mark's goalie Rob Labonte manned the net for Central, but the team suffered two late-game letdowns that cost them hardware.

Trailing 3-0 against Metro, Central gave up two late goals which would later cost them a tie-breaker that would have pushed them into the gold medal game. Then, in the bronze medal game, Central squandered a 3-0 lead against Southeast, losing 4-3.

"You know, you want to get the medal, but what can you do," Mucci said. "I got to work with some great kids, and a bunch of them are young and will play for me again. I feel good about the weekend and the future of the team."

Boys' Basketball

The Central Mass boys' basketball team in the 11th-12th grade division took home the gold. Coach Kevin Bigelow's group blasted Coastal 92-66 in the gold medal game to clinch the Bay State Crown.

Standing from left to right- Anthony Hodges (Holy Name HS; Salem State University), Coach Kevin Bigelow, Darren Desena (Uxbridge HS), Jacek Louisville (Holy Name HS; UMASS Dartmouth), James Osterfield (Nashoba Tech), Brian Foley (St Peter Marian; Westfield State University), Tyler Delorey (Holy Name HS; Anna Maria College)

Kneeling- Tim Sheriden (Wachusett HS; Framingham State University), Christian Horton (Quabbin Regional HS; Nichols College)

Girls' Hockey

The girls' hockey team from Central Mass teamed up with the squad from Western Mass to win bronze in this year's games. The girls defeated Metro 6-3 in the bronze medal game.

Row 1 L-R: Serena Nally (Belmont HS), Sam Pion (Proctor Academy), Jen Manning (Algonquin HS)
Row 2 L-R: Nicollete San Clemente (Algonquin HS), Erin McLaughlin (Belmont HS), Katie Harnden (Leominster HS), Kelly Wendt (Algonquin HS), Sasha Barry (Algonquin HS), Pauline Ayer (Belmont HS)

Boys' Soccer

The boys' soccer team from Central Mass was also able to capture gold in this year's Bay State Games. Central was able to edge Metro 1-0 in a tightly contested gold medal game to bring the top prize home to Central Mass.

Top Row Left to Right - Coach Bill Martin, Christian Fogarty, Nick Masley, Sam Beauregard, Justin Gualtieri, Chris Clouatre, Lukas Ritzer, Coach Mike Elster
Bottom Row Left to Right - John Scozzafava, Jon ONeil, Aidan Lucey, Jordan Elster, Justin Asam, Matt Beauregard, Ryan Elster, Tyler Martin, Nick White
On ground Left to Right - Riley Steele, Haydn Melia