CMass Lacrosse Notebook: Blackstone Valley’s First Playoff Win

Friday, June 01, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Blackstone Valley Tech players give coach Anthony Comforti a bath after the program's first ever playoff win.

The first round of the Central Mass high school lacrosse tournament is officially in the books, and several storylines have emerged.

All the higher seeds held serve at home, but you will be hard pressed to find a more significant playoff victory than Blackstone Valley Tech’s 8-7 overtime win over Littleton.

Just hours after the win, BVT coach Anthony Comforti sent out an email which simply read, “We beat Littleton in overtime 8-7... How's that for a Tech school?”

Pretty darn good to say the least. Comforti’s passion and attitude must be infectious, because his team has played with a chip on its shoulder all season long. Coming off a 5-11 season in 2011, few would have predicted the Beavers (13-5) could make the district quarterfinals, but that is just where they find themselves now.

Even with a record of 12-5 heading into the district tournament, many still questioned the Beavers. Were they seeded too high at No. 7? Could they hold up against playoff teams from “traditional” high schools? BVT answered those questions emphatically in a gritty win over a Littleton (10-7) squad that also had an impressive year.

Not bad, for any school.

Milford Goes Out Swinging

BVT moves on to face undefeated No. 2 seed Tyngsborough (20-0) in the next round, but the Tigers were given everything they could handle in the first round by Milford. The Hawks (10-10) were able to put 10 goals on Tyngsborough’s top ranked defense in the 13-10 Tiger win.

Milford's Jon Dague is just one of many talented juniors that will be back next year for the Hawks.

It was a rough ending for the Hawks, who won four of their last five to make the tournament, but the junior-heavy team is sure to be heard from again next year. This season was Milford’s second ever playoff appearance, and you can be sure that soon-to-be seniors Jon Dague and Eric Overdahl will be hungry to earn the program’s first playoff victory next year.

"Returning seven starters and having over 20 seniors on the roster is going to be a huge advantage for us," Jon Dague said. "I think it's finally going to be our time based on the fact that were returning our whole offense, most of the defense, and most importantly, our goalie (junior) Matt (McIntire)."

Westborough Excited to Face Algonquin

Algonquin (18-1) is the defending district champion and has not lost to a Central Mass opponent this season. So, you can forgive teams if they would rather not play the Tomahawks. Westborough (11-8), Algonquin’s opponent in today’s quarterfinal matchup, does not feel that way.

Just after his team’s first round victory over Nashoba Tech (14-8), Ranger coach Matt Nofsinger expressed his excitement for the opportunity.

“I definitely think that Algonquin is the best, and most complete team in the district right now,” Nofsinger said. “But we’re going in with the mentality that, to be the best, you have to beat the best. I think my guys are ready for the challenge, so we’re excited to practice for another day and play for another day.”

Shrewsbury’s Offense Comes Alive

Known mostly for its trademark defense, Shrewsbury (11-8) showed it could also light up a scoreboard in its 19-5 first round victory over Tantasqua (10-9). Coach Nate Skermont says his team is just feeling it offensively right now, but that dealing with Grafton’s (19-2) offense in the quarterfinals will be a tall task.

Westborough senior Dean Sudol and the rest of the Rangers are excited about the chance to take on defending Central Mass champion Algonquin.

“Scoring is contagious and that's what happened against Tantasqua,” Skermont said. “I saw our guys take it to another level with their speed and aggressiveness offensively… (Grafton is) so hard to prepare for because they have so many threats. (Junior Bryan) Rotatori is the best athlete that we've played against this season, so just keeping up with him is a task, let alone defending him.”

St. John’s and Oakmont Get Offensive

St. John’s (15-4) players will be the first to tell you, they didn’t finish the regular season on the best of notes. Just before a two-game losing streak against state powers Longmeadow (16-4) and Algonquin, the Pioneer offense had trouble getting going in a 6-5 win over Malden Catholic.

The last two games have netted much better results.

St. John’s opened things up a bit in a 13-6 win over West Springfield (7-12), and then fully unleashed its offense in an 18-5 first round win over Shepherd Hill (18-5). Junior midfielder Vince D’Amato scored five goals against Shepherd Hill, and whatever problems plagued the Pioneer offense seem to be fixed.

Oakmont, on the other hand, has never struggled to score this year. The Spartans (16-3) average over 13 goals a game, and have enjoyed a huge year from senior Mike Markevich. The talented attacker has paced the Spartans in points with 102 (67G, 35A), and Oakmont has only been held below 10 goals three times this season.

So, expect some scoring when these two face off later today.

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