GoLocal Lacrosse Coaches Poll: Grafton Makes Its Case for No. 1

Monday, May 07, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Senior Garrett Glavin and the rest of the Tyngsborough Tigers have blown away the competition this year.

It was an exciting week for high school lacrosse in Central Mass with a pair of teams grabbing statement wins. Grafton proved they are for real Tuesday, defeating perennial power St. John’s 11-8. On Thursday, Shrewsbury grabbed that upper-level win they had been so close to all year when they beat Nashoba 12-5.

Reigning No. 1 Algonquin suffered its first defeat of the year, but hardly one to be ashamed of. The Tomahawks traveled to Eastern Mass power Hingham, and took the Harbormen to overtime before losing 13-12. Tyngsborough continued their dominant march through their first season in Central Mass, and the Tigers are now the only undefeated team in the region.

So, who’s No. 1 this week? A case can be made for Algonquin due to the level of competition, or for Grafton because their huge win. Finally, how can you leave out the unbeaten Tigers? Not only are they undefeated, they’ve beaten teams by a combined 100 goals during their 11-0 start.

Here’s what our coaches think.

The Rankings

1. Algonquin (11-1)

2. Grafton (14-1)

3. Tyngsborough (11-0)

4. St. John’s (9-2)

5. Oakmont (10-2)

In The Hunt: Blackstone Valley Tech (9-2), Westborough (7-5), Shrewsbury (5-6).

Game of the Week: Franklin at Grafton- Monday, May 7th.

Grafton will be tested at home today against one of the better Division I teams in the state. Franklin has the athleticism to keep up with Grafton’s explosive attack, and it will be interesting to see how the Warriors cope with yet another tough defensive team after playing well against St. John’s.

Also Keep an Eye on: Groton-Dunstable at Tyngsborough- Friday, May 11th.

Junior Cam Kerr and the rest of his Shrewsbury teammates picked up a huge win at Nashoba Thursday.

On paper this may seem like a no-brainer. Tyngsborough hasn’t been challenged in weeks, and Groton-Dunstable hasn’t won back-to-back games in just as long. But, don’t sleep on Groton-Dunstable’s ability to slow down explosive offenses. The Crusaders proved they could earlier this year in a 13-6 win over Oakmont, and Tyngsborough could end up with its first loss of the season if it looks past this one.

League Game of the Week: Westborough at Shrewsbury- Tuesday, May 8th.

It will be tough for either one of these teams to catch Algonquin at the top of Mid Wach A, but this game could loom large when it gets closer to tournament time. Another big game in the league involving Westborough will come two days later when the Rangers host Nashoba.

This Week’s Poll Participants

Dave Dague, Milford, Marc Zarrela, AMSA, Rich Luongo, Algonquin, Terrence Leary, St. John's, Anthony Comforti, Blackstone Valley Tech, Matt Nofsinger, Westborough.

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