Quarterly Report: Central Mass Lacrosse

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Algonquin senior Conor Healy has picked up where he left off last year as the region's premier scorer.

With a quarter of the season in the books for nearly every high school in Central Mass, several storylines have emerged. In case you missed it, GoLocal is bringing you the top teams, storylines and players, along with questions yet to be answered, in this Quarterly Report.

Algonquin Playing Like a Champion; Healy as Good as Advertised

The Tomahawks are coming off a magical 2011 where they became the first Central Mass team to make the state final, and their 2012 could not have started much better. Algonquin returned the region’s premier scorer in senior Conor Healy, and he has been on a scoring tear this year as well. His three-goal, three-assist effort against a feisty Nashoba team last week showed how complete of an offensive player he can be.

But it isn’t just Healy. The Tomahawks have also received scoring from junior Davis Kraft, who is emerging as an explosive number two option for Algonquin. Classmate Keagan Gillis has also come on strong, and the defense, led by senior Dave McGovern, is surrendering only 4.5 goals a game. The Tomahawks scored a 12-8 victory over rival St. John's in what has been the biggest game in the region this year.

Grafton is a Budding Power

Algonquin’s road to a Central Mass title last season included several close calls in the playoffs. One of those was an 11-10 overtime win over Grafton, but the Warriors have shaken that loss off to start 2012 in impressive fashion.

The Grafton offense may be the most potent in the region, averaging 17.3 goals per game. The defense has been equally impressive, holding opponents to two goals or less in five of their first seven contests. Junior Bryan Rotatori, the son of coach Alan Rotatori, returns as a lethal scoring and passing threat in the midfield. Classmate Tyler Reilly is the team’s leading scorer, and the Warriors will need continued stellar play from those two if they are to challenge Algonquin this year.

Can St. John’s Find Enough Offense to Contend?

St. John’s comes into nearly every year expecting to play for a Central Mass championship, but the Pioneers are in somewhat of a new position. After coming up short against Algonquin to open the season, the Pioneers have rattled off three straight wins.

That would be good news for most programs, but for one that expects to win big every year, the six goals that St. John’s scored against Shrewsbury has to be concerning. The Pioneers will face a tough Westborough team Friday, and will have a true measuring stick game May 1st at Grafton. It will be on senior Jeff Desko to get the offense going.

Nashoba Battling Through Adversity

It has been a trying couple of weeks for coach Joel Bates and the Chieftains following the loss of last year’s leading scorer Nick French to a broken leg, but Nashoba has shown that they are certainly not going to quit on this year. After a tough loss to St. John’s, the Chieftains responded with a big win over Westborough last week.

Nashoba Tech senior Tom Bavis is having one of the most productive offensive seasons in all of Central Mass.

Sophomore Michael d’Entremont has been leading the offense for Nashoba, but the Chieftains have struggled a bit to find consistency on the attack. With the loss of French, Nashoba will need someone else to step up and provide a scoring punch if it is to make any noise in the Central Mass playoffs.

Nashoba Tech Could Be a Vocational Surprise

When you’re a vocational school you always have to battle certain obstacles, including a smaller student body to draw from, and the fact that your students come from many different towns and have not grown up playing together. Coach John Paolilli and the Vikings have dealt with these issues very well the past few years.

After last season’s 10-10 regular season record and a playoff berth, the Vikings seem to be moving in the right direction. Leading scorer Tom Bavis returns for his senior season, and has been nearly impossible to defend thus far. The undersized attacker accounted for 33 points (21G, 12A) in the team’s first five games, and has received plenty of help from classmate Colin Marcin.

Despite a tough loss to Minuteman Regional Friday, the Vikings look to be a vocational school that can do some damage this year.