Bulldog lax teams fall in D2 state tournament

Senior defenseman Jake Marcell raised his game over the second half of the season. (Mike Tureski photo)

The spring season is now in the books for both Canton High lacrosse teams, but it was a memorable ride, highlighted by runner-up finishes in the Hockomock Davenport Division and trips to the Division 2 state playoffs for both squads.

On the boys’ side, head coach Tom Galvin’s team notched 11 regular season wins and drew the No. 11 seed and an opening-round home game in the tournament. Matched up with No. 22 Burlington, the Bulldogs faced a tough challenge from the Red Devils, who kept it close for three quarters before Canton seized control in an eventual 12-7 win.

Senior Cullen O’Brien led all scorers in the game with four goals and two assists, while classmate Cam Conley added two goals and three assists. Canton’s Brody Baldiga and Brayden Dickie also finished with a pair of goals and one assist apiece, while Jake Marcell and Nolan Harney each had a goal.

Marcell, who had a breakout year offensively and was also one of the Bulldogs’ best defenders, had what Galvin considered arguably the “play of the season” in the fourth quarter of a tight game against Burlington, carrying the ball across midfield and passing it off to Conley before getting it right back and finishing at the net to give the Bulldogs a two-goal lead.

“I think that goal changed the game,” Galvin told HockomockSports.com. “It kind of settled everyone back in, and then we just closed it out.”

The Canton coach said Marcell has always been a major contributor but was a force of nature over the second half of this season. “We were on a four-game losing streak heading into Senior Night, and the senior defenseman went off for eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) against Sharon that got us back in our groove,” Galvin said.

Marcell also brought his “A” game to Marshfield this week and helped spark a comeback that fell just short in the Sweet 16 round of the tournament. While the game was close throughout, the sixth-seeded Rams gained some separation through the middle quarters, only to face some serious pressure from the Bulldogs down the stretch.

Trailing 11-7 early in the fourth quarter, Canton struck for two unanswered goals from Conley and Harney to make it a two-score game with three minutes remaining. Although they had some opportunities late, aided by a few Marshfield penalties, the Bulldogs ultimately ran out of time as Marshfield did its best to play keep-away and grind down the clock.

Conley finished with a hat trick and Dickie added two for the visitors, while O’Brien, Marcell, Harney, and his brother Shane finished with one apiece.

With the loss, the Bulldogs ended their season at 12-7, while Marshfield moves on to face third-seeded Reading in the state quarterfinals.

As for the CHS girls team, the strong momentum built up over the first half of the campaign did not carry over as the Bulldogs fell into a slump, dropping six of their final eight regular season games before bowing out in the state tournament in a blowout road loss to No. 12 Milton.

The Wildcats started fast in the game and never looked back, winning 14-2 on their home field. For Canton, only freshman Grace Starr and junior Shannon Lane, two of the team’s breakout stars this season, managed to get on the scoreboard. “Early on we were having trouble with draw control, and Milton was able to control possession for nearly the entire game,” said head coach Jess Powers afterwards. “They capitalized on that and scored six goals in the first quarter. That swung the momentum their way and the few opportunities we had on offense, we rushed them.

“We weren’t able to get in a groove offensively or defensively, and we just looked out of sorts.”

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