Boys’ lax reaches 1st ever state quarterfinal

The Bulldogs dominated Archbishop Williams in the D3 quarters. (Courtesy of Kate Merrigan)

Update: After cruising past Archbishop Williams 17-8 in the Division 3 state quarterfinals, the CHS boys’ lacrosse team finally met its match against top-seeded Cohasset on Thursday, falling 14-8 in their first ever final four appearance. The Bulldogs finish their remarkable season with an overall record of 18-2.

For the first time in program history, the CHS boys’ varsity lacrosse team had a Division 3 quarterfinal matchup to prepare for after the fourth-seeded Bulldogs took care of business last week in consecutive home playoff games against lower-seeded opponents Mystic Valley and Watertown.

Bill Bendell’s near-perfect squad, which had gone into the week with the best overall record in the 33-team field at 15-1, now finds itself within striking distance of a state championship pending the outcome of Tuesday night’s “elite eight” showdown with No. 12 Archbishop Williams at Memorial Field.

“I think it’s going to be a battle,” predicted Bendell of their game against the Bishops, who were expected to be fired up after their 8-7 upset of No. 5 Newburyport. “Anything can happen, especially this time of year, but I think if we play the way we’re capable of playing, we can play with anyone in Division 3.”

They certainly looked the part of a serious contender last week, demolishing Mystic Valley 15-3 on Tuesday before outlasting Watertown 12-10 in the brutal heat on Friday.

Neither team had posed much of a threat on paper — Mystic Valley being the 29^th seed and Watertown sitting at No. 20 — yet the Bulldogs still had to prove themselves on the field, and they did so convincingly in both games while getting contributions from up and down the roster.

This was particularly true in the game against the Eagles as Canton got goals from 11 different players, led by Hockomock MVP Pat Ward with four and Shayne Walsh with two. Junior Seleem Elkadi also scored in the win — the first of his career — while Matt Bagley, Casey Dwyer, and Austin Zannino each had their first goals of the season.

Rounding out the scoring for Canton were senior captains Matt Lennon and JC Marcone, as well as senior Kurt Leavitt and sophomores Jack Rooney and Paul Swart.

Leavitt’s goal helped set the tone for the rest of the game as he took the ball unassisted off the faceoff and went right down the field and scored — just six seconds into the first quarter.

Mystic Valley had come out in a zone defense and the Bulldogs picked it apart, opening a 9-0 lead that ballooned to 12-1 at the half.

“It was exactly what you’d like to see as a coach,” said Bendell, who rested his starters for the entire second half.

Several younger players saw extended action and made the most of it, including sophomores Kevin Hawley and Matt Gleason. Backup goalie Chris Albert also played well in the fourth quarter and earned a save.

Three days later against Watertown, the Bulldogs opened an 8-4 lead and appeared to be headed toward another blowout victory when the Raiders suddenly clawed their way back into the game with three unanswered goals in the fourth quarter.

“We kept hoping to put them away, but they kept coming back,” Bendell said of the Raiders. “It was definitely a hard-fought win.”

Several Canton players turned in memorable performances, led by Marcone, who scored a team-high four goals and had arguably his best game of the year. Other top performers included Bagley, who scored for the second time in as many games, played excellent defense and won five of eight faceoffs; Lennon, who had one goal and one assist and picked up several key ground balls; and Ward, who tallied two goals and one assist despite facing added defensive pressure.

Leavitt also had a big hand in the win, finishing with two goals, while sophomores Swart and Tommy Galvin added one goal apiece.

All-star goalie Ben Lodge was also steady in the cage, totaling 14 saves, including several clutch stops late in the game after Watertown made its run.

Having already made history, the Bulldogs will now look to keep their storybook season alive with a win against Archbishop Williams, which would propel them into the final four against either No. 8 Hamilton-Wenham or No. 1 Cohasset.

Share This Post

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=20935