High school lacrosse: These teams have made strides to start the season

Entering this week, St. John’s lacrosse sat at 5-5, winner of two in row after defeating cross-town rival Shrewsbury, 15-2, on Saturday. Pioneer coach Justin O’Leary said he has a veteran team all pulling in the same direction.

“The one thing that I like about our team is the camaraderie and how they all get along and how they all work together,” said O’Leary, whose team on Tuesday dropped a 10-7 decision to Xaverian. “A big part of that is there are 18 seniors, and they are pretty much all friends off the field, too.”

That senior group is led by captains David Girard , Quinn Miller , Aaron Ricketts and Matt Lemay .

“My leadership has been great this year,” O’Leary said.  “They really work hard."

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O’Leary also described his team as just that, a true team.

“I feel like we are a team of all the same,” O’Leary said. “So for us to make a playoff run and a regular-season run, we all have to play to our strengths and have a team mentality. No one can do it alone.”

O’Leary said despite having those 18 seniors, because those students come together for the high school experience only, it does present unique challenges in terms of building that chemistry.

“Everybody is like, St. John’s, they just have to roll the balls out,” O’Leary said. “But in other towns, these kids all grow up playing multiple sports together. They learn trust, and they learn chemistry. We come here and (our players) have to make up for the lost time because we’re playing against teams that have been playing against each other since they were eight.”

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The Pioneers' challenging schedule continued Tuesay when they hosted Xaverian, with BC High coming Thursday, two teams the Pioneers lost to earlier this season.  O’Leary said his team embraces the challenge of playing a grueling schedule.

“We play in the toughest conference in the state in the Catholic Conference, we also play the strongest teams in Central Mass. and when we are on, we can compete with anybody.  Whoever we play, especially in this region, we are getting their best.  There are no days off.”

Spartans strive with team approach

The Oakmont Regional girls' squad was 4-4 to enter the week, and Spartans coach Gina McCullin has been pleased with her team’s approach.

“ We are learning to work together and the girls are doing a great job of playing together as a team and creating a positive atmosphere,” McCullin said.

Sophomore Julia LaPrade has turned heads early with her speed and stick skills. Other contributing players include seniors Mackenzie Correa , Ashlynn Breton , Dani Burke and Addison Collette . Junior returners Megan Heffernan and Maryl Hooper also have contributed along with classmate Rachel Simkeiweitz , a standout ice hockey player playing her first year of varsity lacrosse.  Freshman Juliette Gelinas has also shown plenty of potential.

“This team has a competitive spirit that is driving them to succeed this season,” McCullin said.

More: Multiple goal games highlight the list: Cast your vote for the Hometeam Girls' Lacrosse Player of the Week

Rams continue to make progress

Shepherd Hill has made tremendous strides under third-year coach Bergin Flanigan . In Flanigan's first season, the Rams went winless. A year ago, they made strides with four wins. This year, the Rams equaled that win mark before the calendar flipped to May.

“ With a lack of youth programs here, many of these girls come in with little to no experience,” Flanigan said. “It's been a treat to watch them grow and learn the game.”

Freshman Emma Kokocinski emerged with 16 goals through the first eight games while being dominant with her draw controls.  Sophomore goalie Molly Fitton is closing in on her 300th career save.

Junior Ashley Dickhaut has 27 goals through nine games and is a great all-around athlete, according to Flanigan. Mayah Phillion and Carly Moody , both eighth graders, each have hit the double-digit goal mark.

Rangers return to winning ways

Westborough won nine of its first 11 games after finishing below .500 in recent seasons.

“We are seeing teams we've never seen before and didn't let that impact our game,” Rangers coach Whitney McKay said. “We're doing the hard work to make the changes, and it's showing on the field.

The Rangers have used a balanced scoring attack early.

“It's hard to pick a top performer from our team, or even just a few players, as we have games this season in which we've had many girls put points on the board,” McKay said. "For example, our home opener had nine different goal scorers, and five different girls who recorded assists, so to say they share the wealth is an understatement.”

Senior Katherine Sams had 25 goals through her first nine games, while freshman Regan Kittredge also has scored in double digits. Senior Lily Villaflor and sophomore Taylor Payne also have been productive players.

Last Thursday in their game against North Middlesex, the Rangers held their annual Donation Game, running a 50/50 raffle and collection. All donations went to a local food pantry.  On May 16, the Rangers will hold their Bake Sale Game to raise more proceeds when they take on Shrewsbury.

—Contact Chris Kyne at sports@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tgsports.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: High school lacrosse: These teams have made strides to start the season