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March 3, 2009 E-MAIL PRINT

Contenders ready to make move in competitive Eastern Mass.

by Mike Zhe/

If it was a movie, it would be showing at various suburban locales around Eastern Massachusetts this spring.

The title? “The Next Step.”

Some of the state’s brightest stars are leading teams that had fulfilling seasons a year ago but are hoping to advance the ball another step forward in 2009.

Take Needham, for instance.

The Rockets graduated 14 seniors but have some talented players back, a group led by All-America midfielder Kam Bumpus, who pumped in 44 goals and assisted on 57 others last spring. In addition, his faceoff prowess is critical for keeping the Rockets in possession of the ball.

“The biggest asset Kam brings is from the faceoff circle,” Needham coach Dave Wainwright said. “He’s a pretty versatile guy, but that really gets the offense going.”

Sprinkle in other returnees such as sophomore attacker Will Stenberg, who piled up 77 points as a freshman, and Drew O’Connor, Zach Morgan and Kerry Hecker, and the Division 1 quarterfinal round the Rockets stopped in a year ago may only be a rest stop in 2009 if the defense comes around.

“I have high hopes,” Wainwright said. “These guys’ minds and attitudes are in the right place and they’re emotionally invested.”

In Division 2, Medfield did everything but walk off with another state championship in 2008. The Warriors led Western Mass. champ Longmeadow, 8-7, at halftime, but then lost the possession battle it had won in the first half and fell, 14-10.

However, there’s good news that came out of that, too.

“The strength of the team last year was in our junior class,” Medfield coach Bob Aronson said.

Now those juniors are seniors, and they’re hungry for more. The group is headlined by a pair of All-Americans: long-stick middie Danny Gold and faceoff middie Brian Foster, who will take their talents to the NESCAC next year, at Amherst and Middlebury, respectively.

Defender Jake Smith (UMass), midfielder James Wilcox (St. Lawrence) and defender Phil Thompson (Gettysburg) will be playing in college next year, while leading scorer Jack McDermott and threats Matt Bletzer and Galen Farrar also return.

With Longmeadow always a good bet to advance out of thinner Western Mass., the Warriors — who beat the Lancers in the 2007 state final — would love a chance at a rematch of a rematch.

“Longmeadow was a very good team last year,” Aronson said. “They were strong and they were driven and they were driven to beat us.”

Then there’s Walpole, which cruised through Bay State Conference play unbeaten but was handled by Medfield in the Eastern Mass. final, 10-5.

All-America midfielder David Butts scored 55 goals last year and holds the school career record with 127 with a full season to play. The Loyola-bound senior also won 70 percent of his faceoff attempts for the Rebels, who went 20-1.

Defender Michael Connors (Vermont) headlines the supporting cast. Defense was a big reason why Walpole didn’t lose a game until deep in the playoffs last year.

The next step. It’s there to be had for some teams. Maybe a lot of them.
Who ultimately takes it won’t be known until June, but the work’s already begun.

Massachusetts

Duxbury (22-2) won a fifth straight Division 1 title and ran its in-state win streak to 90 games, but it was Billerica that opened some eyes by coming out of the Merrimack Valley Conference to reach the state title game.

That sets up a 2009 season where the challengers to the throne should be as stout as ever.

Billerica, a 14-13 overtime loser to Duxbury, returns attacker Greg Melaugh, whose 41 goals and 65 assists sparked his team’s run to the title game. St. John’s Prep (18-3) is another contender.

Needham (16-7) reached the quarterfinals a year ago before losing to Xaverian (16-6) and returns one of the state’s best midfielders in Kam Bumpus, who piled up 44 goals and 57 assists.

In Division 2, Medfield (21-4) came out of Eastern Mass. as the top seed last year only to lose in the championship to Longmeadow, long regarded as the best in the west. Don’t expect either team to fall far.

Longmeadow, led by attacker Kyle Smith, who scored a school-record 92 goals last spring, will face challenges on its side from Minnechaug and South Hadley, while Medfield will look to take the final step behind a squad led by returning All-America midfielders Brian Foster and Danny Gold.

Beyond that, the list of challenges is a full one: Walpole (21-1) has midfielder David Butts, whose school-record 55 goals and 29 assists earned him All-America honors. He also won 70 percent of his faceoffs.

Reading (18-4) went unbeaten in the Middlesex League and has a legit sniper in Jim Queeney, who put up 76 goals and 45 assists for the Rockets on his way to All-America honors. Ryan Izzo also is a force.

Wellesley (18-5) returns plenty, while Algonquin, Westborough and St. John’s of Shrewsbury look good in Central Mass.

Talk in Division 3 starts with Scituate, which was dominant in going 16-6 and winning three of four playoff games by 12 goals or more. Dover-Sherborn and Cohasset are two others to watch.

Maine

Scarborough (13-2) won its second Class A title in three years last spring, but counts its goalie and key players at all positions among the 16 it graduated.

However, Scarborough has another strong senior class. Two Siena-bound players — attacker Jake Barrett and midfielder Danny Clark — lead the way, while defender Peter Tuma, attacker Brendan Ham and long-stick middies Jimmy Soules and James Wright also return.

“We should go as far as the seniors’ leadership will take us,” Scarborough coach Joe Hezlep said.

Portland is a team to watch in Class A after an 8-5 mark in 2008. Midfielder K.R. Jurgelevich (UMass) was an All-American last year, and Erik Casparius (Siena) and Dylan Kenney are two other assets.

Brunswick is led by standout defender Max Rosner, while Kennebunk and Thornton Academy are among the best in the south.

Yarmouth’s elation in winning the title in Class B last spring eventually morphed into uncertainty, as it heads into battle untested on defense and in goal after graduating standout Jon Poole in net.

“They’ll have to mature quickly if we are to reach our previous levels of play,” Yarmouth coach Craig Curry said.

Optimism springs from midfielders Ron Highland and Peter Erickson, and attacker Stephen Petroveck. Highland is coming off a 90-point season and Petroveck put up 47 as a sophomore.

Cape Elizabeth (11-8) was the runner-up in Class B and is led by dangerous left-handed attack Mike Holden. Greely (12-2) also should be back in the mix, while Falmouth and North Yarmouth Academy are aiming to improve and compete with the best.

Connecticut

Ridgefield (19-4) came as close as a team can come to a Class L championship without winning one last spring, rolling into the final and then losing by a goal in overtime, 15-14, to three-time reigning champion Fairfield Prep.

This year, it’s got similarly high hopes behind players like attackers Matt White (see feature, Page 16) and Colin Scott, and midfielders Matt Baker and Brendan Walsh. The only question might be defensive depth.

“They’re going to be very good,” Prep coach Chris Smalkais said. “In our class there are a lot of very, very good teams.”

Fairfield County, as usual, is loaded with both team and individual talent, so the road to a potential title promises to be tough for anyone. The early short list of contenders also includes Greenwich, Prep, Wilton and New Canaan.

Goals should be plentiful. Greenwich (18-3) is led by attacker Jared Horowitz (Penn), while Wilton (12-8) has a good one of its own in Pete McMahon.
Prep (19-4) lost a dozen players to graduation, but its cupboard is hardly bare. Midfielder Tucker Shanley (Princeton), attackers Chase Bailey (Bucknell) and Brendan Rotanz, and a defense led by Glenn Maiorano (Bryant) will help the Jesuits tackle a tough out-of-state schedule that includes top teams from Long Island and New Jersey.

Outside of the FCIAC, Glastonbury (15-5) and Amity (14-6) bear watching.

Class M belongs to Darien until someone proves otherwise. The Blue Wave went 22-1 a year ago and bring back players such as attackers Nikki Dysenchuk (Dartmouth) and Tyler Foley, and defenders Matt Gorski and Corey Caputo.

New Fairfield ended years of frustration by going 23-0 and winning Class M, but the Rebels lost a bevy of seniors. One reason for returning optimism is attacker Andrew Fiamengo.

Rhode Island

Change was in the air in the offseason for reigning Division 1 champion North Kingstown, which said goodbye to the only coach the program has ever known when John Holmes left the post to take a new job in Utah.

Under Holmes, the Skippers joined the Rhode Island Interscholastic Athletic Association in 2001, going 2-6 that season. Starting in 2003, they’ve won three of the last six state championships, and a youth program started by Holmes is flourishing.

There will be some continuity as assistant coach Chris Callahan takes over. And the Skippers will lean on one of the state’s top players, All-America midfielder Ben Sternberg, whose three goals spurred a 13-10 title game win.

La Salle Academy (14-3), the team North Kingstown beat in last year’s championship game, graduated four of the five players it had named to the All-State team, but it has some good talent back and an infusion of capable young players.

Returning All-State attacker Conor O’Donnell (Saint Anselm) put up 97 points last spring, leading the state in goals. Attacker Brendan Rabideau is coming off a 99-point season, so finding the net shouldn’t be a big problem for La Salle.

Midfielders Chris McMahon, Tim Bristow, Andrew Messner and Rob Gruber, and defender Pat Hefferman also are key players. There also should be a contribution from players who were part of an undefeated JV team last year.

Bishop Hendricken (12-3) was the top seed in the playoffs before running into North Kingstown in the semifinals, and has a strong defender in Kevin Marchand. Portsmouth is aiming for improvement behind defender Jake Bradeen and attack Nick Popovici.

In Division 2 (formerly Division 1-A), Prout (13-2) is coming off a third straight division title but said goodbye to a strong group of seniors and will need to develop players at key positions.

Midfielder Kyle Murphy would provide a boost if he can recover from a torn ACL suffered during soccer season, while midfielder Austin Oswinkle (24 goals) and attacker Danny Hooper are two other linchpins.

Mount St. Charles (13-3) moves up a classification after celebrating a title in what is now Division 3 and should be right in the mix, along with Wheeler (8-7) and Narragansett (12-6).

In Division 3, East Greenwich (11-3) and Middetown (12-2) are two teams that bear watching.

Vermont

There’s room at the top, after defending Division 1 champion Essex (16-3) graduated 15 players off its title team. That includes goalie Nick Cheney, two of three starters on defense and seven of nine midfielders.

Runner-up Champlain Valley (15-4) is poised for an ascent after coming up just short a year ago. Midfielder and top faceoff man Tim Reichert is an asset if he can recover from the ankle injury that interrupted his hockey season.

South Burlington finished below .500 a year ago but could be poised for a climb up the standings with players such as midfielder Zach Davidson. Middlebury Union (12-6) and Bellows Free Academy (10-7) are two other teams to watch.

Essex will try to rebuild behind players such as attackers Marty Vanzo and Bill Hennessy, midfielders Mike Hennessy, Evan McCrea and Pat Nee, and defenders Max Librizzi and Jay McCormack.

“We have a lot of slots to fill at all ends of the field,” Hornets coach Dean Corkum said.

In Division 2, champion Burr and Burton and runner-up Rice Memorial headline the list of title hopefuls.

New Hampshire

Pinkerton Academy has long been the gold standard in the Granite State going back nearly a generation, and one of its mantras is this: Size matters. The pool of varsity applicants at the state’s biggest high school is annually robust.

But size isn’t everything. The Astros’ brightest star is undersized midfielder Brian Estes, who played much larger than his 5-foot-11, 160-pound frame a year ago when he put up 60 goals and 85 points on a runner-up team.

Toss in a supporting cast that includes players such as midfielder Jake Davis, and the sheer numbers, and Pinkerton has a legitimate shot at its first title since 2006.

“Pinkerton is coming back with a loaded team,” said Chris Cameron, coach of defending champion Bishop Guertin. “They’re the team to beat.”

Another squad not to be overlooked is Exeter, which boasts one of the state’s best in attacker Mac Johnson. The Blue Hawks (18-3) have a solid core back from a team that reached the league semifinals, even without Derek Favara, the state Defensive Player of the Year, who’s now at Siena.

Bishop Guertin said goodbye to 21 seniors, including six that are playing for Division 1 colleges. But the Cardinals are far from depleted.

Attacker Jack Krzyston put up 52 points as a sophomore last spring, and he is joined up front by classmate Peter Hardy. Midfielders Matt Bayne, Tommy Labadini and Adam Hall, defender Nick Carluccio, and goalie Brent Lyskawa, whose 16 saves were key in the 14-11 championship win over Pinkerton, also are keys.

“We’ll be solid in all areas, but we’re going to have to do all the little things right,” Cameron said. “We’re not going to be scoring 17 goals a game like last year.”

Bow (16-2) won the title in Division 2 last year despite starting the season with just three returning starters, so it knows the blueprint. Competition should come from St. Thomas Aquinas (11-5), Winnacunnet (11-6) and Dover (14-4).

In Division 3, it starts with last year’s finalists: champion Hollis-Brookline (15-2) and runner-up Portsmouth (16-1). Hollis closed the year by winning nine straight and then spoiled the Clippers’ hopes for an undefeated season in the title game.