April 23, 2010
Prep school notebook: Avon Old Farms is rolling
by Roger Brown/
It probably wasn’t the start he envisioned, but Avon Old Farms boys lacrosse coach Skip Flanagan has had little to complain about since his team opened the season with a 5-4 loss to the McDonogh School of Owings Mills, Md.
Following that loss, Avon Old Farms has won nine in a row entering Saturday’s home game against Kent. The Winged Beavers are averaging more than 10 goals per game in those nine victories, during which they have outscored their opponents 98-57.
Senior co-captains Josh Dionne and Connor Mooney, and junior Bronson Kelly scored nine goals in the team’s 11-5 triumph over Choate Rosemary Hall, with Kelly scoring four goals and Dionne adding three in an 11-6 win over Westminster.
Last week’s victories over Simsbury(14-4) and Choate (11-5) moved Avon Old Farms into the 25th spot in Laxpower.com latest high school national rankings.
Even the team’s only loss doesn’t seem so bad at this point, since McDonogh had a 9-3 record through 12 games and had defeated teams from five different states.
Although four of Avon Old Farms’ next five opponents currently have winning records, the team’s stiffest test will likely come on May 8, when the Winged Beavers face Deerfield Academy at home.
Deerfield is currently 7-0 and is No. 1 in the Laxpower.com rankings.
Seeing Red
Phillips Exeter Academy returned four of the top five scorers from last year’s 12-4 team, and that experience on offense has been evident.
Phillips Exeter (7-1) scored 17 goals in a victory over Cushing Academy earlier this season, and netted 32 goals in its last two games – victories over Pomfret (16-6) and Worcester Academy(16-1).
Four Phillips Exeter players have scored at least 10 goals this season: Eric Slingerland (24-4-28), Charlie Gill (15-12-27), Greg Jenkins (16-3-19) and Marcel Brown (10-2-12).
Slingerland didn’t play in the victory over Worcester Academy, but Brown (four goals), Gill (three) and Jenkins (three) dominated play in the offensive end. PEA’s Ford Spencer made his first start in goal against Worcester Academyand recorded 19 saves.
The Big Red has won six games in a row since an 11-6 loss to Gould Academy on March 24.
Practice pays off
The Westminster girls spent five days in Florida preparing for the 2010 season, and the trip seems to be paying off.
Westminster, which has won 12 games in each of the past three seasons, is 5-0 and has scored 59 goals in those five contests.
The Westminster program has a 121-44-2 record since the start of the 1999 season.
Familiar look
Rivers, Middlesex and Governor’s Academy finished in a three-way tie for first place in the ISL standings last season, and each team’s loss came against a team involved in the three-way tie.
Those teams may be headed for a similar finish this year. Governor’s Academy (6-0 overall), Rivers (6-0) and Middlesex (4-0) are the only unbeaten teams remaining in the ISL.
Noteworthy
►St. George’s (5-1-1) carried a seven-game unbeaten streak after Wednesday’s 21-21 tie with Tabor Academy. The Lady Dragons scored 65 goals in their last three games and are averaging 16 goals per contest.
►Sophomore attackman Matt Brigham has scored 21 goals in six games for Portsmouth Abbey, which improved its record to 5-1 with a 9-4 triumph over St. George’son April 19.
Brigham has scored at least four goals in four of Portsmouth Abbey’s five games.
►The Salisbury School (4-1) is ranked 14th in the latest Laxpower.com national poll, but has yet to play a game on the road. The Knights will play at Berkshire on Thursday and at Hotchkiss on Saturday.
