Football plays at Gillette. Hockey at TD Garden. So why might the boys' lacrosse finals be held at a high school?
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Football plays at Gillette, hockey at TD Garden, and baseball at Worcester's Polar Park, but the Division 1 boys' lacrosse final may be ticketed for Burlington High, albeit with its relatively new field turf, for a third straight year. It doesn't sit right with many veteran coaches.
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'It seems like lacrosse is getting the short end of the stick,' said Scituate coach
Mark Puzzangara
. 'It's disappointing, especially for the teams that are in contention every year. All we're asking is the opportunity for our kids to play on a bigger stage.'
Burlington High has hosted boys' and girls' lacrosse finals in recent years, but this year the girls' finals are set for Babson College.
Jim Davis for The Boston Globe
With boys' and girls' lacrosse tournament director
Dan Brothers
at the point, the MIAA has been in negotiations with college and professional venues for months.
A deal with Harvard fell through in April due to budgetary constraints, but Brothers said two colleges have replied at the 11th hour and he is 'a lot more confident today than I was on Monday that this is something we can pull off.'
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As of Wednesday, the plan is to hold state semifinals at Burlington and other regional high schools, then find one or two state final sites at local colleges. The girls' finals are scheduled for Babson College, June 14-15.
A former coach at Arlington Catholic, Brothers is sympathetic to all perspectives. He understands there will always be discontented parties when it comes to the size, location, or price of the venue, but financial negotiations fall outside his purview.
Worcester State hosted the 2022 lacrosse finals.
Greg M. Cooper/Globe
There were complaints when Eastern Mass. teams matched up in the state finals at Worcester State in 2022, so applying to venues outside the I-495 corridor can be unpopular. Yet for schools like Nauset, which just won the Division 3 boys' hockey title in March, most venues are likely to involve long travel, and the chance to organize fan buses for a road trip in June is something to relish.
'Wherever we're playing, the fans are there,' said Nauset coach
Jesse
Peno
. 'We have a great community that takes care of us and would be willing to travel.'
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Of course, student-athletes are happy to play for a state title anywhere, but for Robinson, losing at Westwood last June before winning the D4 Super Bowl at Gillette less than six months later represented quite the contrast.
'It's a whole different feeling when you're playing under the lights at a big place like that,' said Robinson. 'Anybody can get up for a state championship game, but the venue can make it that much more special.'
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St. John's Prep coach
John Pynchon
, who has led his program to
'If it was an all-day event, that's the dream for the sport of lacrosse,' said Pynchon. 'Somewhere in the city that can host all the games is great. I remember going to Harvard three years in a row. If Harvard [Stadium] is empty on June 14 and we're playing at a regional high school, that's a real travesty.'
St. John's Prep's Jack Weissenburger celebrated the Eagles' Division 1 state title at Burlington High last June.
Winslow Townson for The Boston Globe
Brothers ran into road blocks while trying to secure Boston University, Quincy Veterans Stadium, Bentley, and other potential sites, but that might not be the case every spring.
If an agreement can be reached with any of those venues —something old, such as Harvard, or something new, such as Merrimack — the goal could be to lock down mid-June dates well ahead of time, starting in 2026.
Quick sticks
▪ Nauset is flush with championship experience, since 10 of its players were on
'They were in the unique position of being the No. 1 from wire-to-wire. They were the hunted team,' Peno said. 'They understand what it takes if we're looking at the Medfields or Scituates or Falmouths of the world. We know we have to be ready to give them our best shot.'
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Logan Poulin
, who starred on the ice, has scored 30 goals this spring, and goalie
Zach Coelho
and midfielder
Oscar Escher
(29 goals) have also filled key roles after playing hockey in the winter.
Related
:
▪ Belmont Hill captured its second consecutive Independent School League championship with a thrilling 8-7 overtime win over Tabor Academy on Sunday. Virginia-bound senior
Lindan Verville
netted the winner.
'We never talk about winning championships; we really don't,' said Belmont Hill coach
Tim Sullivan
. 'We talk about having great practices, great lifts, improving every day, and then just stacking those every day.'
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▪ Sandwich coach
Mike McNeill
posted his 250th career win in
Benny Midura
made his 400th career save in
Ben Tondorf
set a school record with
Owen Hofford
tallied his 200th career point.
Games to watch
Thursday, Manchester Essex at Wakefield, 4:30 p.m.
— After narrow losses to tough Weston and
Friday, No. 12 Andover at No. 13 Winchester, 5 p.m.
— This regular-season finale should be an entertaining playoff tune-up between two Division 1 hopefuls.
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Friday, Longmeadow at No. 5 Lincoln-Sudbury, 6 p.m.
— After back-to-back
Friday, No. 7 Hingham at No. 1 St. John's Prep, 6 p.m.
— This clash of nonleague powers highlights a big Friday slate.
Monday, Norwell at No. 17 Newburyport, 10 a.m.
— In a battle of the Clippers, Norwell's stingy defense will look to slow down Newburyport's relentless offense.
Correspondent Mitch Fink contributed to this story.
Nate Weitzer can be reached at
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