There were many barriers on the way back to the summit.
Along the way, there were difficulties.
But there was a reason why St. John’s Prep was named as the best lacrosse program by the Boston Herald at the start of the season, and the Eagles dramatically confirmed it.
Michigan makes a commitment On June 14, St. John’s Prep defeated its main rival, BC High, 8–7, to win the Div. 1 boys lacrosse title for the seventh time in a row. Luke Kelly scored the game-winning goal in overtime.
After St. John’s Prep’s journey, do we see a change in the MIAA’s power rankings? Because of the way out-of-state games were incorporated into the calculation, the school had a difficult time moving up to the top of the association’s Div. 1 tier for a large portion of the year. It was evidently a driving force behind the school’s recent dynastic continuation.
All spring long, Billerica supporters demanded respect, and with good reason. After losing to Lincoln-Sudbury in their season opener, the Indians bounced back with 22 straight victories. Competitor Reading presented the school with its most difficult obstacle. The score was tied at 16-all in the closing seconds after Billerica lost an 11-4 halftime advantage. The Indians defeated the comeback attempt to capture their first state title since 2001 when Jackson Gearin scored the game-winning goal with nine ticks left.
In 2024, Scituate finished as the runner-up in Division 3. The Sailors made an incredible run to their first championship since 2009 this year. Under Willy Robinson’s leadership, the school overcame a late three-goal deficit to defeat No. 4 Dracut in overtime, upset top-ranked Medfield with an 11-9 victory in the quarterfinals, and defeated No. 3 Falmouth with a resounding 9-4 victory in the finals.
The South Shore League lost in the Division 4 boys’ lacrosse field. No. 1 Cohasset, a longtime rival, faced third-seeded Norwell for some hardware. Matt Panttila’s spectacular performance (four goals) helped the Clippers defeat their fiercest opponents 11–6 and win their third state championship in four seasons.
From beginning to end, the Div. 1 ladies lacrosse tournament was intense, with highlights every day. In a thrilling 8–6 final, Concord-Carlisle defeated Westford Academy and Kassidy Carmichael to win the championship. Karleigh Mutch and Scarlett Mirak were the Patriots’ main drivers during the season.
Walpole had been attempting to make history for almost ten years, but four Div. 2 runner-up finishes had always prevented it from reaching its ultimate objective. The Timberwolves defied that pattern this year, defeating Reading 16–11 in the second half to claim the 2025 championship. It was Mike Tosone’s first championship after joining Walpole in 2012. Caitlyn Naughton, a UMass recruit, and Jenna Wong, who is headed to Babson, each scored four goals to help the team win the championship, making the senior captains of the school heroes. In the win, Ava MacLean scored four goals as well.
Izzy Kittredge has had one of the most memorable high school athletic seasons. As top-seeded Medfield easily defeated No. 2 Newburyport 18–8 in a 2024 finals rematch, the junior standout put on another incredible display (six goals) in the Div. 3 girls lacrosse championship. The victory cemented Medfield’s dominance of the divisional rankings, which it had maintained for most of the season. A few months prior, Kittredge had guided Medfield to a Div. 2 girls basketball title with a 28-point performance in the championship game (a 62-20 victory over Worcester South on March 15).
Two South Shore League schools chose the Div. 4 girls lacrosse tournament, and the championship game was the subject of innumerable plotlines. In a thrilling 9–8 finale, the Clippers defeated top-ranked Cohasset thanks to a game-winning stop in goal from Charlotte Pithie with just over a minute remaining and a go-ahead goal in the closing seconds from senior captain Charlise Cox. Laura Callahan, who took over as Norwell’s first coach this past winter, won the state championship for the first time. On the other sideline, she ironically replaced former Clippers head coach Kara Connerty, who guided Cohasset to a runner-up finish.
