New England Lacrosse Journal

Ethan Abdella flipped his commitment from BU to Bowdoin. (Alex Zarazua photo) Ethan Abdella (Needham, Mass.) was just like every other top prospect in New England on Sept. 1. Abdella — a standout defensive midfielder at St. Sebastian’s — became eligible to commit to a Division 1 college lacrosse program last fall with the rest of the ‘27s.

I eventually had to make a choice. Playing two sports in the same season was never going to last forever. Sorry, baseball purists. You’ve probably heard this tale one too many times. Yes, I was the kid who traded in his jaded baseball bat for a shiny new lacrosse stick. Baseball was often slow and boring for my 12-year-old self. And that’s coming from someone who was a catcher and was still actively involved in every pitch. I was a hockey player at heart. To me, lacrosse seemed like hockey on grass.

The NHIAA boys lacrosse tournaments opened up with prelim games in all three divisions on Thursday. All the remaining teams will be in action on Saturday, when quarterfinal games will be played in Division 1, Division 2 and Division 3. The semifinals and championship games are set for next week. Bishop Guertin has won the last five D-1 titles, but has a stack of challengers lined up and coming. Which teams own a spot in our New Hampshire high school playoff Top 10? Let's take a look.

St. Sebastian's players celebrate during their ISL semifinal win over Milton Academy on Saturday. (Brian Kelly photo) The semifinals of the Independent School League championship tournament saw second-seeded St. Sebastian's host No. 3 Milton Academy, and top-seeded Tabor welcome defending champ and No. 5 seed Belmont Hill on Saturday. Sebs jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first quarter, taking control of its game from the first whistle.

Goalie Patrick Cardone is saluted by teammates in St. Sebastian's win over Milton Academy in the ISL semifinals. (Brian Kelly photo) The semifinals of the Independent School League championship tournament saw second-seeded St. Sebastian's host No. 3 Milton Academy on Saturday. Sebs jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first quarter, taking control of the game from the first whistle.

Ella Patterson (New Canaan, Conn.) and Gettysburg play at Tufts Saturday in the NCAA Div. 3 tournament. (Ollie Piazza Photography) As the field in the NCAA Division 3 tournament shrinks, so too does the number of active players. There’s always room, however, for players to step up in big moments and create long-lasting memories. Of the 16 teams remaining in the NCAAs, 11 have at least one player from New England playing key roles.

Goalie Brayden Holt and Cushing own the top seed for the NESLL tournament, which begins Friday. (Phillips Andover Athletics) The prep school boys lacrosse season in New England has arrived at its postseason. Tournaments in the Independent School League began on Wednesday. Full schedules and results from those events can be found here. This post will follow the action from Prep Nationals, the Lakes Region League, the NESLL and the Founders League.

Cohasset (Mass.) High School players were all smiles after Wednesday's win against rival Norwell. (Dan Leahy photo) Plenty has changed since our last MIAA power rankings – good for some teams, not so good for others. The ranks of the unbeaten in Massachusetts girls lacrosse have dwindled down to just two teams – but neither is the new No. 1 in our statewide Top 10.

Goalie Will Butler was one of the standout players in Belmont Hill's win over Nobles on Wednesday. (Dave Arnold/NELJ)

Defender Brian Burke and St. Sebastian's survived an ISL quarterfinal challenge from Governor's on Wednesday. (Dave Arnold/NELJ) The semifinals for the Independent School League championship tournament are taking shape as Wednesday’s quarterfinals play out. Top-seeded Tabor dominated from the start in its win over BB&N. Second-seeded St. Sebastian’s overcame an early three-goal deficit to battle past No. 7 Governor’s in a game that went down to the final possession.