New England Lacrosse Journal

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.

Junior midfielder Paddy Nugent and Hingham (Mass.) High School are off to a 12-3 start this season. (Dan Leahy photo) The Independent School League tournaments start today, but what about the MIAA tournaments? They're not too far away, but given the runway leading up to the bracket, and the power rankings, we thought it would be fun to plan out our best final four for each division in the MIAA. In advance, for fun.

Noble and Greenough senior midfielder Ava Newman works against Dexter Southfield. (Adam Richins photo) The movement in our power rankings was subtle this week, with only a handful of teams shifting up, down or out. But all that changes now. It’s tournament time across the region, from the Independent School League and Lakes Region League, whose tournaments open today, to the eight-team Prep Cup this weekend that features many of New England’s strongest teams.