ISL Lacrosse

HS Boys Lacrosse
Laxxal22
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Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:58 pm

Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxxal22 »

The final group, listed alphabetically

The "Contenders" Division: Definitely a cut above the rest. Tradition, committed players, athletic rosters, and strong coaching; these four teams possess all four traits.

Belmont Hill

2018 Record: 13-2 ISL (13-3 overall)
Notable Non-league games: Avon Old Farms, Deerfield
Key Losses: All America Goalie, 2 All-ISL Attack, All-ISL Defenseman, HM All-ISL LSM/Def.

Key Returners:

Cam Rubin, Jr, Attack (Penn commit, 40g/20a, #95 in Inside Lacrosse's class of 2020 rankings, HM All-ISL) Crafty lefty and lone returner on an attack unit that graduated two 3-year starters.

Brodie Rayment, Sr. Midfield (Amherst, 21g/23a. HM All-ISL, All ISL RB in football.) Terrific do it all middie who is a legit All America candidate. A real steal for a DIII program.

Joe Goguen, Sr. A/M (Villanova, 19g, 18a. HM All-ISL). Big lefty that has primarily been a middie for BH, but plays attack in club. Also a strong hockey player with some clear carryover from the ice into how he plays lacrosse.

Blake Brookes, Jr. Def (Hopkins commit. #46 in Inside Lacrosse's class of 2020 rankings) A physical specimen that has all the tools. This could be the season he becomes a dominant presence.

Quinn Richards, Jr. Goalie (Air Force commit) First year starter, but has performed well for LXC Black for years.

Midfield is probably the strongest in the ISL as literally everyone with a significant role is back from last season including a very potent first line. There is talent at attack and defensively, but with some new faces both units will need to find cohesion. Goalie is new but quite strong. As always this will be an athletic, fast, and deep team. BH continues to have the ISL's best farm system, with the JV, third, and fourth teams going a combined 39-4 last year. So there will be no shortage of hungry, varsity-caliber players competing for the final few roster spots.

Govs

2018 Record: 14-1 ISL (15-2 overall)
Notable Non-league games: Hill Academy, Avon Old Farms, Exeter
Key Losses: All America Attackman, All-ISL Attackman, All-ISL Middie, HM All-ISL Middie, HM All-ISL Goalie.
Key Returners:

Jack Wood, Sr. Attack (Brown, 21g, 28a. HM All-ISL). Only returning starter at attack. Dual handed. Looks comfortable dodging from anywhere on the field.

Shane O'Leary, Jr. Midfield (Umass commit, 7g, 2a. All-ISL QB in football) A fantastic athlete who thrives in all phases and is primed for a breakout season.

Nathan Laliberte, Jr. Midfield/Fogo (Bryant commit, #11 in Inside Lacrosse's class of 2020 rankings, All-ISL) One of the top FOGOs in the country. He should give a possession advantage to one of the league's top offenses in every game.

Luke Moriarty, Sr. Defense (Princeton, All-ISL, All-ISL DB in football). Fleet footed with the ability to put the ball on the ground, pick it up, and push transition.

Tim Roberts, Sr. Defense (UVM, All-ISL) A physical player who opposing attackmen will have marks from playing against for a few days after the game.

Govs re-asserted themselves in a major way last season after a few years out of title contention. There's a lot returning, with 10 seniors committed to D1 or strong D3 schools. Attack won't be at quite the level it was last season, but midfield and the longsticks are very strong, and the FOGO should give them a real advantage. Govs have really benefitted recently from some strong NH and MA public players transferring in (sometimes re-classing) after their soph or junior seasons, and that has helped them build what looks like the deepest team in the league this year.

Rivers

2018 Record: 10-5 ISL (13-6 overall)
Notable Non-league games: Loomis Chaffee, New Hampton, Brewster, Andover
Key Losses: All-ISL Attack, All-ISL Middie, HM All-ISL Attack, 18-goal scoring middie
Key Returners:

Chris Bucking, Sr. Att/Mid (Skidmore, 9g/13a. All-ISL WR in football)
Sometimes kids just have big senior years. After getting all league in football, Bucking seems like he could be one of them on an attack unit that needs to replace its top two scorers.

Tommy Miller, Jr. Midfield (Villanova commit, 29g/4a. HM All-ISL) A smooth dodger who can light it up with both hands. Will be the main scoring threat from a potent and deep midfield.

Johnny Kanataros, Sr. LSM (Middlebury, 9g, All-ISL. Also a strong hockey player he might be playing both sports at Midd) Can play pressure defense, is strong on GBs and transition, a scoring threat, and can even face off. Part of a very athletic LSM tandem.

Charlie Peck, Sr. Defense (Lehigh) Won't make a ton of "wow" plays, but does everything at a high level, and is very strong off ball with slides and disrupting passes.

Ryan Rahbany, Jr. Def (HM All-ISL) Another highly rated hockey player that moves well. At 6'3" he's rangy, relentless, and looks like absolutely no fun to play against.

Despite being consistently in the top tier for the past 15 years, Rivers' lone ISL title was in 2009. But the Red Wings look like legit contenders this year as they graduated a small senior class in 2018 and the junior and senior classes both have talent, depth, and experience. The midfield has multiple scoring options, there's a stable full of lockdown longsticks, and an All-ISL returns in net. The attack has to replace two starters and needs time to jell, but as usual the Red Wings have that favorable league schedule and won't face any of the ISL's real iron until the end of April. They should look pretty formidable by then.

St. Sebastian's

2018 Record: 13-2 ISL (17-3 overall)
Notable Non-league games: Andover, Malvern Prep, Conestoga, New Hampton
Key Losses: All-ISL Goalie, All-ISL Defenseman, All-ISL Middie, 2 HM All-ISL Middies, Top FOGO, Top SSDM, 40-goal scoring Attackman
Key Returners:

Brian Piatelli, Sr. Attack (Cornell, 23g, 55a, HM All-ISL) A little undersized, but a gifted feeder and QB/point guard of the offense. If he can play at or near the level his brother did two years ago, the Arrows will be in good hands.

Michael Swirbalus, Sr. Att/Mid (Duke, 41g/22a. Ranked #39 in the class of 2019, HM All-ISL) Explosive and creative lefty playmaker. Will be interesting to see if he stays at attack or moves back to midfield like 2017.

Will Frisoli, Sr. LSM/Def (Duke, All-ISL 2017 & 18 - honorable mention 2016. All ISL DB in football. Ranked #6 in the class of 2019 by Inside Lacrosse) A high motor combined with a fantastic mix of balance, speed, and agility allows him to be aggressive against even the best offensive players. The best defender in the ISL, and possibly the best player in all of New England - public or private.

Peter Blake, Sr. Defense (Penn, HM ALL-ISL. HM All-ISL LB in football) A lefty who plays physically up top or down low and has a full repertoire of takeaways. Having him as a #2 pole behind is a huge luxury for the Arrows.

Mac Fotiades, Sr. Goalie (Michigan, HM All-ISL in 2017) Finally gets the starting gig to himself in his fifth varsity season. A vocal presence with great outlet passes.

The Arrows have graduated two very large and talented classes back to back. There are some elite seniors, but many of the juniors and sophomores haven't had much opportunity to prove themselves at the varsity level yet. Longsticks and goalie look legit, and Seb's will always have an athletic roster, but roles on offense including scoring options 3-6 need to emerge. The program has really upped its visibility over the past few years through scheduling, social media/content, and an energetic young coach who hopefully sticks around for awhile. Has a pipeline been established so that the talent level of the classes of 2017, 2018, 2019 becomes the norm, or do the Arrows begin to ebb back a bit starting this season?
Highwall
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Highwall »

Great breakdown of each team Laxxal22. It seems as though BH, Govs, and Sebs have a bit more than Rivers, but time will tell. What impressed me about each write up was the amount of returning talent across the league.

I think the differentiator, as it is most years, is face offs. IMO Laliberte is the best face off man in the league, not only because of his quick hands during the clamp, but for how hard he works to ride in the rare case he loses a draw. Govs may not be returning as much fire power on offense as some other teams, but they will get a lot of experience in the early part of the year given how many wins they should get at the X. It will be tough to pick against Govs this year in the ISL.
Laxxal22
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxxal22 »

I agree that there are a lot of strong players returning across the league. Seems especially so with midfield and defenders.

At higher levels of play it's the specialists that can set teams apart, so if I had to predict an outright winner I'd lean towards Govs as well. They'll have extra possessions, and will be very tough to score against when the other team does get the ball. But 15-0 ISL records are fairly rare, so we'll see.
Laxxal22
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxxal22 »

Bostonlax.net have released their preseason watch lists for 2019. They include all the position groups for public and private school players. The paywall is ridiculously cheap, so I won't recreate their content here, but here are the totals of each school's representation.

Govs - 11 players: Definitely a loaded team/program.
Rivers - 10 players: Could be the best Rivers teams in a few years.
St. Seb's - 6 players: Question marks beyond their 5 senior studs after graduating a large class.
Roxbury Latin - 6 players: 5/6 are on the defensive half of the field.
Tabor - 5 players: Program on the rise with 3/5 players listed are underclassmen.
Nobles - 5 players: Pretty good representation considering what graduated from last year's squad.
Groton - 4 players: 3 players from a very strong sophomore class.
St. Mark's - 4 players: If this team still had Lewandowski and Rubin...
Milton Academy - 4 players: If this team still had Swirbalus and Carter Rice...
Belmont Hill - 4 players: Surprising. Guys will emerge and BH will have 5-8 All-ISL/honorable mention players by year's end.
Brooks - 3 players: Like Belmont Hill this team has another handful of guys that had to be on the cusp of this list.
Middlesex - 2 players: They whiffed on one really strong player, but still looking like a down year.
Thayer - 2 players: Cupboard looking pretty bare for Rubeor's first season at the helm.
BB&N - 2 players: Pretty much the same story over in Cambridge.
Lawrence Academy - 1* player: The kid they listed left to play junior hockey, but there are some talented guys on this year's roster.
St. George's - 0 players: Not sure if they were included due to location.
ctlaxfan99
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by ctlaxfan99 »

Rivers loses to Loomis 12-8
Laxxal22
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxxal22 »

Some interesting results yesterday as teams are starting to get underway. May have missed some. Much harder to track without LP.

Loomis Chaffee 9 - Nobles 8: Better result for the Bulldogs than I expected considering what they graduated and that LC beat Rivers by handful. My preseason ratings already looking shady.

Govs 7 - Exeter 5: No idea what Exeter has this season, but Govs have the tools to win low scoring games as new roles are established on an offense that lost a lot.

Rivers 10 - New Hampton 7: Nice recovery for Rivers against a typically strong New Hampton team.

Pingree 9 - Middlesex 8: On paper Middlesex losing to an EIL team seems like a real shocker, but Bostonlax had 10 or 11 Pingree kids listed on their players to watch lists. They should roll through that league.

Seb's plays Malvern Prep today. Will be interesting to see how the Arrows do against a talented team with a few week's head start.
Laxxal22
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxxal22 »

Sebs picks up the 7-4 win. Sounds like Fotiades stood on his head in net and it was the Swirbalus show on offense. Nice win for the ISL.
Laxxal22
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxxal22 »

Some interesting non league match ups today.

Govs vs. Avon Old Farms: This is the first time I remember Govs playing a West 1 team. New strategy for a newish regime, I like it. Avon are always talented, but I get the gist that they don't always put it together. Govs have the longsticks and midfield to play with anybody, especially with Lailiberte facing off. But the offense only scored 7 against Exeter and appears a work in progress.

St. Seb's @ Conestoga: After a win over a traditional Philly power the Arrows face a less heralded but still talented team. Conestoga looks to have two longsticks who could limit Swirbalus and Piatelli. If that happens some guys in new roles will need to step up.

Kimball Union @ Nobles: KUA is fairly weak traditionally. Nobles performed better than I expected against Loomis and should stroll here.

Rivers @ Brewster: No specifics on Brewster but they're always formidable. I read a New England Lacrosse Journal piece on Rivers and it seems like some injuries and issues are limiting them at the moment. Hopefully they get it sorted before league play begins.

Middlesex vs. Westminster: We'll see if the Zebras can rebound against a tough West 1/Founders team that played an undefeated IMG reasonably close and includes former 2x All-ISL Jayce Lambert as a PG attack.

Tabor vs. Proctor: Looks like this is a night game at BU, which is a pretty cool start to the season. Tabor could make some noise so hope to see them have a strong start.

Exeter @ Milton Academy: Exeter only lost to Govs by two, which makes me think they'll be a bit too much for the Mustangs.
ctbagataway
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by ctbagataway »

Not to pick on them, but I just don't see Middlesex having much success today. Watched them in Florida over break and they just don't seem to have any real weapons. Maybe that's not fair, because they were scrimmaging a pretty good team, but the loss to Pingree seems to back that up. Could be a long season for them.
MA Lax Fan
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by MA Lax Fan »

Any feedback on some of the pre season scrimmages against MIAA teams?
Laxcoach55
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxcoach55 »

I attended the BBN v Worcester Academy game on Saturday. BBN on top 18-5. BBN has only 2 seniors and mostly fresh and sophs. Dannay Addonizio with 5 goals. Max Ewald dominant on D.
ABV 8.3%
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by ABV 8.3% »

MA Lax Fan wrote: Sat Mar 30, 2019 9:12 pm Any feedback on some of the pre season scrimmages against MIAA teams?
Heard Medfield dominated Rox-Latin.
oligarchy thanks you......same as it evah was
Laxxal22
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxxal22 »

Would be really interesting to see BB&N to put together a strong team. Hasn't really happened in the 25ish years I've followed the league.

Not surprised that Medfield got the best of RL. They are experienced and seem to be D2 favorites everywhere I've looked, while outside of the defensive end RL is pretty young but could be formidable by years end.
Laxcoach55
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxcoach55 »

Laxxal22 wrote: Tue Apr 02, 2019 11:46 am Would be really interesting to see BB&N to put together a strong team. Hasn't really happened in the 25ish years I've followed the league.

Not surprised that Medfield got the best of RL. They are experienced and seem to be D2 favorites everywhere I've looked, while outside of the defensive end RL is pretty young but could be formidable by years end.
My son plays A for BBN and I've been following lax for 40+ years. They have some talent for sure but not too deep. They have KUA at home on Wednesday. KUA could be tough...they beat Nobles on Sat.
Laxcoach55
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxcoach55 »

Anyone know the outcome of the Belmont Hill v Xaverian game last Saturday?
Laxcoach55
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxcoach55 »

Laxxal22 wrote: Sat Mar 30, 2019 10:09 am Some interesting non league match ups today.

Govs vs. Avon Old Farms: This is the first time I remember Govs playing a West 1 team. New strategy for a newish regime, I like it. Avon are always talented, but I get the gist that they don't always put it together. Govs have the longsticks and midfield to play with anybody, especially with Lailiberte facing off. But the offense only scored 7 against Exeter and appears a work in progress.

St. Seb's @ Conestoga: After a win over a traditional Philly power the Arrows face a less heralded but still talented team. Conestoga looks to have two longsticks who could limit Swirbalus and Piatelli. If that happens some guys in new roles will need to step up.

Kimball Union @ Nobles: KUA is fairly weak traditionally. Nobles performed better than I expected against Loomis and should stroll here.

KUA has a left attack who's very good. Rutgers commit.


Rivers @ Brewster: No specifics on Brewster but they're always formidable. I read a New England Lacrosse Journal piece on Rivers and it seems like some injuries and issues are limiting them at the moment. Hopefully they get it sorted before league play begins.

Middlesex vs. Westminster: We'll see if the Zebras can rebound against a tough West 1/Founders team that played an undefeated IMG reasonably close and includes former 2x All-ISL Jayce Lambert as a PG attack.

Tabor vs. Proctor: Looks like this is a night game at BU, which is a pretty cool start to the season. Tabor could make some noise so hope to see them have a strong start.

Exeter @ Milton Academy: Exeter only lost to Govs by two, which makes me think they'll be a bit too much for the Mustangs.
Laxxal22
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxxal22 »

Best of luck to your son this season Laxcoach55. Things can change fast in private school sports but I was a little stunned by that KUA-Nobles score, even though I did see Nobles being a bit down this year. Hopefully BB&N can have a similar improvement to KUA.
Laxcoach55
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxcoach55 »

Laxxal22 wrote: Tue Apr 02, 2019 2:10 pm Best of luck to your son this season Laxcoach55. Things can change fast in private school sports but I was a little stunned by that KUA-Nobles score, even though I did see Nobles being a bit down this year. Hopefully BB&N can have a similar improvement to KUA.
Thanks and I'll post some updates pretty regularly on the ISL games I attend. I'm also vested into the Middlesex League and will be seeing some of those games.
Laxxal22
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxxal22 »

Some games from today. A little too time consuming to track down everything, so I just highlighted a few. Some score predictions as well, which will probably be wildly off so early in the season.

Belmont Hill v. Avon Old Farms: BH have scrimmaged a lot, but keep those results pretty close to the vest. They have talent and athletes all over the field, but probably not any more than AOF. Also not sure about BH's face off situation, and it's tough to hang with the top 3-4 West 1 teams without top-level specialists. 12-8 Avon.

New Hampton @ St. Seb's: The Arrows acquitted themselves quite well down in PA. New Hampton fell 7-10 to a Rivers team that is working out a few things, so a more put together Seb's team (at this point) should be alright. 11-6 Seb's

Phillips Andover @ Rivers: Rivers rebounded with nice wins over Lakes Region teams after dropping their opener to Loomis. Andover had a strong 2018 class, even if the results on the field weren't amazing. Not sure what they have back. 10-8 Rivers

Tabor @ Dexter: I know Dexter have been improving their varsity sports, but not sure where the lacrosse team is in the process. After a nice win over Proctor I think the Seawolves keep it rolling. 13-5 Tabor

Nobles @ Brewster: After keeping it surprisingly close against Loomis, the Bulldogs dropped a shocker to KUA. Can't say I have a read on this Nobles team at all. 9-8 Brewster

KUA @ BB&N: Interesting game here. BB&N scored almost 20 goals in their opener, and KUA punched way above their traditional weight class in taking down Nobles. 13-7 KUA
Laxcoach55
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Re: ISL Lacrosse

Post by Laxcoach55 »

KUA over BBN 7-2. Game was closer than the score.
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