Boys’ lax beats Medford, falls to Nauset in tourney action

By DAN PAWLOWSKI

WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield High boys’ lacrosse team went 1-1 in the Div. 2 state tournament last weekend, officially concluding their season with an overall record of 7-13.

The Warriors hosted No. 34 Medford (13-5) in a preliminary round game on Friday, June 2 at the Galvin Middle School’s Walton Field and came away with a dominant, 13-2 victory in an exciting state tourney environment.

The ensuing prize was a trip to the Cape just two days later on Sunday, June 4, to play No. 2 Nauset Regional (15-3) in a first round matchup. Nauset ended up winning it 17-4 and have since moved on to the quarterfinals where they will meet No. 7 Marblehead.

The Warriors had it going from the jump against the Mustangs in the prelims. Wakefield took a 4-1 lead after one and extended it to 8-2 at the half. They added four more again in the 3^rd while the defense locked in and shut out the visitors for a commanding 12-2 advantage before Wakefield focused on possession to run out the clock in the 4^th for a their 13-2 final.

Senior captain Bobby DeFeo led the way with 5 goals and an assist. Sophomore Ryan Metsis had a hat trick with 3 goals. Freshman Ryan Keefe added 2 goals and an assist. Wakefield got single tallies from freshman Seamus Cable, freshman Brady Zdanowicz and sophomore Kyle Clair who also added an assist. Defensemen, senior captain Zach Sartori and freshman Tommy DeFeo also added assists.

Senior captain Kaiden Johnson had 9 saves in the win.

“It was a good team win against a Medford team that had a very successful season,” said Wakefield head coach Tim Johnson. “We had eight different players getting points in that game so it was great to see a lot of involvement.”

DeFeo got the first two goals of the game, setting the tone early. Wakefield’s defense was physical and confident all game, starting by killing a man-down situation early with the Mustangs trying to get back into it. Zach Sartori, Tommy DeFeo, Clair and sophomore Frankie Sullivan did a great job of limiting chances while Johnson picked up impressive back-to-back stops to end it.

An off-speed bouncer from Cable made it 3-0 with 5:37 left in the 1^st and an impressive, fading jump shot from Metis pushed the lead back to three after Medford got on the board.

In the 2^nd quarter, Zdanowicz took a pass from Bobby DeFeo up top and fired one top shelf for a 5-1 lead. Later, DeFeo scored two in a row, first on a missile after scooping up a loose ball, then on the ensuing faceoff which he won cleanly and took all the way, taking a shot before the defense converged for a 7-2 lead.

Keefe took a hit to get a shot off from distance that found the twine for his first goal and Sullivan had a strong pass breakup on a potential Medford fast break as the Warriors took all momentum into the break.

Tommy DeFeo had a quality groundball, spin move and pass to Clair early in the 3^rd who would find Metsis for Wakefield’s 9^th goal and soon after, Clair finished a nice find from Keefe to make it 10-2.

The Warriors again defended another Medford man-up chance, this time with great defense from Zach Sartori, Cam Sartori, Sullivan, junior Liam McNeil and sophomore Dan McHugh. Johnson squared up a shot and held onto it to finish it out.

Wakefield’s final goal of the quarter was perhaps the most exciting. It was started up by Zach Sartori who picked an attacker clean, and started back the other way with plenty of speed. He set up Metsis perfectly in front, the sophomore easily finishing for a 12-2 advantage, a momentum goal that all but sealed it.

The Warriors knew they had a tough mountain to climb after a long bus ride to Eastham on Sunday. Nauset took a 5-0 lead after one and took off from there.

The Warriors stayed with it, scoring 3 goals in the 3^rd and one more in the 4^th but it was the home team who was in control from start to finish.

“Nauset was a very strong team with a lot of senior experience,” said Johnson. “We knew we would have to bring our best game to be able to compete. It wasn’t like we weren’t in that situation pretty much all season, asking freshmen and sophomores to dig deep to play against bigger, more mature and experienced kids. At times, we proved we could play with anyone and other times our inexperience got exploited, as was the case against Nauset.”

The coach was especially impressed with the effort of the three senior captains, DeFeo (2 goals), Johnson (22 saves) and Sartori.

“Having our three seniors out there being the leaders that they are was something to see from a coaching standpoint,” said Johnson. “They battled as hard as we have ever seen them because come state tournament time, each game could be your last.”

DeFeo’s 2 goals was only a stat. He carried the offense, working hard to get to the goal or find an open teammate as the Nauset Warriors doubled or at times tripled him. He was also outstanding on faceoffs once again.

“He was tremendous, doing whatever he could to give us opportunities on the offensive side of the field,” said Johnson.

The same could be said of Sartori, leading the defensive unit.

“He carried his grit and hustle over from the Medford game, which we all thought was probably his best performance this year, and again gave literally everything he had to give down in Eastham,” said the coach. “He played with ultimate passion and determination.”

Kaiden Johnson’s 22 saves meant he finished his senior season with exactly 300 and 575 in his three-year career as the starting varsity goalie.

“He was again outstanding in net against another big team in the state,” said coach Johnson. “He again commanded the defense in front of him to be the best that they could be against a strong Nauset offense.”

Wakefield’s fourth senior, Dom DeAngelis, couldn’t be on the field with his team due to an injury, but as always, he provided plenty of leadership.

“Although Dom couldn’t be on the field his leadership never faltered,” said Johnson. “He was the captain who would speak to the players when we couldn’t during games. He was the voice of optimism helping this young team find its way at times. He was truly invaluable to all of us in this program. 

“These senior captains were warriors in every sense of the word from their first game to their last game as Wakefield Warriors and they competed as hard as anyone could’ve hoped for from the first whistle of the season to the last. They will be missed tremendously but they forever left their mark on this sport and this program for Wakefield.

“Being a captain might mean wearing the arm band , having a ‘C’ on your jersey or doing the coin toss but being a leader is something that doesn’t stop once that arm band is off or the coin has been tossed or the ‘C’ is gone from the jersey. Being a leader is 24/7. It’s not just a title, it’s a way of life and these four young men will take their leadership abilities to Keene State College (DeFeo), Hartwick College (Johnson), UMaine Orono (DeAngelis) and the United States Army National Guard (Sartori) and continue to represent some of the finest Wakefield has had to offer.”

The Warriors who will return next season now have a strong foundation of experience to build on.

“Having such a young team and making it to the state tournament can only give us the opportunity to see how bright the future is for these younger players,” said Johnson. “The excitement of a ‘new season’ come tourney time is like nothing else and this year’s taste will hopefully have them craving for more as they grow and develop into the talented players they are capable of becoming.”