BUZZARDS BAY — Luke Kelly began his career with the St. John’s Prep lacrosse team as a water boy seven years ago. Before heading off to play at the University of Michigan, Kelly’s last official act for the Eagles forever etched his name into the school’s long and storied history of all-time athletic legends.
Kelly, a senior midfielder from Marblehead and one of the team’s captains, scored the golden goal at 1 minute and 43 seconds of overtime late Saturday afternoon, giving St. John’s Prep its fifth consecutive Division 1 state title in a heart-thumping 8-7 victory over BC High at Mass. Maritime Academy’s Clean Harbors Stadium.
It was the fourth time that the Eagles (21-1) defeated BC High for the state crown, having previously doing so in 2021, ’22 and ’23. It was also their third victory in as many contests against them this spring, including a pair of 8-7 OT wins.
BC High — the top seed in the tournament, with St. John’s Prep seeded No. 2 for the first time in the state’s power ranking format — had scored twice in the final 69 seconds of regulation to tie the game and force overtime. But Prep FOGO Will Crawford won the faceoff to start the sudden victory session and his team patiently worked the ball into the offensive zone.
Two shot chances came up empty, but Kelly garnered a pass from Madden McGowan and ripped it home for his 26th goal of the season … and without question the biggest of his four-year varsity career.
“I could feel a little bit that they had sunk in after Ryan McCarthy just hit the pipe and (Jack) Quigley got stripped inside. But I knew they’d be sucked in (defensively), so I was just going to catch and shoot,” said Kelly, whose oldest brother, Michael, was part of SJP’s first title team in this current run in 2021. “That’s kind of my shot. I’ve been working on that the past four years.”
“It’s super fitting that when it went to Luke there, I felt like it was going in,” head coach John Pynchon said after his team’s 24th straight playoff win and 48th consecutive victory against an opponent from Massachusetts (its lone loss this season was to nationally ranked Staples, Conn.). “We’ve had a lot of guys here who’ve won four state titles now, but not a lot of guys who’ve contributed to every single one of them. Luke’s incredibly special.”
Kelly became the second St. John’s Prep lacrosse player to score a title-winning goal in overtime, joining defenseman James Fahey’s long pole score to defeat Duxbury, 12-11, for the 2010 state crown.
Immediately after scoring, Kelly whipped off his helmet as his teammates burst into euphoria. They all sprinted to the opposite end of the field to celebrate with junior goaltender Mattheus du Plessis (16 saves), their defensive mates and coaches, all quenched by the game-long rain that fell off the shores of Cape Cod.
“Every day he amazes me, so I wasn’t surprised here. I knew he’d stand on his heads and keep us in the game like he has the whole season,” Kelly said of du Plessis. “I love that kid with my whole heart; he’s the reason we just won, not that last shot.”
“We knew they really liked to pull the trigger with whatever room they had,” said du Plessis, who credited assistant coaches Nick Romeo and Tommy Eighmey for getting him focused and ready. “I had to train myself to be ready at all times. I let in a few, but got into a rhythm from the second quarter on.”
Twenty-six seniors were part of the Eagles’ fifth straight title and sixth in program history.
“I literally have the chills right now, and I don’t think it’s because we’re on the ocean,” captain Cam McCarthy, who scored the Prep’s first goal, stated. “It’s truly a storybook ending. And I’m so happy for Luke; he’s a guy that’s literally poured everything out of him for St. John’s Prep almost his entire life.”
Senior long pole and captain Sam Wilmot (“he was an absolute dog out there,” said Pynchon), who like Kelly was a water boy for the 2019 squad and who was preceded in the program by two older brothers, spoke of how special a moment it was for his teammates but also his family.
“It’s sweet relief, to be honest, the culmination of four years’ work,” said Wilmot, who along with fellow close defensemen Owen Williamson, Jack Weissenburger and captain Ryan DeLucia each turned in excellent games in their final appearances in Navy-and-White. “We pride ourselves in being well-conditioned and ready for these moments in the clutch.”
In by far the most physical game between these two during the Prep’s dynastic run, BC High (19-4) scored three times in the contest’s first four minutes to take a quick lead. But St. John’s Prep got one back before the quarter ended, then popped home five unanswered tallies to claim a 6-3 halftime edge.
McCarthy and his younger brother Ryan both had goals during that time frame for St. John’s Prep, as did Madden McGowan, Bo Minogue and Josh Haarmann — now the state record holder with nine state titles in his 12-season, three-sport varsity career — and freshman Mac Crawford.
But BC High would not fade away. Captain Nick Emsing (4 goals) and Jake Adams sandwiched third quarter scores around a Beckett Lee snipe, making it 7-5 Prep after three quarters. It stayed that way until Murphy Blevin put one home with 1:09 to play, followed by Emsing with 28 ticks left on the clock.
Goaltender TJ Emsing (12 saves) held his squad’s arch nemesis to just one goal in 24 second half minutes, too.
“I have a ton of respect for Marcus (Craigwell, the BCH head coach) and his guys about how hard they play … we knew it was going to be a battle,” admitted Pynchon.
But in the end, it was once again meet the new boss … same as the old boss.
“For Luke to score the game-winner today, that was poetic,” said Eighmey.