BURLINGTON — If you think that all of these playoff victories and consecutive state championships is getting old … think again.
For the fourth straight season, St. John’s Prep stands atop the Massachusetts mountaintop in Division 1 boys lacrosse circles. The top seeded Eagles got five goals and one assist each from midfielders Luke Kelly and captain Jake Vana to outlast Needham, 17-13, Saturday under sunny skies at Burlington High.
“It’s not for no reason we’ve won the last four (titles),” said Kelly, a future marksman for the University of Michigan (Class of 2029) lacrosse team. “We’ve been lifting together since January to be ready for this moment right here.”
St. John’s Prep, which has won 19 straight playoff games (and has not lost one since 2019), finished the season with a 21-2 mark.
“I’m not even that happy that we won it as I am sad that it’s over,” said a teary-eyed Vana afterwards. He finished his Eagles athletic career with seven team state championships (4 lacrosse, 2 hockey, 1 soccer), among the most in Massachusetts state high school history. “It was a really fun four years. Some of these guys I’ve known since sixth grade, others since freshman year; they’re all my best friends. To go out this way means the world.”
Never in need of any extra motivation, the Princeton-bound Vana got some when he learned Friday night (when the game was originally supposed to be played, but was rained out) that his mother, Becky and younger sister, Molly, wouldn’t be able to make Saturday’s game because Molly had a soccer tournament.
“My mom was bawling her eyes out she couldn’t be here … that was the motivation for me to get it done today,” said Vana. “I know she’s super proud.”
Vana’s best friend, senior faceoff specialist Jack Doherty of Marblehead, admitted he also felt mixed emotions when the final horn went off, officially ending his time as an Eagle.
“After the game ended, I’m almost sad it’s over,” said Doherty, who leaves the Danvers campus with six state titles of his own (4 lacrosse, 2 hockey). “I’ve loved it, every second of it. I love this program, I love the people here. I’m so grateful for everyone who’s done everything for me and gotten me to this point.”
It was the 250th career victory for head coach John Pynchon, who is 118-30 combined in seven years at his alma mater following a decade of success (132 victories) at Beverly High.
“From an organizational and cultural standpoint, if we had never won four straight state titles I’d still be incredibly proud of them,” Pynchon said of his team. “It’s the work they put in. We ask an immense amount from these kids every day … and they have met the expectations and exceeded them.
“The wins are nice, but how the program conducts itself … I’m incredibly proud of these kids.”
Junior attack Drew Bossi also scored three times for the Eagles, with Jimmy ‘Buckets’ Nardone adding a solo goal. Seniors Ben Menera, Grayson Ambrosh, Brendan Powers and Brady Plaza each picked up an assist.
Sophomore goaltenders Max Putney and Matteus DuPlessis again split time between the pipes, with Putney making five saves in the first half and DuPlessis three over the last 24 minutes.
Much credit goes to Needham, the seventh seeded that had defeated No. 2 Lincoln-Sudbury and No. 3 Acton-Boxborough in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, to reach the title game. The Rockets (17-6) played catch up for virtually the entire contest — a 1-0 lead was the only one they had — and trailed by six goals three different times, but never stopped fighting.
Scoring 12 of their 13 goals in transition, the Rockets saw their two All-American long poles, Jimmy Kenney (goal) and Jack Curran (3 goals, 2 assists), cause turnovers and create offense from the back end. Senior captain Sean Reilly, an attackman, was the day’s leading scorer with four goals and four assists; freshman Spencer Chapman added three plus and assist, and junior attack Nick Sewall also scored.
But the Eagles never allowed them to get closer than three goals after the midway point of the first quarter. Kelly and McCarthy combined for a half-dozen goals and three helpers as St. John’s took a 10-5 lead into halftime.
“Shooters shoot,” McCarthy said of Kelly, both of whom will be major offensive players as the Eagles attempt a ‘Drive For Five’ in 2025. “We have a lot of set plays for me to get him the ball in the back of the net, and I think it worked really well today. It’s been working well all season … to see it work in an environment like this is like a dream come true.”
Up by four heading into the final quarter, St. John’s Prep got snipes from Kelly, Bossi and Vana to make it 17-11 with under six minutes to go. Needham scored twice to keep it close, but the Eagles clamped down defensively and ran out the clock.
“I’ll remember these seniors, guys like Grayson Ambrosh, Brady Plaza, Deuce Morton, Ben Menera, (Kurt Schillinger), how hard these guys work,” Pynchon said when asked to sum up the season.