SCITUATE — Winning a high school state championship is incredibly difficult.
As obvious as that may sound, it’s something that seems to emphatically resurface this time of year when great teams fall just short.
Before the season even begins, players and coaches usually know whether their group has what it takes to compete for a title or not. And for the Manchester Essex boys lacrosse squad, they certainly fell in the “all-in” category of contenders.
Last spring, the Hornets advanced to the program’s first-ever state Final Four, ultimately falling to eventual champion Norwell, a powerhouse group that was utterly dominant throughout the playoffs. It was a tough loss to swallow, but with second-year head coach Wes Chittick bringing back all but six seniors in 2026 — including his top four point earners — the Hornets swiftly set their sights on a repeat tournament run.
They accomplished that goal, punching their ticket back to Tuesday’s Division 4 state semifinal in Scituate. But although they came closer than last year with a valiant effort through and through, it wasn’t meant to be as their season came to a close with an 8-4 loss to No. 2 seed Nantucket.
Manchester’s talented senior class — which included a baker’s dozen committed student-athletes — may not have been able to get over the hump and bring home the program’s first state title. But they undoubtedly made a profound impact on numerous levels.
“Certainly a lot to be proud of,” said Chittick, his second-seeded team finishing the year at 17-4. “I’m not an expert on the Manchester Essex lacrosse history here, but I can’t imagine there’s been a senior group that’s won more over the course of their career. I know they wanted to go further than this, but they should be incredibly proud of what they accomplished and the way they managed to put Manchester Essex (boys) lacrosse on the map on a state level.”
If Manchester Essex and Nantucket had faced off for a seven-game series, it’s likely that it would have gone the distance.
But in a one game, do-or-die scenario, it was the Whalers who happened to make fewer mistakes, possess the ball more, and eventually separate themselves for good to secure the win.
The Hornets actually seized the upper-hand early, snaring a 2-0 lead under five minutes into the contest on goals from Charlie Mannal and Luke Renzi. That forced a quick Nantucket timeout, a decision that paid off big time.
The Whalers proceeded to net the game’s next four goals, jolting in front for a 4-2 advantage after one.
Matt DeOreo then opened the second with a response goal off a nice feed from senior captain Jack McCavanagh, but Nantucket’s Nolen Mosscrop (3 goals) once again answered as Nantucket went into halftime with a 5-3 edge.
Still well within striking distance, Manchester would surrender three unanswered goals — two from Arann Hanlon and another from Mosscrop — in the third to go down 8-3 heading for home, and they were simply never able to recover. The Hornets got some decent shots off in their settled offense, but many were one-and-done slings or ball cough-ups all together.
“I felt like when we were able to get the ball all the way around we were able to get some good looks, but kudos to their goalie who played outstanding,” said Chittick. “We knew coming into the game he was a really good goalie. It’s one thing to beat an aggressive defense, but then you also have to beat a really good goaltender after that, so Nantucket posed a lot of problems.”
As it oftentimes does, Tuesday’s clash really all came down to possession. Even when the Hornets generated a stop — goalie Connor Dickson was brilliant with 14 big saves — Chittick felt his team turned the ball over one too many times on what have regularly been routine clears this season.
“We had some uncharacteristic turnovers which were backbreakers against an athletic team like that,” said Chittick. “I thought we faced off really well today; Luke Renzi and Luke Murphy both did an outstanding job there, but we just simply had some uncharacteristic turnovers … and in a playoff game at this stretch those can end your season.”
Manchester refused to quit in crunch time, as Renzi ripped home a beautiful goal on a rifle of a shot from about the 20-yard line early in the fourth. But Nantucket intelligently held on to the ball from there, moved it around in their attacking zone, and killed the clock down the stretch to secure the victory.
Senior captain Charlie Thurlow added an assist in the setback, as did Mannal.
Manchester will wave goodbye to 13 seniors — Dickson, Thurlow, McCavangh, Renzi, DeOreo, Elliot Davis, Felix Wood, Joe Glass, Chris Glass, Danny Brophy, Aaron Crompton, Gray West and Rocky Pratt — but do return a trio of uber-talented freshman (Murphy, Bodin Carovillano, Quinn McLain), as well as a strong junior class.
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.