EASTHAM — Nauset boys lacrosse came out hot on a cool, blustery afternoon on Tuesday, charging to a 9-1 first quarter lead and coasting the rest of the way to defeat the Pope Francis Cardinals, 18-7.
The Warriors (13-4) entered the game second in the MIAA Division 3 power rankings, having won 9 of their last 10. Pope Francis (5-10) was just out of the playoff picture, at 35th in Division 3. A strong showing against the Warriors would help keep their tournament hopes alive.
But Nauset took charge immediately, storming to a 4-0 lead with 8:22 left in the quarter, prompting Pope Francis to call a first timeout. Nauset then stretched the lead to 8, at which point Warriors Coach Jesse Peno turned to his bench, giving a chance to players who see limited playing time.
“Lots of our younger guys work really hard in practice, and it is good to give them an opportunity,” said Peno, who added he was happy to see his starters support their teammates from the sideline.
The game concluded with Nauset fielding an all-Truro attack featuring seniors Zach Coelho, Frank Rogers, and Mason Santos. Coelho and Rogers spend the majority of their time in goal, while Santos is a mainstay on defense.
A Sports Center-worthy highlight occurred at the end of the first half. In what became an impromptu battle of the dueling goaltenders, Rogers made a save and then cleared the ball nearly the length of the field in a tactic designed to run seconds off the clock. But Cardinals goalie Braeden Gurney caught the ball on a bounce and did his counterpart one better, hurling the ball almost 70 yards on the fly. It found the back of the net for an exceedingly rare goalie goal. The tally made the score 16-2 with 9 seconds left in the half.
While Gurney was being mobbed by his teammates, one Nauset player could be seen sitting in the center of the field shaking his head in amazement. Even Coach Peno was impressed. “That was cool,” he said, noting that he had never witnessed that before.
The Warriors had goals from 13 players, with Sawyer McCutchen and Oscar Escher leading the way with 3 each. Truro’s Logan Poulin added 2, leaving 10 others with one goal apiece. Billy Adams and Brendan Peno both had two assists to top the team in that category.
After a game on Friday at Sandwich to end the regular season, the Warriors will wait to see who they draw for a first-round home game in the state tournament. Peno believes the team is ready for a strong tournament showing due, in part, to the leadership of his 11 seniors.
“The seniors have exhibited tremendous leadership and camaraderie and have created an incredible dynamic,” Peno said. “I just told the team that now we have to play championship lacrosse.” He referred, among other things, to paying attention to details and focusing on every possession. “We’ve seen that steadily improving, so I think we’re ready.”
