EASTHAM — Nauset’s first-round Division 3 state tournament game looked to be a mismatch on paper, and it turned out to be one in reality. The 2nd-seeded Warriors began what they hope will be a five-game state tournament run with a commanding performance, defeating Montachusett RVT 20-6 on Tuesday at home.

The Bulldogs were the 34th seed, and it did not appear that they would provide much opposition. But the visitors from Fitchburg brought a 10-6 record and a seven-game winning streak to the contest. The streak included two wins over teams they had lost to early in the year, so their improvement was obvious. On the other hand, they were facing a Nauset squad that had compiled a 14-4 record against the third-hardest schedule of the 59 Division 3 teams in the most recent MIAA Power Rankings.

Montachusett was not used to facing an opponent of Nauset’s caliber, having just completed a regular season schedule that ranked near the bottom of Division 3 in difficulty. That became clear at the outset as the Warriors jumped to a 3-0 lead after less than 90 seconds, prompting Bulldogs coach Nick Quirk to call his first timeout. Nauset was leading 5-0 before the Bulldogs had a possession in their offensive zone. Attackman Sawyer McCutchen scored seemingly at will as he accounted for 4 of the goals.

“Sawyer has had an incredible year,” said Nauset Coach Jesse Peno. “I think he has around 40 goals this season. As a senior, he’s taken the next step.”

The Warriors led 9-2 after the first period. The 9 goals exceeded the average Montachusett allowed for an entire game this season. “It was good to see us come out strong,” said Peno. “It is hard to win a playoff game, so it is always good to win the first one.”

Quirk had nothing but praise for his opponent. “They are definitely a great team,” he said. “They are steady and solid at every position, and they play a respectful game,” His team had won its first-ever state tournament game in a mild upset over Martha’s Vineyard several days earlier.

At the same time that Nauset’s attack was stepping up, the senior-heavy defense gave the Montachusett offense little breathing room when they did manage to get into scoring range. Mason Santos, Owen White, and Andrew Bohannon provided a defensive blanket in front of Zach Coelho, who was relieved by Frank Rogers in the second period.

The unit also got in on the scoring, providing a social media moment midway through the second quarter. Bohannon, known as “Bo,” took a Santos pass just short of midfield and changed from a superb defender into an instantaneous dodging machine. To the delight of his teammates, he went 50 yards, making three defenders miss him before bouncing a shot past the helpless Bulldog goalie, Jack Lannon, to make the score 13-3.

Coach Peno lit up when he was reminded of the play. “Bo is an unselfish player, and I give him the green light in that situation,” Peno said. “The defense grinds all game, and when they score like that, it’s awesome.”

Bohannon was pleased with his first career goal. “It was pretty cool,” he said, quickly adding that he wanted to give “kudos to Mason Santos, who started it with a good ground ball.” The senior from Eastham will be majoring in fire science at the University of New Haven in the fall with the goal of becoming a fireman.

The defensive midfield of Jake Eldredge, Jake Everson, and Fin Mayhew also received praise from Peno as they contributed to the offense in addition to providing consistently stellar defense. Calling them “tremendous,” the coach said he was glad to see that they were able to enjoy the opportunity to score. Eldredge, a junior, had a hat trick, while his senior teammates each contributed a goal.

McCutchen and fellow attackman Oscar Escher scored 4 goals each in limited playing time to lead a balanced attack that saw 11 different players notch at least one goal. Peno was happy to see that distribution, and he certainly must have been pleased that many of his team’s goals were assisted. “We try to share the ball the best we can,” he said. “When we do that, we are at our best.”

The Warriors, who have now won 10 in a row, will need to keep playing at their best as the road only gets more difficult. Their next game is against Hanover at home on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Although Hanover is the 15th seed, they are one of only two teams in Division 3 to have played a tougher schedule than the Warriors. Coach Peno expects “a battle.”

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.”