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Josh Perry
Hometown Weekly Corespondent
In the middle of the season, the Medfield High boys’ lacrosse team had a lull, a run of losses and poor performances that cost them an outright league title and the top seed in the Central/East bracket. The team needed a lift, a reminder of what has made Medfield one of the best programs in the state regardless of division.
A team meeting was held and, according to head coach John Isaf, team manager Ted Hunt got up and spoke to the players. Isaf called it the “turning point” in Medfield’s season.
“Ted Hunt had a great conversation to the team about what it meant to play as a team and we weren’t doing it,” said Isaf. “He called them out and the team responded.”
Isaf would not share the exact details of what Hunt said, but he did add, “We talk a lot about together, being a family and maybe we got away from that a little bit. We got back to the basics, doing the little things, sharing the ball and playing as a team.”
Following the team meeting, the Warriors got back to playing their brand of lacrosse and they carried that momentum through a difficult sectional and all the way to a fourth straight state final appearance. On Saturday night at Boston University’s Nickerson Field, the Warriors made history with a third straight Div. 2 state title, beating Hingham 13-9.
Isaf said, “In June, you have to be playing your best, be peaking, and that’s what we did. We probably played our best game of the season tonight and we needed to to beat them.”
“Coming into high school I never would have imagined winning three let alone one state championship with these boys,” said senior midfielder John MacLean, who led the team with four goals in the final. “Winning three in a row is something special. I don’t think many teams in the state have done that, it’s the first one in Medfield history, so I’m very proud of it.”
As expected Hingham gave Medfield a battle. The two have faced off in the postseason each of the last four years with Medfield coming out on top in a close game each time. The Warriors had jumped out to a 5-2 lead after the first quarter, but the Harbormen rallied and tied the game at 6-6 with just two seconds remaining in the first half.
Hingham took its first lead since the score was 1-0 off the opening face-off of the second half, but Medfield would settle down and let its potent attack go to work. MacLean scored his third with a pump fake and finish on the edge of the crease to tie it and within a minute Medfield regained the lead on Mark Nevins’ rip to the corner while falling down.
Kevin McCordic received a pass from Jack Cahill and rifled a shot into the top corner to extend the lead to two goals. Hingham smacked the bar, but was largely held in check in the second half by the Medfield defense and goalie Kyle Gately (13 saves). The Warriors broke the game open with 2:40 left in the third when McCordic spun to his left and buried a shot and Jack-Henry Vara won the ensuing draw and raced down for a transition goal just 14 seconds later.
“We just talked about, hey it’s 0-0 and we need to come out and win the third quarter,” said Isaf. “Look, this is an experienced team with 15 seniors, they’ve been here before, they kept their poise, there was no panic on our end. We just got it done.”
Senior Matt Treiber, who scored a hat trick in the final, added, “I think [experience] was definitely a huge factor in our success today because 6-6 at halftime that’s a great game. Hingham gives us a great game every year and just being able to stay focused, go back to our game plan.”
Hingham scored before the end of the quarter but MacLean scored off a Treiber assist just 19 seconds into the fourth and then Treiber added his third of the night off an assist by defensive middie Andrew Garfield.
Not only was this a third straight state title for the Warriors but it is the eighth in 12 seasons. Isaf refused to get into where Medfield stood among the top program’s in the state, but he did speak at length about the support system in the community that has allowed Medfield to grow into a perennial power.
He explained, “It’s nothing secret about it, it’s just guys work hard, they get better in the off-season, we have multi-sport athletes, the parents and administration support our program and when you have a benchmark to model your standard after [then] everyone know what our standard is and that’s what they have to work towards.”
This senior class has achieved quite a bit in its time at Medfield. Several members of the team reached a soccer sectional final and a number of players also won the school’s first ever state title in hockey just a few months ago, including captains Nigel Reiff, MacLean, and Treiber.
The players struggled to put into perspective how much they have accomplished and what it meant to go out on top.
“No I can’t,” said Treiber. “It hasn’t hit me yet. I’m going to go out and enjoy it with my friends tonight and a week later I’m going to be like, wow high school is over and we went three and out.”
MacLean reflected, “It’s insane. First of all the hockey was incredible, first in Medfield history, and then the three-peat with lacrosse…I don’t even know how to describe it. What a way to go out.”
When the trophy was given to the team, the players raced across to celebrate with friends and family in the stands. MacLean at one point shared the trophy with some of the youth players in the crowd, letting them get their first taste of the success of the Medfield High program.
He explained, “I grew up going through the youth program so I know how special it is for them to see the high school team do well. I want them to be a part of it as well.”
When all was said and done, Medfield was back where it was expected to be - on top of Div. 2. But it was a long road to meet those high expectations and the players took a minute to appreciate the accomplishment.
“To get here four times in a row, it’s incredible,” said Treiber. “I’m blessed to grow up in this town, which has such a great culture. I’ve been playing since day one; I’ve been lucky enough to be part of this class…it’s a blessing.”
