By Max Clifford
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Needham High School Varsity Boys Lacrosse ran roughshod in the round of 32 of the MIAA
Division I tournament, defeating Natick by a final score of 16-6 on Tuesday, June 6. The Rockets’ season would come to close, however, after a loss to Franklin in the round of 16 on Thursday, June 8.
The 13th-seeded Rockets welcomed Natick to Memorial field on Tuesday for a rematch of the May 4 contest between the Bay State Conference rivals. In their first meeting, Needham was held to seven goals, which proved to be just enough for the 7-6 road victory. Now playing host, the Rockets were in search of a much wider margin of victory.
Sean Reilly and Spencer Chapman put Needham out to an early 2-0 advantage with a goal
apiece. The response from Natick came quickly but the threat was erased just as fast thanks to a goal from Needham’s Cal Sullivan off of an assist from Jimmy Kenney.
With just over a minute to play, Kenney got in on the scoring with a goal of his own, pushing the lead to 4-1. Reilly’s second goal came with just seven seconds left in the quarter to send the
Rockets into the second frame with a four-goal lead. Reilly went on to finish the day with a game-high five goals.
The Needham defense proved to a serious challenge for Natick all afternoon. Kenney and Jack Curran each caused multiple turnovers and combined to scoop 18 ground balls. On the rare occasion that the Redhawks managed to attempt a shot, they were faced with the challenge of putting them past Needham goalie Tommy Peabody, who let up just six goals on the day.
The Rockets extended their lead to 9-3 by the halftime break courtesy of a goal each from Reis Conway and Charlie Cianciolo and two more scores from Reilly. They remained in the driver’s seat throughout the second half, going on to advance to the round of 16 with a 16-6 victory.
Needham’s reward for their dominant victory over Natick was a date with the top-ranked team in their quadrant of the bracket: fourth-seeded Franklin. The Panthers lived up to their strong record on their home field, defeating the Rockets by a final score of 18-6.
