By Ken Chaisson
Hometown Weekly Staff
In a game of momentum shifts, Walpole had the last one as they nipped King Philip Warriors at KP High School, 11-9, on Wednesday June 3, 2026 in the Division 2 state quarterfinal playoff match.
Walpole (16-4) seeded 9th went up against 8th seeded K-P which yielded a home game for the Warriors. K-P had beaten Archbishop Williams, 19-1, in their opening round game.
The opening period saw the Timberwolves dominate time of possession, however, goals were hard to come by. K-P struck first making the most of their few opportunities to go up 1-0 and then doubled their lead with a shorthanded tally. With time running out in the quarter, Jack Webb made a diving shot to the top corner with :01 remaining to give Walpole their first goal.
Walpole used that last second gasp to turn the tide in the second quarter as they went up 7-4. Jack Cotter’s goal at the 6:56 mark put Walpole up, 4-3, a lead they would never relinquish. K-P mirrored Walpole by scoring with :01 second to go in the second period.
As Walpole used their last second goal to swing the momentum in the following period, K-P did the same in the third period. They climbed back into the game by controlling the play for most of the period which closed with Walpole clinging to an 8-7 lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves stretched their lead to 11-7 with 8:19 to go. But K-P would not go away even though Walpole was burning precious time off the clock. K-P scored to make it 11-8 with 3:02 to go and then again at the buzzer but it was too little, too late as the Timberwolves captured a hard earned victory.
K-P found themselves in the penalty box more than Walpole but the Warriors notched two shorthanded goals.
Goaltender Anthony Hockman was excellent throughout as he made numerous stops, but none were more important than two huge saves in the closing 90 seconds of the game when K-P was playing for its survival.
Walpole’s Jack Cotter had four goals and an assist to lead all scorers.
Jack Webb and Mike Conners had two goals apiece. Dillon Needham, Davis Potter and Cole Chase all contributed single tallies. Walpole’s cheering section traveled well and rooted on the lacrosse team the entire game.
Walpole moved on to play Billerica, again. Billerica is Walpole’s nemesis bouncing them from the tournament four times in the past five years always in the Elite Eight round. In 2022, Walpole’s boys’ lacrosse team fell to Billerica, 17-10, in the quarterfinals. In 2025, it was 11-6 in the quarterfinals again. But not in 2026.
Walpole exacted some sweet payback by defeating the top seeded Billerica Indians, 14-8, at Billerica High School on June 6, 2026. Walpole moves on to play Mansfield, who edged Duxbury 8-6, at Assabet Valley Tech School on Tuesday June 9.
