The precision with which the Walpole High boys lacrosse team executed in the MIAA Division 2 state final should only surprise those that were seeing the Rebels for the first time on Friday night at Foley Stadium.
Using the same formula that saw them go 18-1 in the regular season, Walpole put it to use one last time in 2009 in a 17-8 win over St. John’s in a game that was essentially over by halftime for the Rebels’ first state title in 14 years as a varsity program.
“This is the best, most unbelievable feeling you could ever think about,” said long-stick midfielder Michael Connors, who scored a rare goal to cap the first half with the Rebels in command at 12-4. “I’ve wanted this since the sixth grade, words can’t even describe it. I’m so happy right now.”
The balanced scoring was very much a presence once again as all three first line attackmen recorded a hat trick. Kyle Guilbert tied for a team-high with five points on three goals and two assists while Adam Niden had one assist to go along with his hat trick to cap off their first year in the starting lineup. Midfielder Ryan Izzo scored a team-high four goals.
“A lot of teamwork, Kyle (Guilbert) and Adam (Niden) really showed up to play and did a great job,” said Mike White, who rounded out the attack with a hat trick of his own in his final game before going to Norwich. “They really stepped up and helped out a lot this season, they brought us to the states and won the states.”
The willingness to make the extra pass, 10 of the 17 goals were assisted with the all-time goal scoring leader, Davis Butts, having four helpers before adding a goal of his own.
“Move your feet, move the ball,” said Walpole coach Jason Andalo. “Do that, good things are going to happen.”
The quick-strike mentality was in full force, scoring 12 seconds into the game and six second into the second half. The Rebels scored consecutive goals less than a minute apart six times, including a pair in five seconds midway through the first quarter and twice in 10 seconds in the final minute of the first half.
Walpole showed they had plenty of depth, eight different players picked up at least one goal including second-line midfielder Tim McDonald grabbed a goal midway through the second quarter.
“We were ready to put them away right in the beginning. We didn’t want any type of tied game or anything like that,” said Butts, who finishes his senior year with a school-record 60 goals and 56 assists. “Throughout the tournament it’s been kind of close, Reading, we came back, and you look at the Concord-Carlisle game was 5-5 at half and we were sick of that. We were going to put them away early, have a cushion not to sit on but run off.”
How did they get the ball so often? By being nearly unstoppable on faceoffs with Butts, Ryan Izzo and Connors all getting in on the act.
Butts won the opening draw against Albert Mitchell, two passes later the rout was on as Butts fed Kyle Guilbert and he gave it up to Adam Niden for a goal from close range.
Walpole was seemingly on the attack in the first half and put 23 of their 37 shots on target against a helpless Pioneers goalkeeper Dan Harvey who was in the crosshairs the entire first half.
“He was good today and that was big,” said Andalo of the Loyola-bound Butts. “We got the first goal real quick and when they scored we’d go out, win the faceoff and kind of kill their momentum, which is big. Top-to-bottom it was a great effort in the faceoff with Izzo, Michael Connors.”
“Once you get that faceoff, you know you’re going to have a chance to score,” said Butts.
“(Izzo and Butts) are probably the best midfield tandem we have played all year,” said St. John’s coach Rob Vigeant. “They are everything as billed.”
When the Pioneers did manage to get into a settled offense, they struggled to find passing lanes as Connors, Connor Whittemore and Peter Bowes were terrific with the long poles to break up any opportunities. When playing even strength, the Rebels only allowed four goals.
Mitchell tied the game at one during a man-up situation, but Guilbert had a near-instant reply, putting the Rebels back in front 18 seconds later off a feed from Niden. Walpole would score three more in the next 3:56 for a 5-1 lead with Izzo getting his first at the 6:50 mark and Guilbert picking up his second at 6:55.
Walpole poured it on in the second quarter, scoring seven times in the quarter, Guilbert and Izzo going back-to-back in 19 seconds for a 7-2 lead and Niden and Connors closing out the first-half scoring with goals at 11:01 and 11:11 for a 12-4 lead.
Quite simply, everything went the way it has gone for the Rebels from the season opener.
“When we make the extra pass and we move the ball those things are going to happen so I’m not surprised,” said Andalo of his offense.
Izzo gave the Rebels an even faster start to the second half than they did the first, finishing off a Leo Ajemian (3 assists) feed just six seconds into the third quarter while a man up.
Bowes added the lone man-down goal of the game, running nearly the length of the field to fire in a shot with his long stick. Butts extended the lead to a game-high 11 at 2:34 of the third at 15-4 for his lone goal of the game.
Niden finished off his hat trick 55 seconds into the fourth and White did the same at 2:10 to rebuild the lead to 11 at 17-6 before the Pioneers, who scored twice in each quarter, got goals from Colin O’Rourke (hat trick, assist) and Eric Proos (2 goals) to close out the scoring.
(Keith Pearson is Staff Writer for the Daily News Transcript. He can be reached at (781) 433-8371 or kpearson@cnc.com.)
