'Last year was brutal': Duxbury boys lax aims to rewrite history after heartbreak in 2022
DUXBURY — Heartbreak is a part of life.
Getting over heartbreak is also a part of life. That's what the Duxbury High boys lacrosse team is in the process of. Last spring, the Dragons led Billerica, 9-6, with nine minutes remaining in the state final. Billerica completed a miraculous comeback and scored the winning goal with a second remaining in regulation to dash Duxbury's state-title dreams.
“We’re still trying to get over that one,” said Duxbury coach Chris Sweet. “That was a tough loss and a tough way to end the season. But a loss like that always serves as a motivation for the coaching staff and the returning players.”
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The Dragons have a lot of new faces this season.
“We’re young but staying positive because we graduated 21 seniors last year,” said Sweet. “We had a senior-heavy team with a lot of experience. Going into this season, not knowing what we have, I’m pleasantly surprised so far.”
Meet the captains
The Dragons have their three senior captains: defenseman Christian Biggins, long-stick midfielder Parker Villarin and attackman Wyatt Glass.
All captains are three-year starters for the Dragons. They bring experience, something that the Dragons will lean on as they hope to go another another playoff run.
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“Leadership is going to be key,” said Glass, who will be playing at Merrimack next year. “Me, Christian, and Parker I think are going to play a big role this year. (We) need to lead the younger guys and I think some of the younger guys will step up.”
Duxbury's dark horse (or Dragon)?
The dark horse, or dark dragon for this matter, will be junior midfielder Sam Wein. His captains and coach all gave high praise to the guy that didn’t see much a ton of playing time last season.
“Last year we had a bunch of seniors with a lot of playing time and this year he’s our No. 1 midfielder and he definitely deserves that spot,” said Villarin, who will going to the Air Force Academy. “Very quick, twitchy player, with a very good shot.”
Other players to keep on radar is a midfielder transfer from Minnesota in Tj Pikul, senior attackman Gavin Nagle, plus a pair of brothers (Braeden and Colin Hulett) that are juniors. Goaltenders for the Dragons will be Sam Mazanec and Kevin Brennan.
But before Duxbury can get back to where they were last year skill-wise, there’s work to be done. However, that doesn’t stop them from thinking about last year with the hopes of a longer tournament stay.
“Last year was brutal,” said Biggins, who is going to MIT next year. “The semifinals loss against Billerica. I’d love to see Billerica in the postseason this year.”
This year they may not possess the same size or athleticism, but Sweet believes they are “a little sneakier and faster with better stick skills.”
Add on to school history
The Dragons are looking to go for a state-championship cycle in the spring. In the fall, the football team defeated Grafton, 42-7, in the Div. 4 state final. Less than two weeks ago, the girls hockey team won the Div. 2 state title at TD Garden.
Duxbury is hoping to add a spring title to that mix. The boys lacrosse team hasn't reached a state final since 2015.
“The goal is definitely to go all the way and win a state championship for all of us growing up playing together and to do it as seniors,” said Villarin. “We did it with football, girls hockey did it, and we were two games away last year.”
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Previewing the Duxbury High boys lacrosse team's 2023 season
