Two of the best faceoff men in the state went head-to-head in the Division 3 state final
WORCESTER – Backed by a shutdown goalie, the suffocating defense of the Norwell High boys lacrosse team played a major role in clinching the program's first-ever state title.
But junior faceoff artist John Mullen – literally and figuratively – starred at center stage.
Opposite of another one of the state's premier talents at the X in Medfield's TJ Casey, Mullen won 13 of 18 clashes for No. 2 Norwell to help seal a 11-3 win over the No. 8 Warriors on the campus of Worcester State University on Wednesday.
More: Norwell High boys lacrosse team claims first state title with 'unbelievable' performance
“John, every day, brings a lot," said Norwell coach Josh Stolp. "In practices and games, he’s 100% all the time. That’s just his way of playing. He’s a great shooter, a great offensive threat, so once he gets the ball, he can get it out into a fast break really quickly, which is huge.”
In Norwell's landslide third-quarter run, in which the Clippers stretched a 3-1 halftime lead to a 9-2 cushion entering the fourth, Mullen won all but one faceoff in eight attempts.
“It’s frustrating because we’re usually accustomed to winning all the face-offs with TJ,” Medfield coach John Isaf said with a chuckle. “(Mullen) is a great player and he gives them so many possessions, it’s tough to get back-to-back goals against a team like that. Especially when their goalie (Ryan Daly, who made nine saves in the win) is fantastic, their defense played really well and we just couldn’t get any momentum going.”
To close the third quarter avalanche, Mullen took a win at the X and swiftly delivered one of his two goals on the night, just seven seconds after a score from Joe Dally. His faceoff dominance helped the Clippers score three times in the final minute of the frame.
“It was all about the mentality, to be honest. I was nervous, but I didn’t want to be too nervous to jump and stuff. It was pretty steady,” said Mullen, who is committed to continue his lacrosse career at Syracuse. “I just wanted to win so bad and our team came out with it. I’m super happy.”
More: Ronan Schipani's return helped propel Norwell High boys lacrosse to its first state title
Mullen won 308 of his 382 total face-offs in his junior season (80.6 percent), which compliments his 20-goal, 18 assist statistical splits nicely. For his career, Mullen has 578 wins at the X and only 121 losses (80.8 percent). More often than not, the field tilts Norwell's way.
“He’s one of the best in the state. He’s got great wings on the side to help him out, but I mean, it’s a battle every time that whistle blows," Casey, who will play at UMass-Amherst, said of Mullen. "We’re both equally as fast to the ball. It’s just (about) who outmuscles each other, who gets to the ground ball. It was a great game by Mullen, but I know Medfield will be back next year.”
Mullen returned the praise.
“(Casey) is a great guy. If I lose against him, I’m like ‘All right, he’s really good’ so I don’t really care. We both have great respect for each other and talk to each other after the game," Mullen said. "Going against him, I’ve got to go super fast because he’s really fast too. It’s a mental game, all around, but we respect each other so much. It’s great.”
It's not the first time Casey and Mullen stood eye-to-eye as Norwell took the regular season matchup over Medfield by a 8-7 score on April 9.
“Norwell and Medfield, us two teams, I honestly don’t know who’s better," Mullen said after the win. "Tonight, we were better. But it’s whoever brings the most, and it seems like we brought it more today. We were ready.”
Alongside Daly, attack Ryan Shea and midfielder Timothy Ward, Mullen will return to Norwell High as a senior next year with intentions of forming another run of title contention.
But for now, savoring a title well-earned will do just fine in the meantime.
“It’s amazing. I can’t even fathom. I’m kind of speechless, to be honest," Mullen said. "I’m just so happy we won.”
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: John Mullen's faceoff stardom was key in Norwell's first title win
