If this season’s version of the Bishop Guertin High School boys lacrosse team looks a little bit like last year’s team, don’t be surprised.
The Bishop Guertin boys lacrosse team starts its season on April 12 against Hanover.
The Cardinals return 27 players from the 2009 team that finished as the runner-up in Division I to Hanover. The only starter that isn’t returning for BG is in goal, where Brent Lyskawa graduated.
BG has depth and experience on both offense and defense, so much so that coach Chris Cameron isn’t too worried about having to replace his goalkeeper.
“We’re going to be balanced,” Cameron said. “We’re not going to have anyone scoring 125 points and breaking BG records. We have 10 guys that are capable of scoring five goals in a game. Teams are going to have to pick their poison against us. Defensively, we’re very athletic, very fast on defense.”
Last season’s leading scorer, Matt Bayne, is back for the Cardinals, as is Jack Krzyston, who was second on the team in scoring.
Bayne was an All-American a year ago and is one of the top face-off guys in the state, according to Cameron.
“He’s going to the Air Force Academy to play lacrosse (next year),” Cameron said. “He was our leading scorer as a midfielder, which you don’t get all the time.”
Krzyston is part of a group of players from Bedford who will also be counted on to contribute. Also in that bunch are midfielders Nick Astarita and Adam Hall and defenseman Nick Carluccio.
“Hall is a standout defensively and could be the fastest kid on the field,” Cameron said. “Carluccio was first-team, all-state and a shutdown defender.”
Cameron also described senior Elias Kassis as a shutdown player on defense. The Cardinals also return the speedy Matt Thistle at attack and bring in junior Erik Kelly, a transfer from Tewksbury, Mass.
“A lot of people aren’t going to know about him,” Cameron said, “but it’s not going to take long for people to figure out who he is. He’s that talented.”
Of the returning players, 16 are seniors, which provides some worry for next season. With such a deep team this year, it will prove tough for Cameron to get experience for the players who will be stepping in next year.
“It is a good thing to have that kind of depth,” he said. “It’s nice, but we’ve got a lot of good guys not getting the time that they would like. The best guys are going to play.”
The Cardinals should be one of four teams – along with Hanover, Pinkerton and Exeter – competing for the top spot in the division.
Cameron expects Londonderry and Souhegan, two improved teams, to compete for a top six spot as well, while the rest of the division will be in contention for the final two spots in the eight-team tournament.
If BG ends up with the No. 1 seed again – the Cardinals were undefeated heading into last year’s playoffs – could be determined in the first three games of the year. The Cardinals open the season on Monday at home against Hanover before playing games at Exeter and at Pinkerton.
BG will also travel to play Fairfield College Prep, the defending Connecticut champion, and St. Joseph’s High School, one of the top teams from New Jersey.
“We could lose the No. 1 seed in the first week of the season,” Cameron said. “We’re very top heavy. We’ll have to keep challenging ourselves in practice.”
The Cardinals start the season at 7 p.m. on April 12 at Stellos Stadium against defending-champion Hanover.