Fast start lifts Portsmouth boys lacrosse to win over Windham (video)

PORTSMOUTH - One of the main focuses for the Portsmouth High School boys lacrosse team in the preseason was to get more people involved on offense.

If Friday night was any indication, the Clippers are headed down the right path.

Eight different players scored goals for Portsmouth, as the Clippers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back in a 14-6 win over Windham in a Division II game.

Cole Brams led Portsmouth (2-0, No. 6 in NHHSS Coaches Poll) with four goals and two assists, while Jacob Boutin had two goals and an assist and Ryan Groleau and Jack Parker had two goals apiece. Austin Edwards added a goal and an assist and Dom Iafolla, Mike Durkin and Dom Malderi also scored.

"We’re moving the ball better," Portsmouth coach Chad Vischer said. "That is a good team. What we’re trying to work on is having faith (on offense) in people other than Brams and Groleau, and that’s happening now. That’s really big. We’re trying to move the ball around, looking for that secondary pass."

Nolan Pafford got the start in goal and made 15 saves for the Clippers, who kept Windham (0-1, ARV) off the scoreboard until 6:05 remained in the first half. By then, Portsmouth led 6-1 at that point and Brams, who helped the Clippers dominate on faceoffs, answered the goal eight seconds later.

"We know who we’re playing against," Windham coach Joe Young said. "I have a kid who is in his first year doing faceoffs and he knew what he was up against. We had a game plan for it and we executed it well. We knew they’d win most of the faceoffs, and it was more or less just protecting our backside.

"Realistically, this might have been our third time wearing cleats. It will come together. There were moments of good and moments of not-so-good."

The not-so-good were the seven penalties on the Jaguars, and a scary moment in the third quarter, when senior Cody Stevens went down with a right knee injury after planting his foot awkwardly while getting hit high by Portsmouth's Patrick Mountjoy.

Stevens was able to walk off the field with assistance and Young was hopeful afterward that the injury wasn't the "worst-case scenario."

"I hate the injury," Vischer said. "I don’t think it was intentional. It’s unfortunate for a fantastic player and it kind of marred what happened."

Jake Rust led the Jaguars with four goals and Nate Levine added two, but the Jaguars trailed 9-2 at halftime. Portsmouth scored twice to open the second half and stretch the lead to nine just over three minutes into the third quarter.

Both teams return to action Tuesday, as Portsmouth hosts Coe-Brown and Windham takes on Merrimack Valley.