Haugh's return to Exeter boys lacrosse giving Blue Hawks a boost

EXETER - Sean Haugh took the ball behind the net on the first possession Friday night for the Exeter High School boys lacrosse team.

The senior took a quick look at how the Portsmouth defense was setting up and decided to call his own number. Haugh brought the ball back out, and as he got past the goal, he took a quick shot that seemed to catch the Clippers by surprise.

The ball found the net, the Blue Hawks celebrated an early lead, and Haugh had the first of a four-point game, as he also dished out three assists, two in the first quarter, as Exeter took a 5-1 lead on the way to a 10-5 win over Portsmouth.

Only moments before, during the pregame, the Blue Hawks recognized their seniors, a group that, up until recently, Haugh didn't think he'd be a part of, having taken the previous two season off from lacrosse.

“I was trying to play spring soccer,” Haugh said. “I decided I didn’t want to try to play soccer in college anymore, so I figured why keep playing, and I wanted to do a little more.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get back to it. I played (lacrosse) my whole life, but taking the last two years off, it’s been tricky. I definitely feel like I’m starting to get back in the groove.”

It showed last week, as Haugh, who also played for Exeter's soccer and ice hockey teams, scored a team-high three goals to lead the Blue Hawks in an 11-8 loss to Bedford on April 29.

“I’d say during the Bedford game, once I got my first one, it started feel like I could do it,” he said. “There were a lot of people at that game, hyping it up, so that was a good time and it felt like it started to click again.”

But even without the scoring, Haugh has been a great addition to an Exeter team that's young on the offensive side of the field.

“He’s been contributing the whole time,” Exeter coach Matt Brewster said. “He brings a lot for a senior who isn’t a captain. He’s a really good internal guy for everybody else. He brings the energy all the time and he knows how to keep some situations light.”

While Exeter (6-2, No. 4 in the New Hampshire Orthopaedic Center/NHHSSports Coaches Poll) had seniors returning on defense, the Blue Hawks were short on experience at attack, especially after senior Patrick Hathaway went down with an injury before the season.

There's been opportunities for Haugh and a lot of underclassmen to step up, and so far, they have. Going into Monday's game against Pinkerton, Exeter is averaging 13.9 goals per game, and the only time the Blue Hawks have been held under 10 is in their losses to Bedford and Bishop Feehan, of Attleboro, Mass.

“It’s not just one guy going out and scoring a bunch of goals,” Brewster said. “We’re getting contributions all over the field. They really like each other, which makes it really easy as a coach. They’re young, but when they settle in, they’re all tremendous athletes.”

That overall ability, and some unselfish play, is paying off. Against Portmouth, it was sophomore Sam Gibney who led the team with four goals, while junior Tommy Graves had two goals. Against Bedford, Gibney and junior Griffin Genard each had a pair of goals, to go with Haugh's hat trick.

“It’s not really always about trying to be the guy who scores every goal,” Haugh said. “If people are guarding you hard, it’s good to be able to see cutters, find people when there’s high-pressure scenarios. I think it’s very important to be able to throw an assist.”

The Blue Hawks wrap up a tough three-game home stretch when Pinkerton (7-1, No. 2) comes in for a 5 p.m. game Monday.

“That sounds like it’s going to be pretty fun,” Haugh said. “At the start of the season, we had some smaller games, so it’s nice for things to be ramping up. That should be a good one.”