Portsmouth boys lacrosse putting more pieces together

EXETER - As a freshman, Nash Conklin is still learning what it means to be a member of the Portsmouth High School boys lacrosse team.

That education took another step forward before last Wednesday's game against Exeter.

It was the Clippers' first trip to Bill Ball Stadium since the 2023 Division II championship game, when Portsmouth came up short of a third consecutive title, falling in overtime to Derryfield.

"I expected really high intensity and I thought our team was going to play well and try its hardest," Conklin said. "I feel like everyone was trying really hard and no one forgot about that loss. They were all giving it their best to show we’ve all been working really hard."

For the upperclassmen, the reminder was there, and not just on the field, as Portsmouth was in the same locker room.

"That’s all I could think about, walking into this locker room," senior Lucas Patten said. "Last time we were in this, we were crying, we lost in overtime. We’re not letting that happen again, even if we broke both our knees."

After Exeter scored in the opening minute of the second half, Portsmouth had a three-goal deficit to overcome, and the Clippers did so, outscoring the Blue Hawks 8-1 over the game's final 20 minutes to win 11-7.

"I refer to them as our big brother," Portsmouth coach Chad Vischer said. "They’ve beaten us in a lot of sports. They’ve got a lot more kids on the bench. For years, these guys have been beaten by them, whether it’s hockey or football. In a couple of things, we’re starting to catch them."

Boys lacrosse looks like one of those things, as its the second year in a row the Clippers (7-0 in Division II, No. 5 in the NHHSSports Coaches Poll) have beaten the Blue Hawks.

Unlike last year, when Nick Smith was dominant on faceoffs and he and Zac Amend were leading the charge before holding off an Exeter comeback, this was a more balanced effort from Portsmouth.

Amend had five goals, but only one of them came during Portsmouth's 6-1 run in the fourth quarter, with the Clippers already up by a couple of scores. And Smith, who has been battling a hamstring injury, didn't score, while going 7 of 11 on faceoffs in the second half.

Instead, it was Patten and Ben Purcell who led the charge in the fourth quarter, as they had a pair of goals to put Portsmouth in front.

"Everyone is going to watch Zac, everyone is going to watch Nick," Vischer said. "Lucas doesn’t get the accolades the other guys do, but he’s a grinder. He’s the kid who is going to the Marine Corps and he’s got that attitude. That’s what Lucas does. That’s a difference maker.

"I thought Ben had a tough game in the first half and then he came alive. Then when we start getting two or three scoring, it’s difficult."

Patten knows how important it is for himself and Purcell and Briggs Catino to give the Clippers scoring depth, especially in games like this one.

"It will change the way teams look at us because our depth is going to be our key this year," Patten said. "Seeing how teams lock off Zac and Nick, our depth is going to be key, I think. For the bigger games, it’s key, no one has more than three or four poles who can guard anyone. That’s a big deal for us, knowing the depth that we have, we can make it work."

Portsmouth gave Exeter a look on its manup that other teams might have to be concerned about, even if it was out of necessity. The Clippers had long pole Masi Shone on the field for its manup opportunities and the junior had a goal, although it came with both teams at full strength.

"That’s a product of our injuries," Vischer said. "He’s got a cannon. He’s got a shot and he’s been working on it. We haven’t been very successful on manup, so we wanted to get more shooters out there and less dodgers.

"That’s why we put Masi out there. People give a long pole some distance, so if you can get a pass to him and he can catch it loaded, then you’ve got problems. It just takes so long to load up that shot."

Of course, Shone played a key role at the other end, as the Portsmouth defense held Exeter to just one goal over the game's final 23 minutes. The Blue Hawks (6-2, No. 2) went almost 20 minutes without scoring.

"I feel like how we were playing defense, and how aggressive we were, that meant a lot," Conklin said. "It was just the intensity and the defense wanting to win. Everyone was trying really hard to make sure they didn’t score. I feel like we were just more intense at the end there."

Exeter's Owen Williams finished with three goals and two assists, but no one else had more than a goal for the Blue Hawks, including Marshall Lasewitz.

"I thought Ethan Lander to go on Marshall, to not let him go high was great," Vischer said. "Masi did real good controlling things. It was a lot like what they were doing with Tanner (Smith). They had Tanner as the slide guy and we were using Masi as our slide guy. I thought we needed to make shots and we started doing that, probably end of the third and into the fourth."

Portsmouth has a big stretch coming up, as the Clippers host St. Thomas (4-1) on Monday before games at Hollis Brookline (6-1) and at Winnacunnet (3-3) on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.