Technically this would be a FIELD TRIP! but I didn't take any pictures and it'll be a relatively short post, so no special tag.
Anyways, in a game three years in the making, Saint John's of Shrewsbury (16-3) took out Shrewsbury (11-6) in the Quaterfinals of the Central Massachusetts Lacrosse Playoffs. Why was this game so anticipated? Well for one, a prep school will always be natural rivals with the town that it's placed in, and this is very much the case between SJ and SHS, and every game is extremely well attended. Additionally though, Saint John's was the cream of the crop when lacrosse first got big in Central Massachusetts (around 2000). They'd routinely beat local teams by scores of 16-2 and win CMass every year. However, the last time they won was 2003, when yours truly was playing goalie and we lost to Amherst Pelham in States. Since then Saint John's has repeatedly come up empty, with the last two years being most painful since they lost each championship game to Shrewsbury, a former cellar dwellar of the early 00's.
Today SJ finally made it happen, though not entirely convincingly. SJ jumped to an early 2-0 lead before Shrewsbury scored a quick 2 and tied it back up. Eventually SJ pulled ahead, however, and entered half at 8-4. And that would be there difference, as both teams scored 5 goals in the second half, ending the game at its final 13-9 score.
Final Thoughts: Colin O'Rourke, an All American for SJ this year and one of two CMass players this year to get a D1 scholarship, was a big part of the outcome of today's game. Even though he was locked off by a midfielder for most of the game, he still managed to put up a number of goals and assists. He was injured the past two years for the Shrewsbury game, and it makes you wonder if SJ would have won back then had he played...Goalie play is huge, and today proved it. SJ's goalie made some huge saves in the second half that killed SHS momentum, while the SHS keeper wasn't doing it after a solid start...Saint John's continues on into the Semifinals to face Grafton, who beat Saint Peter Marian's today in overtime to advance.
High School Lacrosse News: Saint John's over Shrewsbury 13-9
