Lenox Boys Win Western Mass in Program's First Year
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – It took the Lenox cooperative boys lacrosse team one year to secure the program’s first Western Massachusetts championship.
It’s one senior has been waiting a little bit longer than that.
“It could not mean more to me,” Eddie Boyko said after Saturday’s 14-2 win over McCann Tech in the Class C title game on Berkshire Community College’s Gene Dellea Field. “I’ve been playing lacrosse for eight years now. Winning finals in Western Mass my senior year is unreal.”
Boyko and the Millionaires still have some work to do in the state Division 3 tournament that gets underway on Monday afternoon.
But on Saturday afternoon, it was time to celebrate as the Millionaires won their third straight game and improved to 16-2 this spring in convincing fashion.
Lenox jumped out to a 10-0 lead at half-time and was ahead by 11 goals before the Hornets could get on the board.
It was a far cry from the teams’ regular season meetings, decided by three goals in North Adams and four goals in the rematch in Lenox.
“We were just crisper,” Lenox coach Brett Larmon. “They have that No. 2 [Jason Knapp], and we just took him out of the game. We put a long pole on him and just chased him around and made his life miserable.
“No. 2 was their offense, and once we took him out of the game … it worked out well for us. Our defense played strong, and it was a great win. I’m just so proud of our kids.”
Offensively, Arthur Schwartz got the scoring started for Lenox in the first minute of the game with the first of his three goals. Frederick Eustis scored about a minute later to make it 2-0 and start on his hat trick.
In the final minute of the first quarter, Donny Bowler cashed in an assist from Finn Lenehan to make it 5-0.
Bowler went on to score a game-high five goals, and Lenehan passed out four assists.
Bowler scored three straight in the second quarter, including one off a spin move at the edge of the crease with about three minutes left in the half. The Millionaires scored two more goals in the final minute of the half to put the game all but out of reach.
After Eustis opened the second half with a goal on the man advantage to make it 11-0, Evan Rose got the Hornets on the board.
But Bowler and Eustis responded to make it a 12-goal margin before the end of the third quarter and send the game to running time.
Rose added a fourth-quarter goal to account for the rest of McCann Tech’s offense.
But Jeffrey Larmon stopped most of the shots he saw, recording six saves, to backstop Lenox’s stingy defense.
Brett Larmon said he would give his team a little bit of time to enjoy the win before focusing on Monday’s road trip to face Holliston in the preliminary round of the state tourney.
Whatever happens there, he knows the future is bright for the program.
“I start one senior,” he said. “I’ve got three juniors, seven sophomores, nine freshmen and four eighth-graders – and two of them start, my son, the goalie, is an eighth-grader and Donny [Bowler].
“We’re going to get better. We’re going to lose one guy next year, but the sky’s the limit for this team.”