BEDFORD, NH – Pushing for its eighth state championship, and sixth in the last nine years, the Derryfield School boys lacrosse team faces off against rival Portsmouth today for the NHIAA Division-II crown.
The game, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Bedford High School, pits the two teams responsible for the last eight D-II titles.
Portsmouth, ranked sixth in this year’s playoff tournament, currently wears the crown, having earned a 13-9 victory in last year’s title tilt, while undefeated top-ranked Derryfield looks to reclaim the thrown after ceding it for only the second in the last decade.
“Chad (Vischer) and those guys have done a hell of a job of weathering the storm and they’re playing their best lacrosse right now, and it’s going to be a huge challenge on Saturday,” said Hettler. “It was a one=goal game during the regular season, and, you know, I hope I’m wrong. I hope it’s not, but it’s likely going to be a tight one on Saturday, too.”
While the Clippers upset second-ranked Winnacunnet, 11-2, Thursday night, the Cougars had to survive a semifinal scare against St. Thomas Aquinas to force the rematch.
In that contest, the Saints scored first, but the Cougars clawed back to take a 4-3 advantage into halftime and then pounced in the second half, scoring two goals early in the third quarter. St. Thomas then buckled down on defense, began to win the time of possession battle and chipped back to within one before Derryfield added a cushion goal late in the fourth to secure the 7-5 victory.
“All the credit to (St. Thomas sophomore goaltender) Jake Moore, he made some unbelievable saves,” said Hettler. “They played really good D, but I felt like we should have been double digits. I mean, man, some of the saves he made were just incredible.”
On the other side of the field, Derryfield’s own standout sophomore net minder, Liam England, was putting on a show of his own, denying the Saints several quality chances in the third and fourth quarters.
“(The Saints) were very patient,” he added. “They ran some good sets, and that’s what I mean. Like, our defense, I told them, ‘guys, you’re going to be dead tired when you get off this game, but it’s gonna feel good.’ They threw everything at us. They just kept coming and coming and coming. And Liam and those guys stood up to the test.”
While acknowledging the back line hasn’t been his team’s strongpoint this season, Hettler credited defenders Caleb May, Dan Roy and Alistair Wright, long-stick middle Lukas Gaff and midfielder Brady Doldo, among others, for stepping up when it mattered most.
“Just an awesome, awesome performance by those guys,” he said. “And then (sophomore draw specialist) Jackson Hatfield, I mean, winning all those face-offs for us was huge today. We needed the possessions.”