BEDFORD, NH – Up 5-0 with just more than three minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Derryfield School boys lacrosse team appeared poised to reclaim the Division-II state championship from rival Portsmouth High School.
And then the Clippers scored.
No big deal, right?
At that point, no.
But they kept chipping away. And soon, they were only down by one.
And with less than a minute remaining in the contest, Portsmouth knotted the game at five, sending the title tilt to overtime.
There, the two D-II powers battled, each creating quality chances, but with 29 seconds left in the Saturday afternoon contest at Bedford High School, it was the defending champs that capitalized, capturing the golden goal, to secure a second-straight title-game victory over Derryfield.
“They continued to play hard, they got some good looks, and they’re a deep team,” said Hettler of Portsmouth, which has now won four of five championships since the COVID-19 cancelled 2020 spring season. “I think legs got to us a little bit. (The Clippers) almost did that in the regular season to us (Derryfield won, 7-6, on April 23). They came back. They just kept coming and they played hard until the end.”
Two years ago, Derryfield showed similar tenacity when they broke Portsmouth’s championship streak with a dramatic 12-11 overtime triumph in the 2023 finale.
But with the Cougars having entered this year’s contest with a 19-0 record, there’s no doubt the loss carried an added sting, especially for the seniors, like standout midfielder RJ Proulx.
“I think we were really trying to slow it down, and I think, you know, we almost ran out of gas,” he said. “They were playing really hard. So, you know, I think we put it together early … and sometimes that just happens, but I’m proud of the boys. You know, we weren’t a very deep team by any means, but we did everything we could.”
Indeed, the first half saw Derryfield come out with a zone defense, something Hettler said he’s never done before, which likely threw the Clippers off.
But after entering halftime down, 3-0, Portsmouth made adjustments at halftime, so despite giving up two goals early in the third quarter, they began to push the ball up the field at a faster pace and soon started finding the back of the net.
“I could tell we were going to have to make stops because, like I said, they have a deeper bench than we do. And, you know, it nearly nearly worked the way that we wanted it to,” said Hettler. “We said, coming into this, we couldn’t get into a track meet with them.”
Regardless of the way the game worked out, Hettler said he was proud of his players, not just for their effort in the championship game, but for exhibiting grit and exceeding expectations all season.
“I did not expect to be here at the end of the season this year,” said Hettler. “These guys gave everything to me this year, and it’s tough when you come up a little bit short there. I really believed we were going to make a play, and we almost did. It just didn’t bounce our way. “
Proulx finished the contest with two goals and two assists, while classmate Brady Doldo added two. Freshman Emerson Stover scored once.
Though the Cougars are likely to return plenty of talent with deep playoff experience, including Stover and sophomore goalie Liam England, this year’s crop of seniors will be difficult to replace, said Hettler.
That list includes Proulx, Doldo, midfielders Dylan Clyne and Logan Dyer and defender Caleb May.
“Unbelievable legacy,” he said. “Four years in the finals, you know? They can count the number of losses that they have on one, maybe two hands. And anytime you can do that, that’s a pretty successful high school career.”
