FILE PHOTO
Ryan Freitas will aim to play a key role this season for the Pioneers.
By ANNE MARIE TOBIN
The Lynnfield boys lacrosse team had one of its best seasons in program history last year. But if the Pioneers hope to pick up where they left off, they have a lot of roles to fill.
Last year’s team got off to the best start in program history, winning its first six games of the season. After dropping three of their next five games, the Pioneers finished the season on a high note, winning four of their final five games to finish 12-4 and earn their highest tournament seed ever (No. 3). After a first round bye, Lynnfield ran into a buzzsaw in the quarterfinals, losing a 4-3 heartbreaker to Cape Ann League rival Manchester-Essex.
Lynnfield’s trademark last year was a suffocating defense that led the state across all divisions in goals allowed, surrendering an average of only 4.41 goals per game.
Last year six Pioneers received league all-star honors. All of them are gone. All told, the team lost 15 seniors to graduation, including goalie Jack Ganter and middie Patrick Garrity, who was the Pioneers’ leading scorer last year with 40 goals and 14 assists.
They also lost the core of their defensive unit, including Max Robert and Trevor Caswell.
“You can’t easily replace 15 graduated players who played four years in our system and only 70 games by simply flicking a switch,” said Pioneers coach Joe Papagni, the 2016 Baker Division Coach of the Year. “The remaining players hopefully have learned the example set by our graduates and the system we have used over the past 15 seasons, and hopefully that will allow us to compete in every game.”
This year’s team has only four returning seniors in captain Kingsley Corona, a goalie, defenseman Jimmy Whelan, defenseman David Mineo and attack/middie Ryan Freitas.
Juniors Nick Metrano (attack/mid), Peter Look (defensive mid), Jack Razzaboni (mid) and Nicholas Moreschi (defense) are also returning.
Look and Razzaboni were starters last year before suffering season-ending injuries.
Papagni said Look and Razzaboni, along with Freitas, Ryan Frasier and Gianluca Alfe will be expected to provide some offensive spark.
“Nick Metrano, Ryan Frazier and Ryan Freitas have some varsity offensive playing time,” Papagni said. “Jimmy Whalen got a good amount of varsity time on defense but that’s really it for varsity experience.”
Papagni said finding a way to duplicate the defensive success the Pioneers had last year will be difficult, but not impossible.
“Our young team will force us to be in great shape, and play disciplined tough defense and possession offense,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do but we are all ready for the challenge.
“Captain Kingsley Corona has big shoes to fill in net but is up for the challenge. He will need support from Jimmy Whalen on defense along with Anthony Murphy, Zach Hyung, Moreschi, Nick Buonfiglio, Harry Drislane; Hunter Alain, Mineo and Kevin Travers on defense.”
A promising newcomer is Peter Razzaboni, younger brother of Jack.
“He’s a face-off guy we really need, who may potentially develop into our best faceoff guy ever, if he continues to work at it,” said Papagni.
Lynnfield opens the new season next Tuesday, April 4 with a non-league game against Bedford. The Pioneers also have non-league matches at home against Pope John (April 7), Revere (April 8), Cambridge Rindge and Latin (April 18), St. Mary’s (April 19) and, in the final game of the regular season, Tyngsborough (May 20).
The first CAL match for the Pioneers is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11 at Newburyport.