MIAA Boys' Lax Seeding Instant Analysis: D3 Central/West

Nipmuc and Grafton would love to battle for a third time in the sectional finals.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

A disclaimer: Brackets for the 2017 boys' lacrosse tournament aren't finalized until tomorrow. That said, we've just finished up seeding the Division 3 Central/West section, and here are a few quick thoughts.

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Grafton-Nipmuc Rubber Match?

It's tough to compare teams across regions, but these two standouts from the Mid-Mass. appear to be the class of Division 3 Central/West. That could make for an exciting round three, as Nipmuc stunned Grafton early on in the season, but came out flat in the rematch a few weeks later.

The Warriors ended up a game back of Grafton in the league standings, but I'm sure topping the Indians in the tournament would more than make up for it. If we get this rematch, it will be in the sectional finals, but neither has an easy road.

Mt. Greylock a Wild Card

It's hard to get a feel for Mt. Greylock, a program that has gotten used to appearing in the D3 C/W title game. The Mounties began the year 16-0, but gave up 20 goals to Pope Francis in a loss earlier this week. Before that, the Greylock defense had been better than many people thought, only surrendering double-digits in two prior contests, and boasting wins over really good Wahconah, Westfield and Northampton squads.

While Mt. Greylock's schedule may not be quite as tough as Nipmuc or Grafton's, they clearly have the talent to defeat both of them, and should be a great foil to Nipmuc on the right side of the bracket. 

Cam Peritz' Historic Career

Pope Francis senior Cam Peritz has had a career for the ages, as he enters his final state tournament with over 500 points. While Peritz will certainly go down as one of the most prolific players in MIAA history, he'll have a tough road to hoe against an underrated Hoosac Valley team in the first round then, should the Cardinals win, against No. 2 Nipmuc.

Regardless of how it turns out, any time you have a 500 point scorer in your bracket, he's worth keeping an eye on, as is Pope Francis, who can score with anybody.

CMass Voke Schools

Central Mass now boasts a number of very solid Voke School lacrosse programs. Blackstone Valley Tech has long been the standard-bearer in that regard, but Assabet has had great seasons here and there, while Monty Tech and Nashoba Valley Tech have each been tournament eligible the past two seasons.

As with any sport, it's hard to build a consistent winner in Voke School lacrosse, but the Colonial League out in Central Mass has bred a few of them, and don't be surprised to see them give higher seeds some trouble.