MIAA Top 25 Boys Lacrosse Poll: The End of 2017

Lincoln-Sudbury remained the king of MIAA Lacrosse with an 8-7 state finals win over BC High

Our rankings of the best teams in the state at the end of the 2017 lacrosse season, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 6/19)

1. Lincoln-Sudbury (19-1; Last Ranking - 1): The Warriors' third consecutive state championship was the sweetest of them all, as their overlooked senior class went out on top.

2. Hingham (23-3; Last Ranking - 3): Harbormen capped a dominant regular season with a 16-7 thrashing of Longmeadow in D2 State Final. Those wishing to see Hingham vs. L-S could get their wish when the Harbormen re-classify to D1 next season.

3. BC High (19-4; Last Ranking - 6): Eagles won 13 straight to earn rematch with L-S in D1 State Final, but came up just short in an 8-7 thriller.  

4. Duxbury (17-6; Last Ranking - 2): A couple of bounces either way during their 11-9 loss to BC High in the D1 South Final, and the Dragons could've been in the State Final trying to upset L-S. 

5. Needham (18-4; Last Ranking - 5): These young Rockets will be back and competing for another sectional title after falling to Duxbury in the D1 South semis this spring.

6. Wakefield (20-1; Last Ranking - 4): Despite a shocking loss to Beverly in the D2 North Final, the Warriors put together the best season in program history.

7. Reading (16-4; Last Ranking - 8): Along with brothers Kevin and Mike Tobin, Jack Geiger and goalie C.J. Hart had a phenomenal year to lead the Rockets. The younger Tobin and Geiger will return next year to wreak havoc on the Middlesex League.

8. Longmeadow (21-4; Last Ranking - 23): After ending Medfield’s reign atop Division 2, the Lancers couldn’t handle an absolutely loaded Hingham team in the state final.

9. Medfield (15-7; Last Ranking - 7): Warriors couldn’t pull off another miraculous comeback after falling behind against Longmeadow in the state semifinals.

10. Walpole (19-2; Last Ranking - 11): Jake Hurley and Owen Hunter graduate as two of the most accomplished players in program history, but all the returning Rebels will remember is the sting of a sectional finals loss to Medfield.  

11. Ipswich (20-2; Last Ranking - NA): Thanks to a golden group of seniors and some late-game heroics from junior Pat Gillis, the Tigers are D3 state champions.  

12. Acton-Boxboro (16-5; Last Ranking - 19): Colonials gave Dual County League rival L-S all it could handle during a 9-7 loss in the D1 North Final.

13. Grafton (22-3; Last Ranking - 21): The hard-nosed Indians slayed their demons by taking down Dover-Sherborn in the state semis, but ran out of magic in a narrow loss to Ipswich in the D3 title game.

14. Dover-Sherborn (17-5; Last Ranking - 9): Along with Medfield, D-S was another Tri-Valley League powerhouse that was stunned at Concord-Carlisle in the state semis. Following a 3OT loss to Grafton, the Raiders will look to rebuild with Bailey Laidman and Jack Mahoney graduating.

15. Newton North (16-5; Last Ranking - 8): After edging Xaverian in a very close quarterfinals matchup, the Tigers were blown away on a scorching afternoon at BC High.

16. Xaverian (9-11; Last Ranking - 15): Despite dealing with a ton of injuries, the Hawks managed to qualify for the state tournament under the Sullivan Rule and play spoiler with a road win over Franklin.

17. Hanover (16-5; Last Ranking - NA): Indians took down Cohasset twice on the way to a state semifinals appearance, but couldn’t come back late against Ipswich.

18. Cohasset (17-7; Last Ranking - 10): Skippers will reload with an excellent group of underclassmen ready to step up next year.

19. Westfield (14-6; Last Ranking - NA): The Bombers stunned St. John’s (Shrewsbury) in the sectional semifinals, but fell for the third time this year to Longmeadow.

20. Franklin (16-5; Last Ranking - 14): Rutgers commit Eric Civetti smashed program records with 100 points on the year. Panthers fans will be excited to have him back for one more season.

21. Beverly (13-10; Last Ranking - NA): Head coach Jim LaSelva was the masterful tactician behind the Panthers stunning 7-6 win over previously undefeated Wakefield.

22. Marshfield (13-7; Last Ranking - NA): Great finish to the season for the Rams, but they were unable to hang on late at Needham.

23. St. John’s (Shrewsbury) (17-4; Last Ranking - 18): Pioneers came up short in a sectional semifinals matchup with Westfield, but were still one of the best teams in their region all year.

24. Hamilton-Wenham (17-2; Last Ranking - 17): The Generals only suffered two losses on the year, but Ipswich ended their run with an 11-7 win in the D3 North Final.

25. Melrose (12-8; Last Ranking – 25): For the second time this season, Melrose fell to Wakefield in a high-scoring thriller, ending their year with a heck of a fight.

Last 10 out:  Andover (16-5), Chelmsford (14-5), Concord-Carlisle (13-9), Littleton (18-3), Falmouth (14-4), Nipmuc (19-3), North Andover (13-6), Waltham (12-6), Wellesley (14-6), Winchester (13-7)