Nantucket and Sandwich boys lacrosse win Final 4 games to meet in state championship

WEYMOUTH — To say lacrosse on the Cape and Islands has come a long way may be an understatement.

Four boys lacrosse teams (Sandwich, Nantucket, Falmouth and Nauset) made the Final Four in this year’s MIAA state tournament.

“Cape lacrosse is pretty awesome and it's on the map. Nobody can argue that,” Sandwich head coach Mike McNeil said.

History will be made this weekend in the first-ever boys lacrosse state championship game between two Cape and Islands teams.

“It's almost a Cinderella story, two Cape teams in the final,” McNeil said.

Nantucket and Sandwich both picked up victories over their Division 4 Final Four opponents at Weymouth High School on Tuesday.

The No. 1 Whalers defeated No. 13 Swampscott 9-3, while the No. 3 Blue Knights ironically beat No. 2 Norwell by an identical score of 9-3.

The two will play each other this weekend for the state championship. Here’s how both teams made it to this historic stage.

Nantucket vs Swampscott

It’s one thing to be the top-seeded team, but it's another to show why you're number one.

The Whalers showed why they are at the top of the mountaintop in Div. 4 against Swampscott.

Nantucket outscored its first three playoff opponents 54-10, and it was no different for their fourth opponent. The Whalers held Swampscott to one goal in the first half, while the offensive side found the back of the net five times with four different goal scorers.

“We really don’t have any superstars and our scoring spread out pretty well,” Nantucket head coach Sam Aloisi said. “There’s no real weakness I think an opponent can attack.”

Nantucket led 5-1 at halftime, but there was still a second half to be played. The Whalers needed somebody to lead them to the promise land.

Insert Colton Chambers.

Triple C: Captain Colton Chambers

After being held scoreless in the first half (one assist), senior captain Chambers turned it up in the second half.

Chambers scored the only two goals in the third period and the Whalers led 7-1 after three. After Swampscott scored to start the final quarter, Chambers responded with his third goal of the second half.

“Colton Chambers is our offensive leader and he has been,” Aloisi said. “He’s really smart and has very good situational awareness. Having him out there is huge.”

Chambers said he has been playing with some of his teammates since second grade, which has helped the Whalers.

“Our team mentality and our chemistry on and off the field” Chambers said about the success for Nantucket this season.

Sandwich vs Norwell

The Blue Knights and Clippers are no strangers to each as they are both in the South Shore League. Sandwich defeated Norwell 9-7 in their lone regular season matchup for the first time since 2018.

If the Blue Knights wanted a spot in the state championship, they would have to beat a team twice that had their number for five straight seasons.

Sandwich All-American goalie Shane Corcoran said that it's a good thing when you play a team more than once during a season.

“It definitely helped a lot because I knew who the shooters were and what side they preferred to shoot,” Corcoran said.

Corcoran may have a point as he finished with 16 saves in the Blue Knights win.

Whether he had to jump, dive, get on one knee, do a split, or any other way of stopping a goal you can think of, he made the right move at the right time.

“He played a good game. He’s like a cucumber, cool. He’s just calm,” McNeil said. “He’s just ready to go and stays humble. He’s an incredible role model for the younger players on the team. He’s a special player.”

Sandwich's Fast Start

The Blue Knights wasted no time as they scored five goals in the first period with four different goal scorers. Cole Rodgers led the way with two, while Jack Connolly and Daniel Oman also found the back of the net.

Rodgers said they were ready before they even stepped on the field.

“I think it all comes down to energy,” Rodgers said. “We had a lot of energy on the bus, the speaker was going, and we’re just excited to be here.”

That first quarter was critical as Sandwich was held scoreless in the second quarter and only led 5-2 at halftime.

If the Blue Knights want to win a championship, Rodgers said they will need to repeat their Final Four performance.

“I think it comes down to coming out fast. We did a great job today,” Rodgers said.

The Final Chapter: Sandwich vs Nantucket

Since Sandwich joined the SSL this season, they did not play against Nantucket during the regular season this year.

Sandwich and Nantucket will face-off against each other for the first time since May 11, 2023, when Nantucket won 5-3.

“That adds a little fuel to it in my opinion,” McNeil said about Nantucket’s win over them last season.

Sandwich also defeated Nantucket last season 13-4 for a season split.

That’s in the past, and the stakes weren’t as big as a state championship.

The Blue Knights are in the state finals game for the third consecutive season. They came up short the last two years, but now they have another shot at redemption.

“I know last year’s state championship, we were really slow coming out,” Rodgers said. “Cohasset beat us in the regular season and we thought they were a little better than us, but this season, we know we’re better than Nantucket.”

The Whalers are also looking for some redemption as they have been knocked out in the Round of 8 the last two seasons, which included a loss to Sandwich in 2022.

“It's going to take a lot of hard work, and we have to focus mentally and keep playing our game, and we’ll win,” Chambers said.

This weekend, one of these two teams will make history as the first Cape and Islands team to defeat another Cape and Islands team in the boys lacrosse state finals game.

Contact Courtney Jacobs at cjacobs@capecodonline.com . Follow him on X/Twitter: @CJ_Journalist.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Nantucket and Sandwich boys lacrosse win Final 4 games to meet in state championship