Dynasty earns another honor: Winner of the 2023-2024 Patriot Ledger Team of the Year

Earlier this month, we narrowed down a list of the best area high school teams . It wasn't an easy task.

Now, that list is no more. Just one team remains standing as our 2023-2024 Patriot Ledger Team of the Year. We did it with your help, as readers stuffed our ballots with over 100,000 votes.

Our initial list included 25 teams, many of them are state champions. Now it's time to announce the best.

The scoring

Our five panelists (our four staffers and the readers) will each be responsible for 20% of the final tally. A first-place vote equals five points, a second-place vote gets three points and a third-place tally is one point. Just like the Heisman Trophy, the team with the most points is selected our Team of the Year.

The readers

1. BC High baseball: The Division 1 state champions earned over 48,000 votes, nearly half of the overall poll.

2. Pembroke girls tennis: The Titans claimed their first-ever state championship this spring. The team garnered 31,000 votes.

3. Canton girls volleyball: The Bulldogs rode an undefeated season into the Division 2 state championship against Westborough. The team finished with an all-time best 24 wins, and collected 8,700 votes here.

Chris McDaniel

1. Notre Dame Academy girls lacrosse : No team in the area has been more dominant over the last two seasons.

2. Plymouth North baseball: The Eagles went on a special run to win the Div. 2 state title.

3. Weymouth boys rugby: Rugby is quickly becoming more than a sport in Weymouth. And so is winning state titles.

Eric McHugh

1. Milton football: The Wildcats' 9-4 record might not bowl you over, but I'm a sucker for a good story. And a program that's been consistently excellent for a while finally breaking through and winning its first-ever state title is a good story.

2. Notre Dame Academy lacrosse: The Cougars might be the most dominant team in the area in any sport. They went 22-1 this year, winning a third consecutive Div. 2 state championship. They're a ridiculous 68-5 over the last three seasons.

3. Weymouth boys rugby: Another triple crown winner, the Wildcats (8-1) stormed to a third straight Div. 2 state title this spring. They beat the No. 4 seed (Catholic Memorial) and No. 2 seed (Hanover) along the way.

Ryan Vermette

1. Notre Dame Academy girls lacrosse : Did someone say dynasty? NDA lacrosse capped off another stellar season, winning its third state title in a row. The team only lost once all year (22-1) and got four goals apiece from Jane Hilsabeck and Siobhan Colin, helping their team move to an astonishing 68-5 in the last three seasons.

2. Duxbury football : Pure dominance is what I would use to describe the Dragons’ run to the Division 4 title. They won all four playoff games by double digits, including a record-breaking offensive display in the championship. It was the highest scoring Super Bowl ever (62-33) and they set the record for most points by one team.

3. Carver football: What a comeback story this was. After finishing 3-8 last year, Carver turned things around in a hurry, going 11-2 and winning the South Shore League Tobin Division for the first time in 24 years. The Crusaders made it all the way to the Division 8 Super Bowl before falling to West Boylston.

Jason Snow

1. Notre Dame Academy girls lacrosse : If there’s one word to describe the Cougars’ Division 2 dynasty in girls lacrosse, it’s ‘inevitable.’ NDA has won three straight state titles and this year’s was secured in one of the team’s closest games of the spring – a 14-10 win over Walpole in the final.

2. BC High baseball : Between its flurry of no-hitters early in the season and its well-rounded lineup that performed from start to finish, BC High proved to be a postseason power as the Eagles clinched its first Div. 1 state championship in 15 years.

3. Milton football : The Wildcats earned their first state championship in thrilling, come-from-behind fashion this fall. Milton defeated league rival Walpole, 42-21, after trailing by a pair of touchdowns early as senior QB Patrick Miller tossed for four scores, two of which went into the hands of receiver Roman Sammon in the comeback effort.

And the winner is...

Notre Dame Academy girls lacrosse. No team was more dominant this past season, or the season before that, or the season before that. The Cougars are 68-5 over the past three years, with a trio of state championship trophies to show for it. Here's another honor to add to the trophy case.

Final tally

Notre Dame Academy girls lacrosse - 18 points (three first-place votes)

BC High baseball - 8 (one first-place votes)

Milton football - 6 (one first-place vote)

Pembroke girls tennis - 3

Duxbury football - 3

Plymouth North baseball - 2

Weymouth rugby - 2

Canton girls volleyball - 1

Carver football - 1

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Dynasty earns another honor: Winner of the 2023-2024 Patriot Ledger Team of the Year