MIAA boys’ lacrosse bracket analysis: Favorites, sleepers, players to watch for Divisions 1-4

The MIAA boys’ lacrosse tournament brackets and seedings are set across four divisions, with preliminary-round games starting Thursday. The finals are scheduled for June 12-13 at Worcester State and semifinals will be held at neutral sites. All other rounds are hosted by the higher seeds.

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Here is our breakdown of each division with favorites, sleepers, best matchups, analysis, and players to watch.

Favorites: No. 1 Lincoln-Sudbury (13-3), No. 2 St. John’s Prep (16-2)

Sleepers: No. 10 St. John’s of Shrewsbury (10-8), No. 11 Natick (14-4)

Best first-round matchup: Sunday, No. 20 Hopkinton (11-10) at No. 13 North Andover (11-9), 2 p.m.

Longest road trip: Saturday,No. 28 Haverhill (9-7) at No. 5 Bishop Feehan (13-4), 80 miles

Analysis: In recent postseasons, St. John’s Prep and BC High meeting in the state final has seemed like a fait accompli. That isn’t the case this year with Lincoln-Sudbury grabbing the top seed while showcasing legitimate potential to upend those private school powers. Another independent program, Bishop Feehan (13-4) has entered the fray as a title contender on par with those more established Catholic schools. Acton-Boxborough (15-2) rebounded from a rough start by going on a 14-game win streak and capping the season with a big win over previously unbeaten Mansfield. Third-seeded Andover (9-5) closed the season strong and is always dangerous. While they will potentially face each other in the Round of 16, both St. John’s of Shrewsbury and Winchester (16-2) will be tough outs for the higher seeds in the bracket.

Marcus DeJesus, Andover —The junior middie is a blur during football season and his speed has translated to the lacrosse pitch where he is an elite weapon in transition and on both ends of the field.

Rex Friedholm, Lincoln-Sudbury — The Harvard-bound attack is a two-year captain and the orchestrator of a lights out L-S offense that has averaged 11.8 goals per game against the toughest schedule among MIAA teams.

Chris Houle, Acton-Boxborough — Acton breeds top goalies and the 6-foot-4, 225-pound junior has improved consistently under two coaches who were once great in net, routinely piling up double-digit saves in key wins.

Dexter Izzo, Bishop Feehan — The nephew of former UMass Amherst and Boston Cannons star Ryan Izzo is lightning with the ball, and has used his speed and deft stick skills to post a team-high 62 points for the Shamrocks.

Enzo Serio, BC High — The senior attack has a knack for scoring clutch goals and the sixth-seeded Eagles will need his finishing to make a deep run.

Favorites: No. 1 Billerica (15-3), No. 3 Reading (15-3), No. 4 Mansfield (18-1)

Sleepers: No. 10 Westwood (15-3), No. 12 Milton (13-5)

Best preliminary-round matchup: Friday, No. 22 Burlington (10-8) at No. 11 Canton (11-7), 6 p.m.

Longest road trip: Saturday, No. 18 Melrose (11-7) at No. 15 Agawam (13-4), 105 miles, noon

Analysis: It is almost impossible to pick one, or even two favorites in this loaded bracket. Last year Billerica scraped out thrilling wins over Mansfield and Reading in the semifinals and final in one of the most dramatic state title runs of recent memory. Those three programs are reloaded and ready for any potential rematches down the road. Don’t count out No. 2 Longmeadow (14-4), which played a number of Eastern Mass. contenders and ended on a seven-game win streak. Then there is a trio of blue bloods from the Patriot League in Duxbury (12-6), Marshfield (13-5), and Hingham (14-5) seeded in the 5-7 range. Walpole (14-4) and Westwood (15-3) are also ripe with playoff experience and capable of advancing multiple rounds.

Cole Hogencamp, Mansfield —It’s nearly impossible to stop the 6-foot-4-inch lefty junior from rolling toward his shooting pocket in the attacking zone, giving Mansfield a massive weapon to deploy.

Aedan Milligan, Hingham —The stellar long-stick midfielder is the heartbeat for a Hingham squad that is looking to peak during another postseason run.

Michael Rizzuto, Billerica —Billerica’s senior LSM has been a monster this year with 86 ground balls, 80 caused turnovers, and 17 points (4 goals, 13 assists) for the defending champions.

Jon Sullivan, Marshfield — The senior has stepped into the lead attacking role this season with 63 points (47 goals, 16 assists) raising his career total to a program-record 190 goals, with 254 total points.

Mason Thompson, King Philip —Sitting at 99 points on the season with a program-record 316 career points, the four-year starter is the leader of a balanced Warriors attack.

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Favorites: No. 2 Norwell (15-3), No. 4 Medfield (12-5)

Sleepers: No. 11 Shawsheen (18-0), No. 13 Foxborough (12-6)

Best first-round matchup: Friday, No. 20 Pope Francis (15-3) at No. 13 Foxborough (12-6), 6:15 p.m.

Longest road trip: Sunday,No. 34 St. Bernard’s (13-5) at No. 31 St. John Paul II (14-3), 117 miles

Analysis: Dracut (17-1) ran the table after losing to Billerica in the season opener, and is a deserved top seed in this division. Yet we’re taking defending D4 champion Norwell and perennial contender Medfield as the favorites to stop No. 3 Scituate (12-7) from repeating as D3 champions. Given how close they came to winning the Chowda Cup after making the state final last spring, Falmouth (16-3) shouldn’t be counted out of title contention either. Shawsheen (18-0) is the only undefeated MIAA program entering the tournament and a formidable No. 11 seed lining up on the same side of the bracket as No. 6 Newburyport (15-3). The seventh seed, Weston (15-1), had the best regular season in program history while winning a seventh straight DCL Small title. Tewksbury (13-5) hit new heights this season and Foxborough (12-6) pulled out some close wins to capture the Hockomock Davenport. And we have two more relative sleepers seeded in the 8-9 spots in Wakefield (14-3) and Hanover (10-8).

Eddie Breslin and Braeden Sutton, Medfield —After the duo both topped 100 points for the second time in program history last year, the sophomore and senior continue to flash chemistry at the helm of a high-powered attack.

Owen French, Dracut —The program’s leading scorer (363 points) has exactly 100 points (63 goals, 37 assists) as the Middies enter the postseason on a 17-game win streak.

Luke MacIsaac and Carter Scott, Newburyport —MacIsaac, a junior, is the leading scorer with 91 points (60 goals, 31 assists) and many of his helpers have gone to Scott, a 6-6 lefty senior, who has 58 goals this season.

Owen Quinn, Scituate — Leading the attack for the defending D3 champions, the senior has 89 points (54 goals, 35 assists) during a consistent campaign.

Travis Smith, Falmouth —Opposing faceoff units will be lucky to win half a dozen draws off Smith and his wings considering the senior has won 343-of-371 draws (92.5 percent) this season, totaling 361 ground balls along with 28 goals and 21 assists.

Favorite: No. 1 Cohasset (16-5)

Sleepers: No. 6 Abington (13-5), No. 11 Advanced Math & Science (12-6)

Best first-round matchup: Thursday, No. 23 Dennis-Yarmouth (14-6) at No. 10 Sandwich (7-11), 5 p.m.

Longest road trip: TBA,No. 25 Mount Greylock Regional (16-1) at No. 8 Bourne/Mashpee (17-1), 193 miles

Analysis: This division is Cohasset’s to lose. The Skippers are loaded, senior-laden, and battle-tested with a pair of wins over South Shore League rival Norwell under their belt, and close losses to Hingham, Marshfield, Falmouth, and Duxbury to draw upon. Second-seeded Nantucket (15-3) had another great regular season, but fell short against Cohasset in the semifinals last year. Third-seeded Manchester Essex (14-3) brings plenty of momentum into the tournament following a close win over Cape Ann rival Ipswich (11-4), which is another perennial contender entering the fray as a fourth seed. Fifth-seeded Winthrop (15-3) has plenty of firepower and sixth-seeded Abington (13-5) got a couple of key players back from injury prior to season’s conclusion.

Gus Greene, Cohasset —Before he heads to Deerfield Academy to play both football and lacrosse during a post-graduate year, the two-sport star looks to lead the Skippers to a state title this spring.

Arann Hanlon and Nolen Mosscrop, Nantucket —Mosscrop has scored 50 goals to rebound from an injury-plagued 2025 season, rounding out the attack alongside his fellow senior, Hanlon, who has 48 goals and 27 assists.

Jack McCavanagh, Manchester Essex —The senior captain has a well-rounded stat line on the season with 39 goals, 41 assists, and 25 ground balls.

Seth Sacco, Winthrop —The program’s all-time leading scorer with 333 points has cruised past 100 points this season with 91 goals and 43 assists.

Lee Spry, Abington — While he leads the Green Wave with 80 points (53 goals, 27 assists), the senior middie doesn’t take breaks on defense, and he is also an ace at the faceoff-X.

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