ME Hornet Jesse Oliver slips by the Gloucester defender in a winning effort 14-7 on Senior Day.
Photo Mark DiPa
As far as grand finales go, this was a pretty good one.
The ME boys’ lacrosse team not only finished up the regular season with a win over Gloucester on May 23 to close out another successful spring, but they also won their final four contests -- with victories over Amesbury, Peabody and Ipswich in addition to the Fishermen -- to get to 14-4 overall and 7-4 in the Cape Ann League.
The four-win stretch is the mirror opposite of a turning point from the start of May, one in which the Hornets lost to some of the top teams in the CAL.
“At this point, we won our last four games in a row with wins vs Amesbury, Peabody, Ipswich, and now Gloucester,” says ME boys lacrosse coach Jon Sederewicz. “The four losses we have are to all CAL teams, which means we play in a tough conference and was somewhat wide open this year. After losing to Pentucket, Ipswich, Newburyport, and Hamilton Wenham all within a two-week span, we knew we had to respond the way we know how, which is to finish the regular season strong and pull out some wins along the way.”
Manchester Essex also was able to pull out some era-defining wins in addition to the aforementioned grand finale.
“This year we beat some teams we haven't been able to beat in quite some time, including Ipswich for the first time in 10 years, Triton, St. Marys, Lynnfield, and Essex Tech,” explains Sederewicz. “All of these teams are very solid and well coached, so it was nice to take home a few Ws against some very solid opponents.
He adds: “Obviously beating Lynnfield, Triton, and Ipswich were huge for us for CAL standings, but also for this program and our town. Many years went by without beating any of these teams, and pulling out wins vs all three of them was so instrumental to this team’s success and mental state going forward. These wins also mean a lot to our senior class, who for the past three years have given their all to this team.”
That senior class is a key reason that the Hornets won 14 games (in an interesting bit of symmetry, the Hornets also have 14 seniors on the team to go with their 14 wins) and played so well this year. This group has the talent and experience to make a deep run in the MIAA Div. 4 playoffs now that the regular season has ended.
“They have been great, awesome leaders, hardworking, and determined individuals who all share the same common goals and beliefs and have the playing experience in big games which helps us a lot,’ says Sederewicz. “The message has always been to focus on us rather than what other teams do or how they play. This gets repeated every day at practice and before games, where guys just know their role and how and when to execute on the field when the time comes. Right now, we are playing good team ball at both ends of the field as well as transition, and playing complete games together.”
The presence of all of those seniors gives Manchester Essex an enviable level of depth, another secret to their success.
“We have depth this year unlike the past couple seasons, and have many guys who can get the job done at every position of the field,” says Sederewicz. “The success we have is everyone playing a full 48-minute game, one game at a time, together.”
For now, the Hornets are waiting to find out who they will do that against next once the tourney begins.
“As of now we are waiting on our fate for the MIAA tournament,” explains Sederewicz. “I believe we are hovering around somewhere in the top 10 in Div. 4, in hopes to have a first-round home game at Hyland Field, or a bye. Last year we made it to the round of 16, and hope to do the same this year and potentially go even further. Nearly all of us have playoff experience which helps us going forward and very much looking forward to the challenge whoever we may play in the playoffs.”
