EAST LONGMEADOW — East Longmeadow boys lacrosse kicked off its state tournament campaign with a performance that left little doubt about their postseason intentions.
The No. 9 Spartans rolled to an 18-2 victory over No. 24 Northampton in the Round of 32 of the MIAA Division III Boys Lacrosse State Tournament on Thursday.
The win advances East Longmeadow to the Round of 16, where they’ll face the winner of Monday’s matchup between No. 8 Wakefield and No. 25 Ashland.
“Due to the power rankings, it looks like it’s gonna be a very good game, if you go by their numbers,” East Longmeadow coach Dan Reid said. “We’re excited [if we] go out there but would really be more happy if Ashland is coming here, but we’ll find out.”
Twelve different players contributed points in East Longmeadow’s commanding win, led by junior Jake Robidoux, who tallied four goals and two assists. Zach Sares and Brayden McCarthy each added three goals and three assists, while Will Fox chipped in with two goals and two assists, as the Spartans held the Blue Devils scoreless for the final 16-plus minutes.
“I was just helping the team any way I can, whether it’s being on the offense, working at the face off, just helping out any way I can,” Robidoux said. “I’m always a team first kind of player.”
Through two quarters, East Longmeadow looked like a team on a mission, with its sights firmly set on the Round of 16—where their season ended a year ago.
The Spartans came out firing in the first half, putting together a dominant performance on both ends of the field to take a 9-1 lead over Northampton at halftime.
Robidoux set the tone early, opening the scoring in the first quarter. By the break, he had already racked up four goals and an assist.
Northampton’s lone spark came just 46 seconds into the second quarter when Nick Biddle buried a goal to cut the lead to 2-1. But any momentum was short-lived—McCarthy scored nine seconds later off the face off, kicking off a seven-goal run.
The Spartans’ offense was firing on all cylinders, with contributions from Sares, Fox, Robidoux, and McCarthy. Their defense, meanwhile, stifled Northampton’s attack, limiting looks and dominating ground balls.
East Longmeadow looked even more dominant in the second half.
The Spartans opened the third quarter with back-to-back goals just 14 seconds apart from McCarthy and Ryan Quigley. McCarthy quickly completed his hat trick, while Sares added his third goal of the day late in the quarter to stretch the lead to 14-2.
The fourth quarter was more of the same: fast, clean, and clinical execution from East Longmeadow. Jake Miller and Quigley tacked on two more goals, and the Spartans coasted to an emphatic 18-2 victory in their Round of 32 opener.
