By Evan Mugford
The Pingree Highlanders boys lacrosse team understands what it takes to win.
After all, they have reached the New England Private School Athletic Conference small school championship game for the past four seasons, have been its victors in three and have the regal distinction of winning their second straight.
Quite the series of accomplishments for a South Hamilton school that harbors a shade more than 300 students. But in hindsight, such small numbers only reinforce what the many athletic teams at the Pingree School already know: the smaller the school, the tighter the focus.
Helmed by coach Alan McCoy, the Highlanders finished their regular season by going 14-4 and 7-0 in the Eastern Independent League, and entered the postseason with cross-hairs aimed at their collective chests.
For regional players like seniors Adam Rimmer (Newbury), Matt MacDonald (Byfield), and Max Mathey (Newbury), and sophomore Sam Machiros (Rowley), the pressure to repeat was nothing out of the ordinary.
They rolled into the championship game with wins over Greens Farms Academy and the St. Luke's School and squared off with the Gould Academy squad from Bethel, Maine, in the title game at Endicott College in Beverly.
Despite a valiant effort from Gould, the Highlanders led the entire way and recorded their second straight NEPSAC championship with a 13-9 victory that featured five goals from MacDonald and a goal and two assists from Rimmer.
Childhood chum and a co-captain along with MacDonald, Rimmer's senior year dreams came to a wonderfully satisfying conclusion.
"It couldn't have ended in any better way," said Rimmer, an EIL All-League player who credits his team's feats to its unselfish and close-knit demeanor. "It was a competitive, strongly played game, and we played hard, but we just out-battled them.
"I feel like this year was a lot more special to me because it's my class's year to prove that we could win it all," said Rimmer, who will be attending the Pomfret School in Connecticut this fall. "We had to play two games before we went on to the championship, and each game was just a hard-fought battle against some good teams, and it was just really rewarding to get the final victory."
Winning a single title, regardless of league or depth, is always a draining task, and though 10 seniors were returning for the 2009 season, MacDonald was unsure whether his team could successfully transfer from underdog to bulldog.
"We were a great team the year before, but it's still hard to anticipate how every season will be," said MacDonald, an EIL All-League player and USA Lacrosse All-American who led the team with 73 points.
"But we had a great offense, a strong defense and a second-year goalie, Kyle Lange (Boxford), who just continued to step up all season."
MacDonald made it clear that even though he will miss his friends and his school, the future holds great things.
"I have a lot of close friends there, so it'll be tough," said MacDonald, who will be playing hockey at the University of Southern Maine, "but at the same time, I can't wait for college."
A key attack player off the Highlander bench, Mathey credits the team's achievements to multiple factors.
"A lot of hard work and practice, and just many skilled players," said Mathey, who will be studying engineering at Northeastern University. "We had a great defense that was anchored by our starters, Josh Shain, Evan Perkins and Campbell Rawlins, and I think our cohesion was helped along due to how many of these guys have been playing since the seventh grade — and our coach has done a great job making sure we continue to learn every season."
Again, it was all the sweeter for Mathey, who will be walking away from the sport to concentrate on his studies.
"It was a great feeling, especially considering how I won't be playing lacrosse next season," Mathey said. "To finish as strong as we did, it was just incredible."
Sophomore Machiros already has two NEPSAC titles under his belt, and he explained that despite the departure of a strong cast of seniors, next season's outlook remains bright.
"Our sophomore and junior class has a lot of talent, and we should have some excellent seniors for next season," said Machiros, an attackman. "Our goalie seems to be getting better with every game, and hopefully a fresh batch of talented freshmen will help us for three in a row. We lived up to the expectations this year, and I'm confident that we can do the same next year."
