The Lynnfield High boys lacrosse team held its annual awards banquet June 17 at Prince Pizza in Saugus.
Captains Kelan Cardinal, Jake Connell, A.J. Chiaradonna and Owen White and their families were recognized for their contributions.
“Being a captain has all its trials and tribulations, but being a captain’s parent also has become a task of its own enormity over the years,” Lamusta said. “We thank all of them for hard work to ensure that our players have the best experience possible and coordinated parental involvement and support throughout the season.”
Lamusta singled out Joe Connell and Lynnfield Youth Lacrosse President Christina Serra.
“Joe walked the field before every home game to ensure our nets were all set, announced all the games, and when we were cutting it close on lacrosse balls, he helped coordinate a purchase that many folks chipped in,” Lamusta said. “It is exciting to continue to grow the bond between the high school and youth programs with events like Rival Day.”
Lamusta also thanked parents Kevin Cardinal and Sarah Chiaradonna for their leadership with youth lacrosse over the years.
Lamusta recognized and thanked the Select Board, School Committee, Interim Superintendent Tom Geary, LHS Principal Trish Puglisi, Vice-Principal Mike Mcleod, Athletic Director Mia Muzio and the custodial staff for their support. He then thanked his assistant coaches – Alex Soden, Max Robert and Jake Brennan.
Lamusta shared highlights of the Pioneers season. The team finished 16-4 overall, 11-2 in the league and captured its first CAL (Baker) title since 2009. He said the “essence” of the team was its ability to “get the job when things were tight” and you “could never count this team out. The players this year showed perseverance and as the season went along, you could expect really anyone at any moment to step up and be the deciding factor in a game,” Lamusta said.
Lamusta saluted the seniors.
“This is a group that contributed to three winning seasons, integral to helping us get back on track,” Lamusta said. “We thank all of you for your decision to play lax and commitment over the years. Thank you again to the seniors for an awesome ride.”
Several players referred to by Lamusta as the “11th Man” were singled out for their contributions.
“Sam, Anthony, Jimmy, Johnny and Gabe, these are guys that showed up, did not play a ton, but they were collectively the 11th man of the squad,” Lamusta said. “I want to thank these guys for supporting their teammates and their commitment over the course of the season.”
Senior captain Jake Connell received the Most Improved Award. He finished the season with 30 ground balls and four takeaways. Senior captain A.J. Chiaradonna received the Joseph Papagni Competitive Spirit Award. He scored three goals with 12 assists, 45 ground balls and 23 takeaways.
Senior captain Owen White received the Coaches’ Award. He scored one goal with three assists, 47 ground balls and 14 takeaways.
Niccolo Antidormi was named Defensive Player of the Year. He finished the year with 57 ground balls, 22 takeaways and one assist.
Will Norton received the Offensive Player of the Year. He scored a single-season record 96 goals and had 13 assists, 57 ground balls and 10 takeaways. He finished the season with 194 career goals and 29 assists for 194 points.
Junior captain Kelan Cardinal received the Most Valuable Player Award. He scored 37 goals and notched a team-high 62 assists. In his three seasons on varsity he has 233 career points, a Lynnfield record.
The Cape Ann League All-Stars were recognized, starting with Kelan Cardinal, the CAL Baker Division First Team honoreeOwen Considine (attack), Niccolo Antidormi (defense) and Ben Pimentel (goalie) were name to the CAL Baker Division Player of the Year and Second Team. Will Norton (attack) and Michael Murphy were also named to the First Team.
Lamusta recapped the junior varsity’s season.
“We had so many new players who broke their way into the game of lacrosse this year and we learned a lot about these guys, and regardless of the scores, they always played till the last whistle,” Lamusta said. “It was awesome to see the JV group improve over the course of the year and have a blast while doing it. They had a ton of spirit and passion despite many of them being new to the game. It comes down to hustle and competitiveness and the JV team did a good job of playing till the final whistle and learning something from each game.”
First-year varsity letters and pins were presented to Jimmy Atsales, Sam Curley and John Powers. First-year varsity pins were present to Anthony Calla, Brendan Driscoll and Tyler Maddocks. Letter bars were presented to the following returning players: Niccolo Antidormi, Alex Baldini, Kelan Cardinal, AJ Chiaradonna, Jake Connell, Owen, Considine, Owen Doherty, Dhimitri Dono, Mike Murphy, Will Norton, Aidan Norton, Ben Pimentel, Evan Rocha, Gabe Schumacher and Owen White.
JV certificates were handed out to Brayden Anderson, Joshua Bernabei, Jack Burns, Angelo Covino, Drew Cuddy, Kellen Farias, Liam Gardner, Anthony George, Ryan Gorman, Xander Janicki, Cole MacKinnon, Zach Unger, Grant Vargas and Steven Morse.
Finally, the captains of the 2025 team were announced; they are rising seniors Kelan Cardinal (midfield), Mike Murphy (midfield), Owen Considine (attack) and Ben Pimentel (goalie).
