The 2018 MIAA boys lacrosse state tournament pairings were announced Friday afternoon. The local marquee matchup takes place Tuesday afternoon (4) when Catholic Conference League rivals Bishop Fenwick and St. Mary’s clash for a third time this season.
The Crusaders earned the No. 5 seed in Division 3 North and will host the No. 12 Spartans. Fenwick went 12-6 during the regular season, St. Mary’s finished at 10-8.
“I’m expecting a classic Fenwick-St. Mary’s rivalry game,” Fenwick coach Steve Driscoll said. “It’s going to be awesome. These are the games you want to play. First round against St. Mary’s, rivalry game. It’s win or go home. I’m sure they’re saying the same thing. We circle these games on our calendar. We know when we’re playing one another. It’s definitely fun.”
The Crusaders and Spartans clashed twice during the regular season, both wins for Fenwick.
Two other local teams also drew bids in Division 3 North. Winthrop had its best season in program history, finishing at 13-5. The Vikings drew the No. 6 seed and host Dracut Tuesday (5). Saugus earned the No. 14 seed with a 8-8 regular season record. The Sachems visit No. 3 Pentucket Tuesday (5).
Marblehead leads the local charge in the Division 2 North bracket. The Magicians finished their regular season at 12-5 and earned the No. 5 seed. They’ll host Northeastern Conference rival Beverly, the No. 12 seed Tuesday (6:30). The Panthers went 7-10 during the regular season. Also in Division 2 North, Malden Catholic drew the No. 10 seed and visits No. 7 Wakefield Tuesday (5), and No. 11 Danvers visits No. 6 Reading Tuesday (5).
St. John’s Prep, Revere and Malden each drew bids in Division 1 North. The Eagles won their regular season finale to qualify for the tournament with a 9-9 mark. This is St. John’s first postseason appearance since 2014.
St. John’s drew the No. 6 seed and will host No. 11 Westford Academy Wednesday (5).
Revere and Malden each went 10-8 during the regular season. The Patriots are the No. 13 seed, meaning they’ll visit No. 4 Chelmsford on Wednesday (5). The Golden Tornadoes are the No. 14 seed. They’ll visit No. 3 Acton Boxboro Tuesday (5).
The girls lacrosse brackets were also released Friday. In Division 1 North, Marblehead, Peabody, Beverly and Revere each qualified. The Magicians earned the No. 2 seed of the bracket with a 14-4 record. They host No. 15 Melrose Tuesday (4:30). The Tanners drew the No. 11 seed and a visit to No. 6 Reading Monday (4:30). Beverly is the No. 13 seed and visits No. 4 Woburn (4). Revere drew the No. 14 seed, meaning the Patriots will commute to No. 3 Boston Latin Monday (4).
In Division 2 North, Swampscott, Lynnfield, Winthrop and Gloucester each qualified. The Big Blue lead the charge with the No. 5 seed. Swampscott hosts No. 12 Georgetown Tuesday (4). No. 9 Lynnfield visits No. 8 Winthrop Tuesday (6). The Fishermen earned the No. 15 seed of the bracket with a 7-9 mark. Gloucester visits No. 2 Manchester-Essex Tuesday (4).
