It’s been quite a year for Marblehead’s Will Shull.
After blitzing his way through the hockey season to earn Item Player of the Year honors back in March, the senior midfielder and team captain led his team to its best season ever and took home a host of awards.
He added one more item to his list of accomplishments on Friday, as Shull was named the 2021 Item Player of the Year for boys lacrosse.
Shull was the centerpiece of the Magicians in 2021, scoring 46 goals and adding 20 assists to help lead Marblehead to an undefeated regular season — its best in program history. The Magicians won their third straight Northeastern Conference title and Shull was named NEC MVP for his efforts. But the biggest accolade came just last week, when Shull was named a Eastern Massachusetts Lacrosse Coaches Association (EMLCA) Second Team All-American. After finishing his Marblehead career with 121 goals and 63 assists for 184 points, Shull will now move on to play lacrosse at Wesleyan University next year.
There were also five players named to the 2021 All-Item Team for boys lacrosse in Liam Hill (Bishop Fenwick), Zach Barden (St. Mary’s), Jack Houlden (Peabody), J.T. Monahan (Marblehead) and Jimmy Ayers (St. John’s Prep).
Hill was a scoring machine for the Crusaders this spring, notching 62 goals and 74 total points — both good for second-most on the North Shore. A Catholic Central League First Team All-Star, Hill put up a seven-goal performance and two six-goal performances during the course of the season. The MVP of the Ninth Agganis All-Star Boys Lacrosse Game, Hill is set to play college lacrosse at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.
Barden was the top scorer for the Spartans this year, notching multiple five-goal and four-goal performances throughout the year. He was selected as a CCL First Team All-Star and was one of the few four-sport athletes on the North Shore after playing soccer, basketball and football during the adjusted pandemic year. He is now moving on to Assumption University, where he will continue his lacrosse career.
Houlden very well may have taken home the North Shore scoring title if he had remained healthy all season, but it wasn’t meant to be. The Tanners senior got off to a blazing start with 31 goals and 12 assists through six and a half games before suffering a season-ending injury. He earned Carlin Cup MVP honors after notching six goals and three assists against crosstown rival Peabody, and he finished his career with 89 goals, 51 assists and 140 total points in less than two and a half seasons. Houlden will play lacrosse at Western New England University next season.
Monahan was a brick wall between the pipes for the Magicians in 2021, making 132 saves and only letting up an average of fewer than four goals per game. An NEC All-Conference selection and the Magicians’ co-MVP alongside Shull, Monahan wrapped up his Marblehead career with 330 saves. He will now move on to play football at the University of Rochester.
Ayers exploded onto the scene for the Eagles in his sophomore season, leading the team in goals (46) and points (68) en route to the Prep’s Division 1 state title victory. After also leading the area in playoff scoring this year, Ayers was named an EMLCA First Team All-American.
Also earning Item All-Star Team honors for the 2021 boys lacrosse season were Jackson Field, Daniel Domeniconi (St. Mary’s); Stefano Fabiano, Aiden Anthony, Jake Connolly, George Kostolias (Bishop Fenwick); John Briggs (Lynnfield); Connor Cronin, Josh Robertson, Matt Thompson, Remy Poisson (Marblehead); Andrew Lucas, Anthony Bettencourt, Keenan Madden, Derek Patturelli (Peabody); Anthony Dejesus, Jarod Natola (Revere); Riley Sullivan, Jevon Beaver (Salem); Devon Burke, Kevin McMaster (Saugus); Michael Ayers, Michael Kelly, Kaden Quirk (St. John’s Prep); Vinny Palmer, Thomas Frisoli, Angelo Cicciotti, Aidan Breault (Swampscott) and Matt Hurley (Winthrop).
