LEOMINSTER — A state championship game always carries plenty of emotion, and Saturday’s Division 1 final between No. 1 St. John’s Prep and No. 2 Natick delivered all of it. The Eagles, who had rarely trailed all season, battled back twice to pull level, only to see the Redhawks break through once more and hold on for a 3-2 win to claim their first state title.
It took just 2 minutes, 15 seconds for Natick to open the scoring. Cole Boggis carried the ball down the right and fired a low cross to Owen Ford, who was in the right place at the right time to tap in the early goal.
The Eagles controlled much of the possession in the first half, but the Redhawks found space behind Prep’s back line and came close to doubling their lead. In the 37th minute, Ford broke free for a one-on-one look, but his shot was stopped by Prep goalkeeper Matt Droggitis. From the save, Prep moved quickly downfield and into Natick’s box, where Finn McCabe flicked a pass to Ryan King, whose shot found the top corner to tie it at 1 heading into halftime.
The Eagles came out flying in the second half. Thirty seconds in, McCabe drilled a shot from outside the box, but Natick goalkeeper Jack Stephens made the save.
Moments later, Prep All-American Garrison Murphy controlled a long ball under pressure from multiple Natick defenders. He held the play up and waited for support before slipping a pass to Michael Hutchinson, whose shot sailed over the crossbar.
Despite Prep’s early pressure, Natick regained the lead when All-American Luke Dougherty was left unmarked in the box and finished to make it 2-1.
Six minutes later, Hutchinson played Murphy through on goal, and Murphy made no mistake on the breakaway to tie the game at 2.
Natick’s third goal, another transition strike, came in the 72nd minute. Boggis held off a Prep defender while keeping control before firing a shot into the net for the 3-2 lead and the eventual game-winner.
“The kid got inside the defender. He was bigger and he was able to shield him off,” St. John’s Prep coach Dave Crowell said of Boggis’ decisive goal.
Boggis (goal, 2 assists) and Dougherty (goal, assist) powered the Redhawks all afternoon, and Crowell credited both forwards for their impact.
“First of all, congratulations to Natick. Great team and great game,” Crowell said. “Those two kids up top were a real handful. We had trouble with them in the second half.”
Though Prep pushed late for another equalizer, Stephens commanded his box, claiming crosses and making key saves to preserve the lead.
Natick coach Daniel Joseph praised his team’s resolve.
“I’m so proud of all our guys. I told them before the game, ‘You guys are the most resilient group I’ve ever played with,’” Joseph said.
The Eagles battled throughout, and Crowell said he could not fault their effort.
“I’m so proud of them. If we had another five minutes, we would have done it again, but we ran out of time,” Crowell said. “Natick was great today.”
Crowell was also full of praise for Murphy, both for his performance and his career.
“He was doubled and triple-teamed the whole game, and how many times did he still win the ball on his own?” Crowell said. “He should have had an assist early in the second half. He was all by himself, waited, was patient, kept the ball, passed it right out front, but the kid just missed it. He could have had another five assists today.”
“An incredible career. Especially after coming back from the injury last year that cost him most of the season,” Crowell added. “To return and have a great senior year—he had an All-American season, and he deserved that. He proved today why he earned that recognition.”
For the Eagles who finish the season at 19-2-2, the final score couldn’t erase the effort, the comebacks or the character they showed on the biggest stage. Their season ended one goal short, but their performance spoke louder than the result.
