'It’s the culture': How Oakmont boys lacrosse bounced back to win a league title
In 2023, the Oakmont Regional boys lacrosse team won three games total.
One spring later, the Spartans are champions of Mid-Wach B League and have more than tripled that win total with a couple weeks remaining in the season. Oakmont has already two games in overtime.
The Spartans have played in 11 games decided by three goals or less (they boast an 8-3 record in those games).
So what's changed for coach Sean Nally's team this spring?
Compare and contrast
Nally took over as head coach last season and the program has taken major strides since his debut. Injuries caused a lot of issues for the team in 2023, with four key players – Jake Harrington, Luke Tzilkowski, Nick O’Leary and Harris Fagan – out for the season. Younger players on the roster had to step up into bigger roles than anticipated.
Being thrown into the fire last season has paved dividends this spring.
Sophomore Jack Norris, one of the freshmen who had to step up last season, has worked his way into a huge role this year taking most of the faceoffs. Norris’ skills have come in handy particularly this season during Oakmont’s frequent close games. He won the opening faceoff of overtime against Tyngsborough that led to Quin Buckley scoring the winner 10 seconds into the extra frame. Norris scored the winning goal in double-overtime against Westborough.
“We’ve been in these types of games all season, down early, few goals, battling back,” Nally said after his team rallied to beat Westborough, 5-4. “Every single game we’ve played in has been just like this so we are used to this environment.”
“It wasn’t the prettiest game, but at the end of the day, we got it done,” he added.
Building a 'brotherhood'
In the huddle during a timeout in overtime against Westborough, the mood was tense and urgent. The Spartans lookrf back and forth at each other with hope and belief in their eyes.
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When the lead evaporate against Westborough, there was no finger-pointing. Just belief in the team's ability to bounce back.
“It’s the culture, we talked about the culture (last year) and knew it was going to be a transition,” Nally said. “I scheduled a really hard schedule on purpose – Wachusett, D-1, Wahconah, who won the state championship two years ago, they beat us 25-0 in the first round of states (last year).”
Nally is focused on building a gritty and resilient group of athletes that have proven they can rally together against the toughest of teams.
The team has implemented the recognition of “Spartan of the Game”. A sticker is awarded after each game, but the focus is on someone who did the little things to step up and take one for the team, not just the leading scorer.
“Everyone has a sticker on their helmet because every game there's someone who contributes and steps up,” Nally said. “These guys believe in each other, it’s a brotherhood.”
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The numbers
“Silas Roy, Ryan Crossman, Dylan Sok, Cooper Carignan, we did it,” Cooper Carignan said of the Spartans’ defensive unit.
In these tight games, it took total teamwork and the defense worked hard to stay strong. Goalie Tyler Nally locks down in the net, averaging just 6.91 goals against. This number earned him the top spot in the league in goaltending and top 10 in Central Mass.
On the offensive side, Nahuel Suarez is the leading scorer with 33 points total, a combination of 31 goals and 2 assists. This makes him first in Mid-Wach B, followed by Buckley with 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 total points. Luke Tzilkowski and Brayden Nally have 29 and 25 points, respectively.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Oakmont Regional boys lacrosse wins league title after down 2023
