'Great rivalry': It's always fun when two of the South Shore's top lacrosse powers collide
HINGHAM – The Duxbury High boys lacrosse team, with this roster in particular, has played in a myriad of high-leverage games. One of them was last year's Division 2 state title game.
But senior Colin Hulett considered Tuesday's regular-season clash against Hingham "definitely one of the best."
Why?
“It’s Hingham," the senior said with a grin. "In Hingham.”
Entering play Tuesday, the Dragons (11-1) hadn't defeated the rival Harbormen since 2019. Duxbury head coach Chris Sweet ventured to say the past six meetings came down to one goal.
“It seems like every game vs. Hingham is like two guys in a fist fight," Sweet said. "Today was no different.”
Duxbury claimed a thrilling 9-8 overtime win and both Hulett and senior Sam Wien posed as the heroes. Wien netted the equalizer with 13.2 seconds left in regulation and Hulett fired in the winner at the 2:28 mark of the bonus frame.
The pair of Division 2 heavyweights weren't just in contention on Tuesday. They both sit atop the MIAA's first release of the Division 2 power rankings – Duxbury at No. 1 and Hingham, which this year dropped from D-1, at No. 3. The Dragons' top spot appears safe, at least for right now.
“I never beat Hingham, even in youth," said Wien, who tallied 42 goals and 16 assists as a junior All-Scholastic last spring. "So, this is awesome for me, awesome for us. This is, right now, the best team in Division 2 and we came out and fought hard for over 48 minutes. We love that.”
The Dragons are a one-goal loss to Marshfield (the second-ranked team in Division 2) away from an unblemished start. The team has outscored its opponents 161-65 in total, winning by an average of 7.3 goals per contest.
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Wien's game-tying flip from the X, and Hulett's winning fling in the crease were among the most memorable.
“We went into the huddle and didn’t even draw anything up," Wien said of his highlight. "(Sweet) just said go out there and make a play. It’s a lot easier when he’s got that much faith in you and everyone trusts you.”
“They’re pretty excited. It means a lot to them. It means a lot to me, too,” Sweet said of the win. “When you’re from Duxbury, you don’t want to lose to Hingham in anything. We wanted the lacrosse team to do its part. It’s a great rivalry.”
Duxbury maintained a 6-3 lead at the break on Tuesday behind Hulett's four first-half goals, but the Harbormen rallied to net five of the next six to assert its first lead on a Michael Garrity strike at the 3:02 mark of the fourth quarter. Garrity finished with a hat trick.
The loss marked Hingham's first of the campaign, and just its third home game in the first 10, with trips to Simsbury High (Connecticut) and Pinkerton Academy (New Hampshire) already in the books for out-of-state matchups. The Harbormen entered this season after a trip to the Division 1 Final Four against eventual champ St. John's Prep.
“I give (Duxbury) credit, and I give our kids credit for coming back because they were all over us in the first half," Hingham head coach John Todd said. "We fought back and got our legs underneath us, but they made two more plays than we did.”
Sophomore James Tremante also scored for Duxbury, Hulett (five goals) and Wien (three goals) in the tally. Hingham had five players in the scoring column – Garrity (three goals), Cam McKenna, Patty Browne, Jake Volholak and Max Friedmen.
“These games are always tough. It’s always a battle,” Todd said. “This is usually how these games go, some crazy goal (ends it)."
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Duxbury boys lacrosse scores rare win over Hingham in rivalry clash
