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Nantucket finishes first: Cape Cod high school girls lacrosse rankings

andré simms, cape cod times
·4 min read
NORTH EASTHAM 5/18/23 Bailey Lower of Nantucket prepares to shoot followed by Shannon Brown of Nauset.

The 2023 girls lacrosse season on Cape Cod had a little bit of everything.

Playoff success, record-setting seasons (by teams and players), and could be found all over, showcasing the abundance of talent that the Cape possesses.

There was plenty of local flavor throughout the MIAA state tournament, and Nantucket ended the year with the most wins in the area (19). Overall, eight teams hit the ten win mark this season: the five on this list, plus Falmouth, Cape Cod Academy, and Nauset.

Here are the final girls lacrosse rankings of 2023.

1. Nantucket Whalers (19-4)

Nantucket ended the regular season 17-3, and won the Cape and Islands League Atlantic Division title. Their regular season success, was led by junior Bailey Lower, just awarded her second consecutive league MVP award. Lower led the Whalers offensively and helped Nantucket boast the most prolific offense in the area this season, with over 300 goals scored as a team. But it wasn't just Lower, as Emerson Pekarcik also had a prolific season for the Whalers, and Cydney Mosscrop contributed all season as well. The Whalers earned the No. 4 seed in the MIAA Division 4 tournament, and beat No. 29 South Hadley, and No. 20 Watertown before falling to No. 5 Manchester-Essex in the Elite Eight.

2. Sandwich Blue Knights (16-5)

The Blue Knights had another very successful season. Sandwich started the season 11-1, and ended up finishing the season 15-4 behind a very balanced team. Offensively, Quinn Anderson, Avery Cobban, Ryann Cobban, Riley Morrison, Sophia Visceglio and more fed into an offense that scored the second most goals in the area (283). Defensively, Sandwich only allowed 149 goals this season (7.09 per game) and was the No. 6 seed in Division 4 entering the playoffs. In the state tournament, the Blue Knights beat No. 27 Advanced Math and Science in the Round of 32, and No. 11 Georgetown in the Sweet Sixteen. Sandwich's season came to an end in the Elite Eight, falling to Division Four title winners No. 3 Dover-Sherborn.

3. Upper Cape Rams (16-4)

It's not hyperbole to say that the 2023 season for the Rams, was their best ever. The Rams finished the season 16-4, the best record in program history, and on top of that, beat Tri-County 11-7 to claim the school's first ever State Vocational Title. In that game, and throughout the season, Adryanna Turner was the star. The Rams captain scored six of her team's 11 goals in the Vocational Title game win, led the team all season offensively, and owns the Upper Cape record for career goals. Alaina Hines was another key performer in the record setting season, and had a hat trick in the win over Tri-County. Led by this dynamic duo, the Rams scored 216 goals this season, at a pace of just under 11 goals per game, but they were no slouches defensively either, allowing a mere 5.45 goals per game.

4. Monomoy Sharks (14-4)

The Cape and Islands League Lighthouse Division MVP Award was given to Monomoy's Lucy Mawn, who helped lead the Sharks to a very quiet 15-3 regular season, and the No. 17 seed in Division 4. Behind Mawn, Monomoy closed the regular season as well as any team in the area, winning 13 out of its final 14 games. All that regular season success culminated in the Sharks clinching a share of the Cape and Islands League Lighthouse Division title. Karah Deveau was another key player in the Sharks success in 2023. Monomoy had a first round bye as the No. 17 seed, and beat No. 16 Lynnfield in the Round of 32, before falling to top-seeded Ipswich in the Sweet Sixteen.

5. St. John Paul Lions (14-7)

The Lions were the other team to share the Lighthouse Division crown this season, clinching the split with Monomoy with a 12-7 win over Martha's Vineyard in their final game of the season. The Sharks finished the year 13-7, and secured the No. 14 seed in Division 4. The postseason started with a 9-6 win over No. 19 Lunenberg in the Round of 32, and ended in the next round when JPII fell to No. 3, and eventual state champion, Dover-Sherborn. The Lions scored 225 goals in their 21 games (10.7 per game), while only allowing 7.14. Maggie Crofford, Sophie Philbrick, Regan Dillion, and Mia Curley were all leaders for this year's JPII team.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: The final Cape Cod high school girls lacrosse rankings