'It's as if they have the same mind': NQ girls lacrosse scoring stars on same wavelength

QUINCY – Autumn O'Campos has reached two major scoring milestones this spring. This time she got to see someone else hit a big number.

O'Campos has spent the last three seasons filling the net with goals for the North Quincy High girls lacrosse program. Monday's regular-season home finale was no exception as she struck five times and added six assists in a 16-11 win over Stoughton at Creedon Field.

Despite her output, O'Campos was happy to share the limelight with Iris Gjoka, who had a bit of passing-the-torch moment. Gjoka, a junior midfielder, poured in nine goals, including No. 100 for her career. O'Campos, a senior midfielder, hit that same mark on April 5. Last week she reached 200 career points.

North Quincy will miss O'Campos' scoring touch next season – her 2024 total of 84 goals (with one game left) is the best single-season output in recent memory for NQ – but Gjoka will be there to carry on the tradition.

"I'm very happy for her," O'Campos said of Gjoka netting her 100th goal. "She's a leader. She has really good lacrosse IQ. It's hard to find a player who has that, but she really can read the field very well."

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Gjoka, who's up to 52 goals on the season, said she has learned a lot from O'Campos, including the importance of not being shy about shooting, even when you're running into bad luck.

"Autumn's always been there supporting me, especially when I don't feel like I'm doing my best," she said. "We're always trying to bring each other up."

Fittingly, it was O'Campos who set up Gjoka's 100th goal, which gave NQ an 11-3 lead late in the second quarter. The two have a terrific chemistry.

"It's as if they have the same mind," said senior Caroline Snyder. "They always know when the other is going to cut. They know how to give each other the perfect pass. It always works out with them."

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NQ coach Marissa McGue, a former Raider herself (Class of 2016), harkened back to the 2008 Boston Celtics to describe the pair's chemistry, saying, "My assistant coach (Molly Minton) and I compare them to Kevin Garnett and (Rajon) Rondo back in the day. They have that type of connection."

O'Campos, who's 5-foot-9, has made her mark in all three seasons for North Quincy. She was an All-Scholastic middle blocker in volleyball in the fall, averaging 16 kills and 3 solo blocks per game for a Raiders team that finished 18-5 and made it to the Division 2 quarterfinals. She's a center in basketball who received a vote for Best Defender in the Patriot League when The Patriot Ledger surveyed league coaches this winter.

O'Campos said her favorite playoff memory was being a sophomore starter on the 2021-22 NQ basketball team that went 24-1, losing in the Division 2 quarterfinals. That team was headlined by star guard Orlagh Gormley, who eventually transferred to prep school and now will play at Providence College.

"That was so fun," O'Campos said. "Winning was fun. Playing on a team with someone like Orlagh was very exciting."

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O'Campos' lacrosse teams have not made the playoffs – NQ is 6-13 this spring – but she said lacrosse is her favorite sport. Playing her last home game was bittersweet then. She'll study nursing at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, but that's a Division 1 program so she'll have to either walk on or play club.

"I've been playing since fifth grade, and my dad was my coach all through middle school," she said. "So my family is really involved (in the sport). And I have family in Cohasset and they all are in college for lacrosse. All my family loves it. It's kind of sad (to see it end)."

O'Campos is concluding her high school lacrosse career with a bang. She entered the day leading the Patriot League in both goals (79) and points (101) – a level of notoriety that McGue appreciates.

"It's nice for us to be on the map," McGue said. "Sometimes we don't measure up to some of these really talented teams on the South Shore. Getting our name out there is really cool."

"Yeah, we don't" get the same publicity as some other Patriot League teams, agreed O'Campos, who has 173 career goals and 214 career points. "I feel like no one comes to North Quincy to watch lacrosse; everyone goes to Scituate, Duxbury, Hingham. It's good to know that I can represent North."

Next spring, with O'Campos having moved on, it will be Gjoka getting all the attention.

"It definitely will be a hard adjustment," Gjoka said, "but there are girls on the team that I can count on to have my back as well. But it will definitely be an adjustment because (O'Campos) has always been here."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: O'Campos and Gjoka are shooting stars for North Quincy lacrosse