Lakers score another win against Sachems in late season game
MIDDLEBORO — The Lakers’ strategy of playing to their strengths served them well on Friday night’s boys varsity lacrosse game against Middleboro.
The Lakers and Sachems faced off for a second time this season on Friday, May 16. Despite a strong effort by Middleboro in the second half of the game, the Lakers took the win with a final score of 19-6.
Key to the Lakers’ successful performance has been not worrying who they’re squaring up against, said the team’s Head Coach Jeremy Nodelman.
“We focus on setting goals for ourselves, we’re not worried about who or where we’re playing,” he said.
Honing in on what players do well and not repeating mistakes has been a core part of the team’s 2025 strategy, he noted.
As the regular season ends, it seems the tactic is working. Friday’s game brought Apponequet’s season record up to 12 wins and three losses, and the team recently won the South Coast Conference Blue Division title for the second year in a row.
As for Middleboro, the focus has been on getting a little better each day. “We’re a young team, so we’re just trying to improve game by game,” said Sachems’ Head Coach Caleb Cebula.
The team has a record number of players this year, but a lot are young and have never played lacrosse. “We have twenty sophomores, which is a good problem to have for the future,” noted Cebula. The Sachem’s record following Friday’s matchup is two wins and 12 losses.
Cebula’s repeated calls to “move the ball” during the game revealed how he’s teaching his players to perform against more experienced competition.
He wants them to keep the ball “hot”, which means get defenders out of position by moving the ball to an open spot, explained Sachems’ Junior Varsity Coach Joe Barry. Barry was present for the game and served as the head coach of Middleboro’s boys varsity lacrosse team until last year.
For now, it’s about competing, fighting and learning for the Sachems, noted Cebula.
Brackets stating which teams have qualified for the state tournament will be published at the end of May.
