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Sports

Lexington Spring 2011 Season in Review

A look back at how the LHS athletic teams fared during the spring season.

Students at are patiently counting down until the end of the school year, which looms just a few short days away. But for Minutemen athletes, the year is already over as many LHS teams wrapped up the spring season during the past few weeks.

It was yet another successful season for teams wearing blue and gold, with a number of Minutemen squads closing out their year in various MIAA sectional tournaments. While none of Lexington’s teams earned the right to hoist a sectional title trophy and a spot in the state tourney, many still turned in stellar years that will be used as building blocks for future success.

Here we will recap how the Minutemen fared with the Patch Spring 2011 Season in Review by taking a look back at the games and stories we covered for you during the past few months.

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The boys’ tennis squad was the Lexington team with the best shot to capture some hardware. The Minutemen played for their second straight North Division 1 title, with a loss to St. John’s Prep of Danvers in the sectional championship match on June 10.

St. John’s was the only team to defeat Lexington twice this year, having also defeated the Minutemen during the regular season. Still, it was stellar campaign for the Minutemen. Their with convincing victory over perennial power Winchester High School on April 11.

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Lexington near the end of the regular season as well, defeating Watertown High School with a 5-0 sweep on May 20.

Expectations were high for the Lexington girls’ tennis team, as well, entering the spring. Before the season, coach Bob O’Neill spoke about from the 2010 edition of the Minutemen, and how that experience would help during year.

Along the way, LHS and O’Neill got a little help from an unexpected source. On May 6, senior Alison Marqusee, normally a junior varsity player, was the Minutemen down Watertown by a 5-0 count.

LHS kept the momentum going through the end of the regular season and landed a spot in the North D-1 sectional. But its stay wouldn’t last long, as Lexington fell to Newton South High in the First Round.

On the diamond, both the Lexington baseball and softball teams entered the year expecting big things.

For the baseball team, those expectations translated into an unprecedented and undefeated regular season to with a second straight No. 1 seed in the North D-1 tournament.

The success began early on, as the Minutemen won their first two games out of the gate. That against Lowell, the team that prematurely ended Lexington’s postseason run in 2010.

There was no let up by the team during the middle stages of the season, either, as LHS just seemed to get better. That was certainly the case for senior pitcher Demitri Monovoukas, who on May 11. He got through 6 2/3 innings before surrendering an infield hit to a Watertown batter.

More in the tournament, as Lexington defeated Westford Academy in the Preliminary Round on June 4. Will Marcal pitched a 14-strikeout gem, but too bad he couldn’t have taken the hill in the next round as well. On June 6, Acton-Boxboro upset the Minutemen to earlier than expected for the second straight year.

Perhaps more so than any other LHS team, the softball squad’s spring season was marked with plenty of both ups and downs. Lexington off last year’s surprise run through the North D-1 sectional that ended in the championship game. But there was plenty of adversity to go with this season’s good time.

Take a three-week stretch in May for example. On May 4, to a 12-0, mercy-rule-shortened victory over Watertown High School. Then, on May 25, they to Medford High School that saw the teams combine for 27 runs.

Still, LHS landed right back in the sectional tournament. with a tight, one-run victory on June 2. However, the in the next round, as Lexington bowed out of the tournament two days later.

The Lexington girls’ lacrosse team had an odd go of it in the North D-1 sectional, as it took them two tries to get past Central Catholic of Lawrence. On June 1, the teams played a half of their First Round contest before in the area.

Two days later, the Minutemen erased a two-goal deficit to pick up a five-goal victory. LHS fell to Westford Academy in the following round, the quarterfinals.

Lexington’s season , as it defeated Wakefield Memorial by 10 goals in the spring’s first week. The Minutemen hit a bit of a rough patch near the end of and the start of , with losses to Concord-Carlisle High School and Winchester, but rebounded in time for the post season.

The season for the LHS boys’ lacrosse team seemed to have it all, as well. There were plenty of big wins, close wins and tight losses to go around.

On April 19, the Minutemen suffered their first loss of the season by dropping a game to Xaverian Brothers of Westwood. Xaverian scored the game-winner its first trip down the field in overtime. That was over Watertown on April 26. Lexington didn’t allow a goal in that game until the fourth quarter.

Finally, the Minutemen of their own as Conor Henrie scored the game-winner over Winchester with 7 seconds remaining in the contest.

In the postseason, Lexington kept its run going by reaching the quarterfinals of the East Division 1 sectional. There, however, the Minutemen bowed to perennial powerhouse and eventual sectional champion Duxbury High School on the road.

Regrettably, Patch didn’t get to take in as many track and field meets as we may have liked, but it was a successful season for the Minutemen nonetheless. On April 19, the boys’ team beat Reading in and didn’t suffer its until meeting Woburn on May 19.

Of course, both boys’ and girls’ squads went on to compete in the MIAA postseason.

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