Last year the Portsmouth Boys Lacrosse team won the NHIAA DII State Championship. In the finals, they faced off against Timberlane and won 9-6 to bring Portsmouth their first-ever championship. 

The team was led by current sophomores Zac Amend and Nick Smith, seniors Domenic Maldari and Mike Durkin, and graduates Owen Ingwersen and Henry Fitzpatrick. Together they brought the team to a stunning record of 15-1.

Many of last year’s players were not seniors; however, the loss of some big talent players could impact the Clippers in their 2022 season. Zac Amend says, “We lost some of our top players from last year and had a few other kids switch schools, but I think we can still pull off another playoff run.”

Last year’s biggest competition was Derryfield. Derryfield won the championship four years in a row defeating Portsmouth two of the four years. Portsmouth ended their streak and plans to start one of their own.

Now that the Clippers have gotten a taste of what it’s like to be champions, they don’t want to lose it. Amend says, “Derryfield will still be our biggest competition. We beat them last year, and I think we can again this year.”

This year the Clippers are planning on repeating their feat as last year’s champions. When asked about last year’s championship Amend says, “It felt amazing, especially it being my freshman year. I got to play a lot and scored a lot too.”

With many new players joining the team, the Clippers have a good chance of making another playoff run. Amend says, “I think that it is great that these many kids want to play lacrosse this year. It’s crazy the number of new faces I’ve seen at practice. Some have never played and I’m surprised how good they are.” 

When asked if the team could pull off another championship, Amend says “I think it’s going to take a lot of work and effort but if we bring 110% every day I can see us winning again.”

The Clippers have played three scrimmages already, beating York 15-5, Berwick 6-5, and losing to Reading 12-4. All games involved lots of teamwork and showcased what is to come in the 2022 season.

The Clippers’ first game will be an away game on April 12th, vs Merrimack Valley. With only a few weeks of practice, the starting lineup is getting set. The boys are working hard to earn their spots and prepare for the season.