Marblehead’s boys lacrosse team is coming off a historic season, which included 21 consecutive wins and a trip to the Final 4. Despite losing key members from the 2023 squad, head coach John Wilkens is looking forward to this spring.

“We’re going to have a good mix of some guys who played a lot last year and some new guys coming up,” he said. “We graduated some really good guys who helped us have a really good year last year, taking us to the Final 4.” 

Some of those now-missing pieces are Connor Cronin, who holds the Marblehead record for most points in a season (131) and career (269), Baxter Jennings, who was one of the top face-off players in the area, and Carter Laramie, who did a little bit of everything on the offensive end. 

“We’ve got a bunch of goals to make up. Baxter Jennings, Connor Cronin, and Carter Laramie contributed a lot on the offensive end,” Wilkens said. 

Despite losing the trio to graduation, Wilkens likes the team he has in front of him due to its mix of ages. 

“I think we’ve got a nice, young crew with a mix of veterans that will make up for the loss,” Wilkens said. “We’re going to need to spread it out a bit, which, I think, will be a good thing. “

Wilkens highlighted some returners who he believes will have strong springs. 

“On the defensive side, we have a lot of guys coming back. Eliot Pluss and JJ Pollender started last year on defense and are back,” Wilkens said. “Bodie Smith played a lot as a long-stick middie, so he’ll be there. On the offensive end, Charlie Grenier is coming back, who’s a two-year starter, and Reese Moore played a lot last year and is only a junior. We’ve got a nice mix of older and younger guys – it’s a healthy combination.” 

The Magicians’ season starts Monday, but for Wilkens, he has five starters who are on the hockey team. In addition to ice-to-turf adjustments, Wilkens admits there’s a balance between making sure practices are fun, but at the same time, making sure players get the work done on the field. 

“It can be a challenge. Every year is different and you have different groups of kids. Right now, I have a lot of guys on the hockey team, so I’m telling them to just focus on their game Sunday, so when that’s over, they can switch gears,” Wilkens said. “As far as practice goes, you want to get in the skills you need, but you want to have fun with it and just work hard. When kids see the results we got from last year, they want to be a part of it.” 

A 21-1 record is hard to replicate, and Wilkens knows he has to juggle expectations. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, per the head coach.

When it comes to the hockey team, does it sound familiar?

“We’re going to talk about that. It’s hard to go undefeated and go all that way. It’s very difficult,” Wilkens said. “You have to set expectations. There will be bumps in the road. We just have to look at the hockey team – they started 0-6. That, for me, is going to help my team know that they can achieve what you want to achieve – even if you start slow. It’s all timing.” 

Some players may have left the door, but goals are still high for Wilkens and his Magicians. 

“The first goal is to win the NEC (Northeastern Conference). We want to get back [to the state tournament] and go further than where we were last year. That should always be the goal, to win,” he said. “I think we have the potential to do that. We have to put the work in. We graduated some really good seniors, but I’m excited for what we have coming back. I think the challenge, for me, is finding where all the pieces fit and getting the chemistry going.”