Newburyport star Bromby always makes her points

HIGH SCHOOL LACROSSE

UMass-bound standout has 253 career goals

Newburyport lacrosse star Reese Bromby poses on the sidelines before a game with Triton on Thursday. She had collected 317 career points as of Friday. PHOTO BY REBA SALDANHA — BOSTON HERALD

Newburyport lacrosse standout Reese Bromby will take her talents to UMass Amherst in the fall. PHOTO BY REBA SALDANHA — BOSTON HERALD

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By Brendan Connelly

Correspondent

There are only a handful of strolls up Mt. Rural remaining for Reese Bromby. It has been a fond journey at Newburyport High School for the senior and now she is looking to leave an indelible mark with its legendary girls lacrosse program.

Bromby has led a successful career so far to say the least, but now the rising star has begun shattering records at the Cape Ann League institution. Most recently, the UMass (Amherst) commit eclipsed 300 career points, the latest in a string of historic achievements for the standout.

“I wasn’t really focused on the points, mostly,” Bromby said. “I feel like this year is a big one, so I was just trying to help my team out and everything. Then I just hit that goal.”

Bromby began playing lacrosse in second grade. She saw the joy the sport brought her father Chris, a former player at Springfield College and at the University of New Hampshire. Understandably, she wanted to follow in his footsteps. It quickly became a lifelong passion. Within a few years, she was already playing at the varsity level as a freshman.

Just one season later during her sophomore campaign, Bromby and her teammates found themselves vying for a state championship on June 18, 2023. They captured the Div. 3 title with a wild 13-10 victory over Norwell.

“I think anyone could speak for that, but it was crazy,” said Bromby. “It was the most insane feeling, knowing that all of our hard work paid off. It was my sophomore year, so I was still kind of new on the team, but it was so fun getting to experience that, knowing that it’s something that not many people get to.”

As time wore on, Bromby saw her role begin to increase. Last season, she finished with 125 points (89 goals, 36 assists). This year, she has sniped 68 goals and added six assists. The senior eclipsed the 300-point barrier on May 2 when she and her teammates knocked off another Cape Ann League juggernaut during a 10-9 win over Ipswich. That day, the senior sniped four goals, and sealed the victory by forcing a late steal with 34 seconds remaining.

“She’s got a lot on her shoulders,” said Newburyport coach Cat Batchelder. “She’s working really hard to be a leader.”

There were a handful of colleges who reached out to Bromby early in her high school tenure. However, she was looking for just the right fit. The star wanted to play at a big school for sure, but not if it meant entirely uprooting and leaving the region. Then, an opportunity emerged when she paid a visit to Amherst.

“One thing that I really loved about UMass that stuck out from all the others was the coaching staff,” said Bromby. “The coaching staff kind of sold it for me. The head coach, Jana (Drummond), she’s a ball of energy. She’s so sweet, and I really love that. I really wanted a (particular) coaching staff, which is strict but also really fun. I enjoy that. I also wanted to be close to home all my life. I looked at Northeast schools, all the ones around here, and I feel like I wanted to go to a big school. When I went to UMass, I started to fall in love with that.”

The prospects of playing at Garber Field for a very successful program were too enticing to pass up. The university offered virtually everything Bromby was looking for, and she verbally committed back in September 2023.

“She’s a great scorer,” said Batchelder. “She’s worked really hard to get where she is. Hopefully, we’ll have a good playoff run. But we’ll see, because we are a very young team this year.”

As the Clippers’ primary scoring threat, Bromby has teamed up with fellow catalysts Avery Tahnk and Amanda Linteris to help Newburyport blaze to an impressive record of 12-3. In addition to their big victory over Ipswich, the Clippers have also toppled strong rivals such as Pentucket (a 12-5 win May 5), when Bromby netted a team-high four goals. They later knocked off Lynnfield (a 12-11 victory May 13).

There is still plenty of work to do, however, with three regular season games left.

“We just have to stay committed to trying to get better every day,” Batchelder said. “We have to stay committed to try and see the task ahead of us, and not get too far ahead. We need to keep getting better everyday, so we’re playing our best come June when it matters.”

As of Friday, Bromby had 317 career points (253 goals, 64 assists). She could reach 350- 400 points should the Clippers embark on a deep postseason run.

Yet, the senior is remaining humble in her approach. She and her group have bigger dreams in mind.

“Recently, we were having talks about how important this team is, how successful we can be,” said Bromby. We’re finishing up our CAL (schedule) now, then eventually we’re onto the playoffs. Our goal, right now, is to finish the CAL strong. Coming into the playoffs, (we need to) be ready to play. Like you never want to lose.”