BUZZARDS BAY— An explosive first half helped guide Scituate to a 9-4 victory over Falmouth to win the Division 3 boys lacrosse state championship.

The Sailors jumped out to a 7-2 lead at the half despite the two sides splitting possession close to evenly. The difference was execution, as Falmouth struggled to solve Sailors goalkeeper Lydon O’Brien while the Scituate snipers were able to poke holes in the Clipper defense.

Sailors head coach Mark Puzzangara credited his team’s ability to win battles on offense and defense as a big reason they emerged victorious.

“It was just about being the better team and winning those battles all around the field,” Puzzangara said. “They are a good team and we knew it was going to be a fight.”

Luke Spaulding got the Sailors on the board within the first 90 seconds but Falmouth’s Connor Cusolito answered a few seconds later. After this, Falmouth received three straight goals from Spaulding, Willy Robertson and Owen Quinn to grab a 4-1 lead.

“We said the whole game that we had to convert the chances,” Spaulding said. “We knew the team that converts more would win the game and that’s exactly what we did.”

The Sailors extended the lead to 6-1 after tallies from Owen Hofford and Spaulding but Cusolito did answer late in the quarter to cut it to 6-2. However, Quinn Decourcey found the back of the net before the end of the half to re-establish the five-goal lead.

“The key was playing with composure,” Puzzangara said. “We really worked hard on what their offensive tendencies were the last two days. We felt that if we just stuck to that plan and kept them to their offhand that would slow their offense down quite a bit.”

The Clippers came out strong in the second half and eventually cut the deficit to 7-4. However, Robertson charged to the net late in the third quarter and delivered a backbreaking goal before the buzzer.

“It was big,” Robertson said. “I didn’t realize how short of time we were. That one was a big one, it kind of killed a little bit of their momentum. I’m so fired up that our boys stepped up.”

The Clippers continued to push in the final quarter but could not get the ball by O’Brien. Late in the quarter, Hofford added a key insurance marker to seal the victory.

“It shows the resilience we have,” Robertson said. “All of the stuff we went through last year, it shows the type of team we have and the type of team we are.”

The Sailors would run out the clock and avenge last season’s title game loss in convincing fashion.

“We knew we had a great chance to get back here,” Spaulding said. “I’m so glad we got it done.”

As the Sailors reflect on their first state title since 2009, Puzzangara noted that the group, which notably lost two assistant coaches within six weeks in 2024, persevered through tough times in order to capture this memorable achievement.

“This is very satisfying, especially with everything that has happened with this senior class over the last several years,” Puzzangara said. “This is a great group of boys. All of these guys have been with me since their freshman year. Coming into this year one of our goals was to get it done for this senior class. Now that is what we did.”