The Bishop Feehan boys are in the midst of a historic boys lacrosse season.

“This is the highest we have ever been ranked in Division 1,” said coach Tom Sheerin. “We had a good run in Division 2 eight or 10 years ago, but we’ve never had this kind of consistent play, and consistent high level of play.”

Sheerin was one of the program’s founders at Bishop Feehan in 2006, and took over as the Shamrocks’ head coach five seasons back. As of Friday morning, the Shamrocks (14-3) were seeded eighth in the MIAA’s latest Div. 1 power ranking and listed 20th in the Herald’s top 25.

Last spring, the team welcomed a trio of talented siblings to the program. Following a recent shoulder surgery, Franciscan University of Steubenville commit Cooper Masso has 32 goals and 42 assists in just 10 games. His brothers have provided outstanding contributions themselves, in sophomore Blake (45 goals, 50 assists) and goaltender Keegan (5.88 goals per game, 153 saves, 61% save percentage).

Feehan also had a group of dynamic underclassmen enter the varsity ranks. Sophomores Chase Dreystadt (42 goals, 23 assists), Mikey Ferraro (52 goals, 27 assists) and Dexter Izzo (47 goals, 34 assists) have each been lighting up the scoreboard.

“I think we did a good job last year with introducing our schedule to the bigger time teams. Kind of playing them, seeing where we stand with them. … It was kind of a good test, to see where we were with the big dogs,” Sheerin said.

On top of everything, Izzo’s uncle joined the coaching staff at Bishop Feehan: Ryan Izzo, a former UMass (Amherst) lacrosse star and member of the Boston Cannons.

“It’s a combination of getting lacrosse players in and having them dedicated to the sport,” Sheerin said. “Then, bringing in Ryan’s expertise has certainly been a factor.”

Feehan has registered great wins against schools such as St. John’s (Shrewsbury), Sandwich and King Philip. Their slate even featured an eye-popping 27-5 victory over Framingham and a 24-0 blanking of Cardinal Spellman.

However, the biggest win for the Shamrocks came against Franklin during a 14-6 romp April 26. It was the first victory for Bishop Feehan against their rival from a few miles north. It was a goal that the team had set at the start of the campaign. Mission accomplished.

Only one question remains with the MIAA tournament cutoff date set for Memorial Day. How far can this particular group go?

“I feel like every team’s goal is to win the championship,” senior captain Aidan Bednarek said. “That’s my goal, honestly. It’s our senior year. Try to make the best of what we can, and see what happens.”

Nantucket’s family approach

To repeat as champions, having team chemistry is important.

Nantucket’s team might just have that formula. The school has two set of siblings powering the team. Led by twins Canton and Jeremy Jenkinson, and twins Ben and Nick Yates, the Whalers have taken competing as a family to the next level.

They’re all juniors, and each stands as a pillar on the defensive side of the ball. That is a big reason why Nantucket is posed to do damage again come this year’s Div. 4 tournament.

“This season, we’re right there,” said Nantucket coach Sam Aloisi. “A local TV guy was telling me we’re right up there with the fewest points allowed. We’re not leading Div. 4, but we’re in the top few, I believe, after what he told me. But quite honestly, our defense is what has put us up there in the top four or five.”

Last year Nantucket captured the Div. 4 title with a 7-6 win over Sandwich to complete a 21-1 season. Back then, the Whalers were a juggernaut offensively.

This year, the team philosophy has changed drastically, but the school keeps on finding wins through suffocating play. On Friday morning, the Whalers were listed fourth overall in the MIAA’s Div. 4 boys lacrosse power rankings at 10-5.

Jeremy started occasionally in net as a freshman at the varsity ranks, and Canton soon was a Swiss Army knife in the midfield and the back end. It helped that two of their closest friends would soon be paired with them on one side of the turf.

This past offseason, the identical Yates twins have taken their game a step further, helping Nantucket become one of the strongest programs in most defensive categories.

“The Jenkinsons in particular are two of the best players on our team just in general,” said Aloisi. “We’re going to have them for next year, they’re going to be bigger, faster, stronger and more experienced. They’re captains of the team, the Jenkinsons. So it’s all good stuff. Next year our defense is going to be that much stronger.”