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FARMINGTON — For a team convinced it has championship mettle, this performance said a lot. 

It’s state title or bust for a Maranacook/Winthrop boys lacrosse team with seven starters returning from last year’s Class C runner-up squad. The Hawks were short-handed Tuesday afternoon, but still showed their potential Tuesday afternoon with an early blitz. 

Despite missing six varsity players because of vacations and illnesses, Maranacook/Winthrop jumped out to a five-goal lead in the first quarter, never led by fewer than four after that, and beat Mt. Blue 10-6.

“We were down a lot of kids; I don’t think I’ve ever coached a game where I’ve only had six middies before,” said Maranacook/Winthrop coach Dan Brannigan. “The kids just dug deep. We needed a gritty effort, and today, we got one.”

How the Hawks did it 

• Cobey Dunn’s goal 14 seconds in began a barrage for Maranacook/Winthrop (2-0). The Hawks scored four more in the first quarter before Parker Douin’s goal 14 seconds into the second quarter gave the Hawks a 6-0 lead. 

• Strong defense complemented the offensive effort. The Hawks held Mt. Blue (0-1) without a shot in the first quarter. Lucas Woodruff finished with nine saves, including three big ones in the third quarter.

“It was a good game all around, really,” said Maranacook/Winthrop’s Jacob Lyons. “Our defense played pretty lockdown, so that helped a lot, and we put some balls in the back of the net.”

What it means

• Maranacook/Winthrop showed an ability to win a key game with a chunk of its team unavailable. Among those missing for the Hawks were Caleb Morgan and Sam Corgan, two key attackers, as well as midfielder Thatcher Riley.

• The loss was a tough start to the season for Mt. Blue. A young midfield that includes five freshmen and a defense adjusting to changes from last season had moments, but coming back from a 6-0 deficit was too much to ask.

“Defensively, we have a couple seniors who played midfield last year and a sophomore who just switched three days ago,” said Mt. Blue coach Matt Reynolds. “They’re still trying to figure out each other and when to slide and how to slide, and that sort of thing.”

They said it

“We told the guys, ‘Hey, we have to get out to a hot start,” so being able to do that was definitely big for us. We knew that, with the guys we were missing, our legs were going to get tired. I’m really proud of the guys for how they battled through it.” — Dan Brannigan

“I thought we did not play to where we should have, just making small mistakes — nothing major, but just things one after another that they were able to take advantage of. … I feel like we outplayed them in the second half, but it was a day late and a dollar short.” — Matt Reynolds

Stat leaders

• Maranacook/Winthrop: Jacob Lyons (four goals, two assists), Ethan Chilton (two goals), Parker Douin (two goals), Mitch Maceda (goal, three assists), Lucas Woodruff (nine saves)

• Mt. Blue: Tyler Abell (two goals), Luc Walker (goal, assist), Brody Farmer (11 saves)

Up next

• Maranacook/Winthrop: vs. Fryeburg Academy, 11 a.m. Friday

• Mt. Blue: at Lewiston, 3 p.m. Friday