BURLINGTON — There was so much floating in the air Saturday at St. John’s Prep’s state championship lacrosse game, that it’s tough to focus on just one aspect.
Overriding everything, of course, was the Eagles’ 17-13 win over Needham to capture their fourth straight state title. But that was far from the only story. It was also the final game in the career of Jake Vana, who will surely go down in the annals of Massachusetts high school athletic history for his championship pedigree.
Consider: the Princeton-bound Vana appeared in seven state championship games in his high school career, and won them all – four in lacrosse, two in hockey and one in soccer. In Saturday’s game, in his final statement, he scored five goals and dished out an assist.
When the game got too close (14-11 Prep in the fourth quarter), Vana bolted down the far sideline, battled through a battalion of Needham defenders, got through them with the ball intact, and put it behind Rocket goalie Tommy Peabody.
“My cousin (Cole Blaeser) went here, and he always told me ’embrace the moment.’ So, I never get too nervous in these kinds of games,” Vana said. “I just want to go out and, as he said, embrace them.”
Saturday’s game, and Vana’s entire career, left his coach, John Pynchon, scrambling for words.
“Jake has cemented himself in St. John’s – and really, in Massachusetts – athletic history,” Pynchon said. “His legacy as an athlete here … he’s an amazing kid.”
Needham never really went away in this one, much as St. John’s tried to bury the Rockets. St. John’s would pull ahead by four or five goals, and almost immediately, Needham would close the gap. Yet, it never appeared as if the Eagles were in serious trouble.
“We live for these kinds of games,” Vana said. “Not that I wouldn’t want to win easier, but we love shootouts. You just have to trust that one of your teammates is going to make the big play.”
Pynchon said the Eagles expected a tough game by Needham.
“They are very good in transition,” he said. “We missed a couple of passes and they pounced right on them. We knew.”
Vana had plenty of help. Also joining him in the five-goal club was junior midfielder Luke Kelly. Cam McCarthy and Drew Bossi, also juniors, netted three each. Midfielder James Nardone scored the other goal.
The game followed a pattern. St. John’s sprinted out to a 5-1 lead in the first quarter and it looked as if The Prep would run Needham off the field. But the Rockets scored two quick ones at the end of the period to close the gap to 5-3 after 12 minutes.
The Eagles increased that lead to 9-3 before, once again, the Rockets stopped the bleeding and closed the deficit to five, 10-5, by halftime.
Nardone made it 11-5 to start the third period, but Needham got a goal from Jimmy Kenney and two from Jack Curran and all of a sudden, it was 11-8. Bossi, Vana and McCarthy got to work in a hurry, though, scoring a goal each within two minutes and it was 14-9 before Needham scored its 10th goal as time was running out in the quarter.
The final period was more of the same. Cal Sullivan brought the Rockets to within three again before Vana came through with No. 5 of the day to put The Prep up 15-11, and that tilted the momentum back to the Eagles’ side.
When it was over, Vana hung back from the victory pile to take it all in and thank all his teammates individually.
“I’m almost sad now that it’s over,” he said. “I hugged every one of them. This means everything to me.”
Vana said neither his mother, Becky (Blaeser of Masconomet, Harvard and Massachusetts Golf Association fame) nor his sister could attend the game because of a soccer tournament in New Jersey. But the two put a video out on Facebook as they watched a live stream from their car.
“That was tough,” Vana said. “It meant a lot to win for them.”
