HANOVER — Ten Upper Valley seniors participated in the annual Byrne Cup Twin State All-Star Lacrosse Games on Saturday at Hanover High’s Merriman-Branch Field.
Senior all-stars from New Hampshire faced off against Vermont’s all-star seniors. The Granite State won both games: The girls game finished 19-5, and the New Hampshire boys won, 16-10.
Woodstock High attacker Field Willis scored two goals for the Vermont team. He said those goals were special after working through injuries throughout the season.
“It was kind of surreal,” Willis said. “You work really hard to get where you’re at, and you get here and you put some (goals) in, it just feels really good. It’s like you accomplished something.”
Willis was one of six Wasps on Vermont’s boys all-star team, joining long-stick midfielder Charles Greene, midfielder Andrew Gubbins, defender Mason Harkins, defender Louis Mills and midfielder Riley Shepherd. Gubbins also scored a goal for Vermont.
Willis added that the game brought him some closure to end his high school career, noting that he and his team fell just short of making the VPA Division I state title game and ending the season as they intended.
He was not the only player to feel that way.
“It felt really good to play one last high school game with a whole bunch of people that love the sport just like you do,” Hartford High defender Ethan Schaal said. “Good way to end off a high school career.”
Lebanon High goalie Lena Nowell was the lone Upper Valley representative on a New Hampshire team — and, thus, the only victorious player. She said that she didn’t feel like she had to prove herself at all, but that the game’s final score spoke for itself. Nowell made seven saves in the victory.
She enjoyed the experience of playing with girls she hadn’t suited up with before.
“It was nice meeting everybody from all around the state, because a lot of times I’m pretty sheltered; I don’t do a lot of club lacrosse,” Nowell said. “But it was awesome to meet people. A lot of these people are playing in college, and so it was awesome to play with them and sort of feed off their energy and skill.”
The final two athletes came from Hartford’s girls team: defender Ryelee Potwin and attacker Zoe Pfeiffer.
Potwin, like Nowell, also relished playing with other players from around the state. She said that even as the game became lopsided — New Hampshire pulled away early in the first half — the Vermont team tried to keep things lighthearted and have fun.
The boys teams had the same mindset — Willis said the energy on the field was great and he liked all the goal celebrations the Vermont team did on the sideline.
Pfeiffer, the most accomplished boys or girls lacrosse player in Hartford history, didn’t record a point Saturday, but she had fun nonetheless. She said the game was fast-paced, which she expected and she liked.
She said it was nice to come together as athletes and play one more game.
“I think we were all just chatting on the field with each other and were all super happy to be there, and just kind of celebrate the seasons that we just had,” Pfeiffer said. “And we’re seniors, so it’s done now. So it’s just kind of fun to celebrate together.”
Seth Tow can be contacted at stow@vnews.com.