The dominance of the Pelham High School football team continues, even in late spring.

For two consecutive years the Pythons have gone undefeated on the gridiron en route to state championships, and boys lacrosse head coach Matt Regan said his team can reap the postseason benefits.

PHS concluded the regular season with an 11-3 mark and has more wins this year than the previous four years combined, but the coach enters the tournament without a single playoff-tested player.

“It’ll be tough. I’ve got a group of guys who have never been there,” he said. “I have a few football players who know what it’s like to go all the way, so I’m relying on them to share what it takes with their teammates.”

The regular season closed for the Pythons with a 10-7 home loss to undefeated Monadnock on Friday, May 22, in a game that may go a long way in preparing Pelham for the playoffs.

After the Huskies struck first in the opening quarter, Justin Mansfield evened the score, then Tom O’Brien gave the Pythons a 2-1 advantage.

It appeared the game would be tied entering the intermission, but Josh Fisette took a pass from Sean Paradis on a breakaway and found the back of the net as the buzzer rang for a 4-3 Pelham lead.

Monadnock showed how it dominated Division III play with a 13-0 record when it scored five consecutive goals to grab an 8-4 edge.

Pelham bounced back with three straight scores to trim the lead to 8-7, but the locals couldn’t claw any closer.

“When we fell behind by four, things could have gone south very quickly,” said Regan. “They didn’t let that happen. That just shows that we’re ready for the playoffs.”

Last year the Pythons were 2-12, but Regan said he believed entering the 2009 campaign that his team had improved thanks to an offseason of indoor play.

Despite higher expectations, the mentor admitted even he has been surprised at his team’s marked improvement.

Even though Pelham was unable to hand the Huskies their first loss of the year, Regan believes his team sent a message entering D-III postseason play, which is scheduled to begin Monday, June 1.

“We know we can play with anyone,” he said. “I think the moment got us a little, but we made the statement that we needed to make.”