Four years ago a very green group of freshmen helped the John Stark girls lacrosse team to the first win in program history.

In 2005, the Lady Generals notched one victory. The next season, they triumphed five times, and then, in 2007, their 6-8 record under first-year head coach Jon Warner earned them a spot in the Division III tournament.

This season, the 8-5 squad has won five of six and seven of its last nine contests to secure its first winning season.

Following an 11-8 victory against Merrimack Valley on Monday, May 19, John Stark is back in the playoffs, and with a win in its final game against 9-4 Kingswood, the squad can climb as high as the No. 5 seed.

Last season, Warner said it was a forgone conclusion seven teams would be in the playoffs. That left Stark, Hopkinton and Kearsarge to battle for the final berth. The Lady Generals earned the honor, but lost to eventual state champ Hollis-Brookline in a tight battle.

This year, the league is wide open behind favorite Portsmouth, said Warner “Right now, we’re just looking for the highest seed we can get, and then I’m hoping we can get a playoff win,” he said. “… Depending where we’re positioned, there are certainly teams we are capable of beating.”

But a 14-12 Senior-Day loss to rival Kearsarge on Saturday, May 17, squashed John Stark’s hope of hosting a first-round playoff contest. “It really hurt,” said Warner. “I mean, we’ll end up with similar records to other teams, but lose on tie-breakers.”

Still, Warner isn’t complaining.

After all, neither Weare nor Henniker have youth lacrosse programs, so all but two players – sophomores Annele Jones and Zile Jones – picked up a lacrosse stick for the first time in high school.

Teams like Hollis-Brookline and Portsmouth, on the other hand, receive middle-school athletes already developing into polished lax players.

Of the 2008 roster’s 10 seniors, nine start.

That list includes tri-captains Sam Aucoin and Weare residents Kelsey Wells and Steph Constant. In addition, Weare’s Connie Honeycutt and Nikki Scarneo complete their last season at John Stark, as do Lauren Baum, Shelbie Connor, Brianna Duquette, Jordan Modine and Morgan Vogt.

“This is a great group of girls to coach,” said Warner. “We have a lot of players who played three or four years that have contributed and helped the team grow, and we all appreciate what they’ve brought to the program, so we’re going to miss them.”

Weare’s Rachel Quimby is a three-year starter in net and one of five juniors.

The relatively small group of juniors, said Warner, may mean a rebuilding year in ’09, but a crop of 14 sophomores and eight freshmen certainly offer hope.

Other Weare residents contributing this season include Angela Beaulieu, Jess Constant, Martha Fiala, Dydney Getzin, Alyssa Hawkes, Kayla Hubbard, Arelle Legrand, Cassie Purington and Meredith Wheeler.

Game notes
After falling into a 3-0 hole in the first four minutes against Merrimack Valley, the Lady Generals battled back and knotted the contest at four by halftime.

The locals pulled away in the second half, outscoring their foes 7-4 to secure the victory. The win was Stark’s first ever against Merrrimack Valley, and it secured the program’s first winning record and a spot in the D-III tournament.

Aucoin found the back of the net five times to break the JS scoring record with 103 career goals.

Honeycutt added two goals and three assists; Annele Jones contributed a goal and two assists; Zile Jones offered a goal and an assist; Modine had two assists; and Steph Constant also provided a helper.

Season notes
Through May 17, Aucoin leads the team with 32 goals and 37 points. Annele Jones has added 22 goals and 29 points. Honeycutt has contributed 22 goals and 29 points.

Wells, who leads the team with 11 assists, is fourth in total points with 25. Constant has offered nine assists.