The guest is Andover boys head coach and owner of HGR Lacrosse, Bryan Brazill. He describes building HGR’s lacrosse-focused indoor turf facility near Lawrence Airport and discusses his relationship with Andover legend Wayne “Pug” Pugliese, now the athletic director. The group reflects on a frustrating, defense-heavy and unusually parity-driven Massachusetts season, speculating about COVID-era developmental impacts. Brazill explains Andover’s choice to play fewer games to prioritize player development, IQ, and chemistry, and contrasts college versus high school buy-in and constraints. They discuss prep-school player movement, Brazil’s coaching approach across ages, Andover’s win over Acton-Boxborough, and upcoming playoff concerns including St. John’s Prep.

Topics

00:54 Podcast Kickoff

01:06 JV Season Grind

02:04 Meet Bryan Brazill

02:17 Inside HGR Facility

03:51 Taking Over Andover

07:04 Season Frustrations

09:08 Why This Year Feels Weird

11:42 Fewer Games Philosophy

15:21 Practice vs Play Debate

20:44 Merrimack Destiny Story

23:21 Intensity and Buy In

24:50 College Buy In Culture

26:57 High School Reality Check

28:58 Getting JP Back

31:09 Prep School Talent Grab

36:58 Coaching And Winning Mindset

39:47 Authenticity And Standards

45:00 Favorite Win And Playoffs

50:58 Coaches Care Closing

Kyle Devitte and Owen Hart discuss a difficult season personally and then preview the upcoming MIAA boys lacrosse playoffs, emphasizing how unusually unpredictable the year has been. They suggest parity might be influenced by more players leaving for prep/private schools and by broader talent saturation driven by youth coaching and participation (noting 208 Massachusetts varsity programs). They highlight surprise teams Winchester (16–1) and Bishop Feehan, and stress roster depth as increasingly decisive, especially across lower divisions. They review notable tight results involving St. John’s Prep and identify key D2 contenders (Reading, Billerica, Mansfield, Longmeadow). Sleepers include Newton North, Needham, St. John’s Shrewsbury, Weston, Foxborough and Bourne/Mashpee; favorites include Cohasset (D4), Norwell/Medfield (D3), Billerica (D2), and Lincoln-Sudbury (D1). They also pick NCAA winners: Princeton (D1), Adelphi (D2) and Tufts (D3).

MIAA boys lacrosse, MIAA, MIAA lacrosse, high school lacrosse, Winchester, Bishop Feehan, St. John’s Prep, Reading, Billerica, Mansfield, Longmeadow, Chasing the Goal podcast, lacrosse

Topics

00:52 Podcast Kickoff Banter

01:10 Season Grind Stories

02:06 Playoff Preview Setup

02:49 Why This Season Is Wild

04:57 Prep School Talent Drain

06:09 Talent Boom Theory

10:14 Coaching and Expectations

15:47 Surprise Teams Rising

17:51 Depth Wins Playoffs

22:16 St. Johns Prep Close Calls

24:09 Division 2 Contenders

24:52 Division 3 Chaos

27:44 Division Cutoffs Explained

28:33 Weston Moves Up

29:06 Giving D4 Some Love

29:31 D4 Towns and Cohasset

30:34 Wild Injury Tangent

32:32 Seeding and Dream Matchups

34:55 D1 Sleepers to Watch

37:00 Sleepers D2 to D4

40:58 Picking Division Favorites

44:05 LS Title Case in D1

46:07 Games to Watch Soon

47:34 NCAA Final Four Picks

51:07 Wrap Up and Thanks

Kyle Devitte and Owen Hart discuss the season’s progression and April break week in Massachusetts lacrosse before interviewing Kings Lacrosse youth director Chris McGuirk. McGuirk contrasts lacrosse development in the 1990s — when many athletes picked up the sport later and could still find roles and rise — with today’s earlier, more specialized pathway. He recounts coaching in Portsmouth, N.H., building youth programs, and later coaching and assisting at Norwell, Hingham and Thayer, emphasizing the appeal of assistant roles vs. head-coach administrative burdens. McGuirk describes how parenting lacrosse players changed his perspective on coaches and parents, shares an anecdote about his younger son’s early high school success, and reflects on referee culture and shortages. He argues town lacrosse remains essential while club programs should provide flexible, value-focused development that complements multisport and town schedules.

01:16 Season Check-In

01:54 Poll Talk Rivalries

02:20 Meet Chris McGuirk

03:47 Then Vs. Now

06:25 Portsmouth Coaching Years

08:29 Divisions Pay Gaps

11:19 Norwell and Hingham Path

15:50 Head Coach Realities

20:24 Parent Perspective Shift

22:17 Origins In Youth Lacrosse

25:32 Coaching Arc as a Dad

26:18 Building Youth to Varsity Pipeline

26:53 What Makes a Great Coach

28:22 Administration and Year-Round Culture

30:03 Intensity and the Popsicle Debate

34:20 Adjusting for Age and Level

36:26 Proud Dad Player Story

38:54 Mass. Refs and Respect

43:28 Ref Shortage and New Officials

44:47 Town Vs. Club Youth Lacrosse

50:52 Wrap-Up and Charter Cup Talk

Kyle Devitte and Owen Hart interview Reading (Mass.) High School boys lacrosse head coach Rob Parkin about Reading’s 5–0 start and an emotional regular-season rematch with Billerica after last year’s 17–16 championship loss, emphasizing resilience, preparation and the team motto “attitude is everything.” Parkin discusses sportsmanship and Massachusetts lacrosse community ties, Division 2’s depth and tiers, the importance of playing elite competition, and building culture through stakeholder buy-in and strong youth programs. He describes learning under legendary coach Charlie Hardy, offers recruiting advice focused on fit and greater high school coach involvement, addresses public vs. Catholic-school tension and a possible Catholic Cup, downplays rankings, and highlights this year’s balance, experience and state-title expectations.

Topics

Kyle and Mike Zhe preview New England prep lacrosse beyond the ISL, covering the Founders League, Lakes Region, NESLL, and girls prep rankings. In the Founders League they highlight Loomis Chaffee as the top returning team, with Choate and Taft as main challengers and Avon Old Farms a dark horse, plus notes on Hotchkiss, Trinity-Pawling, Westminster and others. In the Lakes Region they pick Holderness as the team to beat, discuss injury-hit New Hampton, St. Paul’s graduation losses, and dark horses including Proctor, Kimball Union, Brewster, Tilton and Vermont Academy. In the seven-team NESLL they rank Pingree over Dexter Southfield after last year’s 3–1 final, with Cushing as a potential riser and notes on Phillips Exeter and Portsmouth Abbey. The show ends with a girls prep top 10 led by Sacred Heart Greenwich, followed by Nobles, Dexter, Governors, Andover, Hotchkiss, Deerfield, Greenwich Academy, Holderness and Milton.

Topics

01:58 Founders League Preview

02:32 Loomis Chaffee Favorites

06:14 Choate Challenger Breakdown

08:42 Taft Rebound Season

10:30 Avon Dark Horse

12:35 Other Founders Teams

13:33 Lakes Region Shift

13:58 Holderness Top Pick

15:55 New Hampton Injury Comeback

18:41 St Paul’s Reloading

20:46 Dark Horses Proctor and KUA

22:41 Tilton and Brewster Picks

24:42 NESLL ‘Rock Fight’ Recap

25:36 Pingree Season Breakdown

27:43 Dexter Southfield Defense

29:21 Cushing Dark Horse Case

31:24 Exeter and Portsmouth Abbey

33:09 Girls Prep Format Overview

34:28 Girls Rankings 10 to 8

39:31 Girls Rankings 7 to 5

41:36 Girls Top Four Contenders

44:05 Sacred Heart Greenwich No 1

45:24 Closing Stories and Wrap

Kyle Devitte and guest Mike Zhe preview the upcoming ISL boys lacrosse season using tiered rankings and coaches survey feedback, noting many new head coaches and emphasizing faceoffs, defense, depth and replacing graduated scoring. In the “looking to improve” tier, they discuss Brooks, BB&N, Groton, Lawrence Academy, St. George’s and St. Mark’s. In the next tier, they rank Roxbury Latin (10), Rivers (9), Thayer (8), Governor’s (7), and Middlesex (6). Their top five are Nobles (5), Milton Academy (4), St. Sebastian’s (3), Tabor (2) and defending champion Belmont Hill (1), highlighting key players and predicting Tabor as champion.

01:57 ISL Preview Format

03:03 Tier 1 Brooks

04:38 BB&N's New Coach

07:02 Groton Underrated Pick

08:21 Lawrence Academy Firepower

09:54 St. Georges Campus and Rebuild

12:26 New Era at St Mark's 

14:18 "Don't Sleep" Tier

15:37 Roxbury Latin Defense First

17:00 Rivers Ranking Debate

18:20 Thayer Bounce-Back Case

20:41 Governor's Tough Midfield

22:09 Middlesex Question Marks

24:39 Top 5 Tier

25:41 Nobles' Offensive Firepower

27:17 Milton Academy X Factors

30:27 St. Sebastian’s Talent and New Coach

33:42 System Overhaul Debate

36:48 Tabor Rising Contender

40:25 Belmont Hill Dynasty Talk

46:29 Season Predictions and Wrap

Kyle and Owen welcome Billerica boys lacrosse coach Ryan Nickerson, the reigning MIAA Division 2 champion. Nickerson describes a preseason shaped by winter-sport athletes, weight training, and the long-running “Spring Meltdown” tune-up, then reflects on beating BC High by focusing on being the better team rather than public-vs-Catholic narratives. He emphasizes managing high school players’ emotions, including using silent timeouts, and recounts a draining title game versus Reading where neither team would quit. The group discusses neutral-site showcase games at Bentley, scheduling strategy amid power rankings, integrating eighth graders, club lacrosse dynamics, replacing graduating seniors, team captains, and Billerica’s distinct town culture and accent.

Topics

01:05 Preseason Chaos

01:36 Welcoming Coach Nickerson

03:12 Preseason Plan

04:23 Public vs Catholic Pressure

06:25 Coaching Emotions

09:35 Duxbury Breakthrough

11:16 Championship Rollercoaster

15:02 Neutral Site Showcase

17:29 Scheduling Tough Opponents

19:04 Practice Tweaks and Sub Game

21:02 Eighth Graders on Varsity

24:22 Cam’s Rise and Recruiting

27:02 Undersized Star Advantage

28:25 Club Lacrosse Connections

30:01 Club Beyond Recruiting

31:41 High School Team Mindset

35:09 Reaching Tough Players

37:04 Scheduling and Rankings

41:05 Replacing Graduated Leaders

46:18 New Captains and Grit

49:30 Billerica Accent and Roots

52:22 Program Legends and Wrap Up

Kyle Devitte and Owen Hart discuss various aspects of lacrosse with Medfield High School head coach John Isaf. They delve into the dynamics of high school lacrosse in Massachusetts, including the impact of COVID-19, changes in MIAA divisions, participation trends, and the role of club lacrosse. Isaf provides insights into Medfield’s successful program, his coaching philosophy, dealing with the pressures of maintaining a championship-winning culture, and memorable matches. The discussion also touches on the New England lacrosse scene, challenges of scheduling competitive games, and the evolution of the sport in the region.

01:30 Interview with Coach John Isaf

02:03 Discussing MIAA Team Movements

02:53 Funny Anecdotes and Text Messages

09:34 Impact of COVID on Lacrosse

20:56 Changes in Playoff Formats and Power Rankings

24:54 Strength of Schedule and Tournament Teams

26:32 Challenges of Small School Lacrosse Programs

29:23 Economic and Facility Disparities in School Sports

30:38 Medfield's Athletic Success and Culture

36:41 The Role of Club Teams in Lacrosse Development

48:59 Reflections on Memorable Games and Losses

50:24 Podcast Conclusion and Acknowledgements

Kyle and Owen interview Matt Chandik, the Director of Communications for Dynamic Sports Management and Social Media Director of the National Lacrosse Federation. The discussion covers Matt's journey from writing for his college newspaper to becoming a key figure in lacrosse media and event management. They explore the intricacies of handling large-scale lacrosse events, the impact of social media on the sport, and how authentic storytelling can set apart lacrosse content. 

Topics

01:30 Meet Our Guest: Matt Chandik

02:21 Matt's Journey into Lacrosse Media

06:33 Challenges and Rewards of Lacrosse Event Management

13:25 The Reality of Lacrosse as a Career

24:43 The Rise of High School Sports Edits

25:58 Challenges of Social Media Content

27:04 The Importance of Quality in Sports Clips

28:15 Engagement and Follower Dynamics

30:07 The Evolution of Sports Media

31:17 The Future of Lacrosse Media

43:59 Memorable Lacrosse Moments

47:32 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Kyle and Owen sit down with Mike Silipo, the new head coach of St. Sebastian's lacrosse team. The podcast explores Silipo’s transition from a successful tenure at Boston University to taking the helm at St. Sebastian's. They discuss the intricacies of coaching at different levels, the importance of simplicity in strategy, and the nuances of the face-off and shot clock in modern lacrosse. Silipo shares insights on team dynamics, his approach to player development, and his philosophy on coaching both on and off the field. This episode also touches on the rich lacrosse culture in Massachusetts, the relationships among rival coaches, and the unique challenges and rewards of high school coaching. Join them for an in-depth conversation about the journey of building a lacrosse program and preparing young athletes for success.

Topics

00:56 Welcome to Chasing the Goal Podcast

01:57 Interview with Mike Silipo: New Head Coach of St. Sebastian's

02:44 Coaching Philosophy and Experience

04:00 Transition to High School Coaching

06:30 Offensive Strategies and Player Development

08:39 Challenges and Adaptations in Coaching

21:00 The Importance of Face-Offs in Lacrosse

23:53 Box Lacrosse vs. Field Lacrosse

24:20 The Importance of the Ride

24:40 Differentiating Midfielders and Attackmen

25:44 Training and Player Development

27:40 Rivalries and Mental Warfare

29:26 Motivational Tactics and Coaching Stories

31:58 Balancing Relationships and Performance

40:45 Final Thoughts and Reflections