MEDFIELD — Medfield has a proud lacrosse history, spanning across both its boys and girls lacrosse programs.
The tradition is currently being carried on by senior Kelly Blake, a Boston College women’s lacrosse commit who has taken the Commonwealth by storm these past few years.
“Honestly, I’ve played lacrosse my whole life,” said Blake. “My father played in college at St. Michaels, so ever since I could walk, I had a stick in my hand. He was always passing with me in the backyard, I had a bounce-back net in my backyard. I can’t ever remember a moment in my life where I went without one.”
Blake is the latest star to emerge from her family’s tree. Her father Tommy played in college. Her older sister Kathryn is a junior leader of Babson College’s lacrosse team, and the school’s second-leading scorer.
Younger sister Elizabeth is a junior with the Warriors. The siblings are chasing a Div. 3 state championship.
So far, so good. Medfield is the top-ranked school in the divisional field. Blake has 64 goals and 36 assists already this season, with 100 draw controls.
In Coach Mary Laughna’s sixth year leading the Warriors, Blake has impressed.
“I would say that Blake is the best player to go through Medfield,” Lauhgna said. “For sure.”
As a freshman she sniped 60 goals, the second-highest mark on an incredible team.
“She came in freshman year, and she was already a very good player,” said Laughna. “We knew from the start that she was going to have a huge impact on the program.”
In late April, Blake recorded her 500th career point, and also passed 500 draw controls, a statistical feat almost unheard of.
“I was very happy, obviously,” Blake said. “I was very thankful for the teammates that I have to make that happen, because a lot of my goals are on cuts. I’m getting fed the ball, a lot of my assists are when the girls are getting open for me. I’m really thankful for my teammates, because they are really the reason that this happened. It’s hard to score 500 points, but with my team, they made it easy, because they were there for me, always.”
Dozens of colleges courted Blake, but she set her sights on Boston College, one of the top women’s lacrosse programs in the nation over the last decade.
“I grew up always going to the (BC) games,” said Blake. “It’s always been a dream of mine. My uncle went there, so when I was growing up, I would always go to the football games with my cousins. I just fell in love with it the second that I stepped on campus. I loved the school spirit.
“When I started getting into lacrosse as I got older, I went to all the home games that I could,” Blake said. “When they were in the National title game for the first time at Gillette, I remember being at that game, and saying: ‘This is where I want to go.’”
Medfield’s schedule is one of the toughest in the state, but the Warriors have cruised to a 10-2 record, and remain atop the Div. 3 power rankings.
“We’ve done pretty well,” Laughna said. “The two losses we’ve had, we did not play well. So I know that we can play better than we did in those two losses. I think we have the potential to go pretty far with her.
“I think she sees lacrosse being in her life. Forever.”
“We’ve just got to work with each other a lot in these big games,” said Blake. “Because we have a tough schedule, obviously. One person can’t do the job. It’s just about working with my teammates, having good chemistry. A team that yells at each other never wins, is what I like to say. You always have to support your team and that’s what makes (the great things happen).”