Watertown Boys' Lacrosse Bids Farewell to its "First Five"

The following was submitted by Bob Johnson from Watertown Lacrosse:

Michigan basketball had its Fab Five, and the current Watertown High School junior class has its own Fab Four, so what moniker should be attached to these five Raider senior athletes? Time will tell, but perhaps a fitting iconic nickname should simply be: “The First Five.” Jack Bracket, Michael Busconi, Dino Flori, Justin Pelletier, and Ben Sampson, the senior co-captains of the 2012 tournament bound WHS boy’s lacrosse team, will forever be known as the first five players to graduate from the program. But there’s more to their “first” stories than just being the initial graduates. As each one moves on in his secondary schooling, words like leadership, passion,and honor will also be a huge part of their legacy.

Let’s work our way out from the goal to the defense, and then attack. Justin Pelletier didn’t pick up a lacrosse stick until his first year of high school. When he first tried the sport with the U15 team of Watertown Youth Lacrosse, he was a stand-out, stay-at-home defenseman. When the WHS JV program began during his sophomore campaign, he continued to improve his skills on “D” until halfway through the season when the coaching staff called for a volunteer to play net. As a hockey goalie, “Juddie” certainly had a background in guarding a net, but the two positions are infinitely different. With guidance from assistant coach Mike Forgione, himself a goalie during his playing days, Pelletier morphed into one of the best goalies in the Middlesex League in just under a season and a half. In his two years as a varsity goaltender, he led a Raider defense that improved steadily from 2011 to 2012, and stymied not one, but two powerful offenses during this spring’s . Head coach Chris Burns described the URI bound net minder as a “wall in the cage who comes up with save after save to bail out the team on a regular basis.”

Jack Bracket and Ben Sampson were both valuable members of the defense, and neither had the benefit of a year or two of seasoning at the youth lacrosse level. Both first picked up lacrosse sticks as sophomores, and both quickly became three year starters. After some hard work and two summers of club lacrosse, Sampson developed into a Middlesex League all-star, and one ofthe best long-poles in the metro Boston area. Burns calls him the “quarterback of the defense and a player always looking for ways to improve not only himself, but the team and the younger players as well.” During the season and especially the Raider’s playoff run, Sampson was assigned by the coaching staff to cover and shut down the opposition’s best offensive players and game changers. In both post-season games, it was clearly mission accomplished, as the Fairhaven and Archbishop Williams leading scorers were held to minimal scoring opportunities and frustrated by Sampson’s skills and techniques. Ben will continue his playing career at Emmanuel College in the fall.
If Sampson is the heart of the defense, then it is very clear that Bracket is the soul. Burns calls him the “emotional leader of the team,” and marvels at how the “players feed off his passion and enthusiasm that he brings to the game” both on and off the field. It takes courage to be a leader at the high school level, and Jack possesses that courage. A solid stay-at-home defenseman, Bracket participated in athletics all 12 seasons at WHS, and captained two teams (lacrosse and wrestling). This type of dedication and commitment shaped Jack into one ofthe hardest workers on the field. He and his defensive teammates wore down the Fairhaven offense so much in , the Blue Devils’ 90 goal scorer had little left in the tank in the fourth quarter to compete with the better conditioned Raider athletes. He will graduate with a 3.62 GPA, and will leave a as a three-time class president, three-time Executive Committee member, and a three-time Ambassadors for Change member. UMass-Amherst will be lucky to have him on campus this fall.

Words like steady, consistent, and dependability always seem to enter into any conversation involving Dino Flori. As a southpaw, he’s been at the right attack position since day one. At U15 Youth Lacrosse, he was there. JV’s? Check. Two years of varsity? Yup, he was there.Whether it’s on the gridiron, the ice, or the lacrosse field, he’s the type of player who doesn’t seem to do too much in a game until you look at the post-game stats and see a line of two goals and two assists and you think to yourself, “Huh? When and how did he do that?” Well, it was easy. He’s constantly in the right position, at the right time, to make the right play. A three sport athlete, he earned seven varsity letters in his career. As a senior, he was recognized by the football coaching staff as the Defensive Player of the Year for his fierce hits on special teams, and was awarded the “Sportsmanship Award” by the hockey coaches. Flori was also nominated for the Assistant Principal’s Award at the conclusion of his senior campaign. Burns says he “has been a steady contributor to the offense over the last three years, and has improved significantly as a player.” A strong finisher on fast breaks and possessing great hands, Flori never missed a lacrosse game in his three years on the team. Did I mention the word dependable? Dino will continue his lacrosse career at UMass-Boston in the fall.

The left attack position was occupied by Michael Busconi. A three sport athlete and a three sport captain as a senior, how’s this for a list of firsts? He led the ice hockey team to a 9-9-2 regular season record and a trip to the post season with a legitimate five hundred record for the first time since (possibly) the 1987 season. He led the lacrosse team to a 10-10 record, and the first ever post season win. He led the team in scoring as a junior, and this year he finished with 50 goals and 36 assists for 86 points, placing him in the top 10 in the state of Massachusetts.He was named a Middlesex League all-star in both hockey and lacrosse. Both firsts? Yup, you betcha. But above all the accolades, Burns describes him best when he calls Busconi the “leader on offense, who always comes up with the big goals.” His unselfishness as anathlete is an inspiration to many of the underclassmen. As a sophomore, he played middie rather than attack because that is where his skills bet fit the team’s needs. He has earned a well-deserved reputation as a hard-working, trustworthy individual who strives to excel. Michael responds with courage when challenged to produce his best effort. He not only rises to the challenges confronting him but he does so with enthusiasm, a sense of duty, and an unwillingness to be satisfied with anything less than the best from himself. He has fun doing it too. He leads and motivates others while doing it with a smile. It is this combination of balance and boundless effort that makes it easy to see nothing but a bright and successful future for this impressive student- athlete, who will attend Winchendon in the fall.

They are one goalie, two defensemen, and two attack. Five Watertown High School student-athletes with five different personalities, coming from five different backgrounds. But they all share one common bond. They are the first. Three years ago, the Raider lacrosse motto was “The Tradition Begins.” It is now “The Tradition Continues.” Thanks to these “First Five,” the foundation is built and the program is strong. They will be missed, but for them, it is a perfect way to end a high school career, and begin a new chapter.