There were 10 seconds left in the first half of the Division 2 lacrosse tournament game at Wellesley when North Andover coach Ryan Connolly called a timeout.
His Scarlet Knights were down, 6-0, but had possession near the offensive cage. The right play call could have produced a goal and changed momentum before halftime.
Unfortunately for North Andover (10-11), no instructions could have prepared it for Wellesley’s Ryan Cassidy, an All-America long-stick midfielder.
Two seconds after play restarted, Cassidy chased down James Warden and smacked the ball free.
The play was emblematic of Wellesley’s 12-2 victory, which advanced the Raiders to the quarterfinals of the East Sectionals.
“I told them during the timeout, ‘I want a double team; Cassidy, take the ball,’ ’’ said Raiders coach Rocky Batty. “He knows one speed, and it’s full speed.’’
Cassidy was all over Sprague Field Saturday afternoon, chasing down the ballcarriers like a guided missile.
He stripped the ball clean four times on unofficial count and scooped up 10 ground balls.
The entire North Andover team collected 19.
“I love the chaotic situations,’’ said Cassidy, a senior and Wellesley High’s Male Athlete of the Year. “Faceoffs are perfect; it’s anyone’s ball.’’
“We’re on him all the time because he has 35-40 seconds for a shift, so he’s used to getting out there and burning it,’’ said Batty.
On the attacking end, senior Peter Crane orchestrated the offense with quick ball movement and clean passes, dishing out five assists while scoring once.
Senior John Caraviello scored four times.
Wellesley (18-3) will play host to Scituate (18-4) Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Girls’ lacrosse
Division 1 South
Needham 15, Walpole 5 - Sophomore Catherine Conley scored four goals, while junior Maddie Stenberg and senior captain Tory Waldstein added three goals each to lead the Rockets (21-1).
Boys’ tennis
Division 2 South
Sharon 5, Sandwich 0 - The second team of Ben Gilman and Josh Dobbin won, 6-1, 6-0, for the Eagles (17-0).
Division 3 South
Dover-Sherborn 5, Pope John Paul II 0 - The Raiders were led by third singles Alex Adamczyk, who won, 6-0, 6-0, and their first doubles team, Stefano Barbier and Alex Qian-Wang, who won, 6-1, 6-0.
Football
Xaverian’s Maurice Hurst announced via Twitter Saturday he has verbally committed to the University of Michigan. The Canton resident is expected to play defensive tackle for the Wolverines.
“I’m happy for him,’’ said Xaverian coach and athletic director Charlie Stevenson. “It’s something that he’s worked very hard to achieve.’’
The 6-foot-2-inch, 270-pound Hurst has one year left at Xaverian, where he was a Catholic Conference All-Star.