Blake, Proefrock lead Medfield to Div. 3 state girls lacrosse title

BURLINGTON — As Kelly Blake and Alex Proefrock led their squad onto the turf at Burlington High School on Thursday, the senior captains shared a goal. They each had accomplished just about everything you could ask for in a high school career, but there was still one final mission to be completed.

The duo combined for seven goals as top-seeded Medfield capped its campaign with a memorable 14-10 victory over No. 2 Newburyport in the Div. 3 girls lacrosse championship.

After coming up just short in the Final Four last spring, the Warriors had no intentions of a repeat performance.

“It means everything,” said Proefrock. “It means so much to me. Last year’s loss was really hard for us. To come back, and end my senior year by winning a state championship is the best feeling ever.”

It was the first Div. 3 title for the Warriors since 2022, and they knocked off the reigning champion to attain it. Proefrock shouldered things with a game-high four goals, while Blake (hat trick, three assists) paced Medfield with six points. It didn’t take long for Blake to leave an imprint, as the Boston College commit drew a free position shot in the opening minute. The senior sniped her ensuing attempt, as Medfield (22-3) seized a 1-0 advantage 35 seconds in.

Then the schools engaged in a back-and-forth duel for much of the first half. Newburyport (20-3) senior captain Olivia McDonald sniped a free position shot of her own to even things for the Clippers at 3-all with 7:48 remaining in the half.

However, the Warriors closed the second quarter with a surge, as Blake scored her second goal, before Proefrock sniped her first of the evening to make it 5-3. Kendall Herrick would net her second goal off a free position shot with 35 seconds left in the half, as Medfield constructed a 6-3 lead at intermission.

“I’m just so happy to end my senior season like this with such amazing girls,” Blake said. “Such amazing coaches. (Newburyport was) a really good, competitive team, so I give them a lot of credit. But at the end, I think we just wanted it more. We fought harder than they did, and came out with the right result.”

After senior captain Olivia McDonald opened the second half with a pair of goals to trim it to a 6-5 contest for Newburyport with 10:39 to play in the third quarter, Medfield found a second gear. Proefrock tallied two more goals in the frame to complete the hat trick, while Michaela McDonald ripped a shot into the back of the cage with five seconds left in the stanza as the Warriors built a 12-8 lead entering the fourth.

Herrick also recorded a hat trick for Medfield, while her classmate Maeve Kelly added a pair of goals.

Newburyport was led by McDonald, who had a hat trick, as did Lilly Pons and Reese Bromby.

“It feels incredible,” said Medfield coach Mary Laughna. “Last year, we had a great team, and we lost in the Final Four. We went into this season saying that we were going to get it back this time. We were going to finish stronger this time, and we really did.”

Medfield’s Kelly Blake, right, gets a step on Newburyport’s Lilly Pons during the Division 3 state championship game. Medfield earned a 14-10 win. (Libby O’Neill/Boston Herald)

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