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Central Catholic Boys Lacrosse Preview

2007 record: 9-10, lost Division 2 East preliminaries

Returning starters (8): Patrick Helfrich, Sr., midfield; Chris Noyes, Sr., midfield; Preston Carmichael, Sr., midfield; Rob Caulk, Sr., midfield; Shain Jowett, Jr., midfield; Corey Hamilton, Sr., defense; Mike Tavares, Sr., defense; Eric Josephs, Jr., midfield

Returning lettermen: Alex Landry, Sr., midfield; Josh Clark, Sr., defense; Matt LaFrance, Jr., defense; Joe McCarthy, Sr., attack; Nick Mann, Jr., attack

Newcomers: Chris George, Soph., attack; Conor Murphy, Soph., attack; Andrew Ouellette, Soph., midfield; Patrick Rooney, Soph., midfield; Walter Gillis, Jr., goalie; Matt Smith, Jr., defense

Candidates in all grades: 65

Captains: Preston Carmichael, Patrick Helfrich, Corey Hamilton, Chris Noyes

Returning leaders: Patrick Helfrich 14-11|25; Chris Noyes 10-12|22; Shain Jowett 11-6|17

Returning honorees: Chris Noyes, Corey Hamilton MVC All-Stars

Assistants: Aram Jeknavorian; Vinnie Helfrich, volunteer assistant

Opener: at Acton-Boxboro Saturday

Odds and ends: Central graduated its top three scorers ... Vinnie Helfrich, who was on the team last year, is helping out as a volunteer assistant. ... Head coach Matthew Velasquez will coach both the JV and varsity teams. ... Walter Gillis, who was a defenseman until late last year, will start in goal and has been impressive in the preseason. ... Of 60 players still in the program, only 12 have never played lacrosse | a much lower percentage than in previous years. ... Sophomores Conor Murphy and Andrew Ouellette have opened eyes in the preseason. ... The Raiders have upgraded their regular-season schedule in order to better prepare for the tournament.

Coach Matthew Velasquez (4th year, 24-32): "We lost our top three attack guys, but I don't think we'll have a problem scoring goals. Last year, we were attack heavy, but we will have more balance this year and I think we'll have a better season because of it. We have some midfielders with a lot of experience, and very skilled, who should step up. Our biggest strength will be on defense with (Josh) Clark, (Corey) Hamilton and (Matt) LaFrance. They work very well together."