Malden High School’s Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse team has faced a season of growth, grit, and development. With a roster made up mostly of first-time players, the 2025 season has been less about trophies and more about transformation. The team, guided by head coach Jonathan Copithorne and captains senior Ben Rosa and sophomore Dante Bell, is using every game—and every mistake—as a teaching moment.
One of the earliest signs of that foundation-building started long before the first game. Throughout the fall and winter, Copithorne ran a Joy Block lacrosse program in the wrestling room. There, students practiced stick skills and began to develop early team chemistry, especially critical for players who had never picked up a lacrosse stick before this year.
As the official season began, that preparation began to pay off—slowly. With just six seniors and a lineup of newcomers, the team focused on keeping things simple. “Our mindset going into the season was to build chemistry and take each moment day by day,” said Rosa. “We have a lot of new players.”
The team’s current record is 3-11. Despite the challenging season, the team has grown tremendously. “Although our record might not show it, we came together and grew so much,” noted sophomore James Powers. Powers continued to describe how difficult the season was as “injuries, lack of experience, and people not being fully committed,” clouded over the team.
On May 13th, the Boys’ Lacrosse team highlighted their six seniors during their well-earned senior night held at MacDonald Stadium against the Revere Patriots. The six seniors highlighted were Rosa, Caden Sylva, Jonathan Scioletti, Jonathan Barrientos Diaz, Matheus Brito, and Jayden Fernezan.
This season, the team was led by Bell, who has been playing lacrosse since 6th grade, and Rosa, who has been playing since 8th grade and has broken numerous records for the team. “Ben’s got that quiet confidence,” Copithorne said. “He knows where to be, what to do, and the younger guys watch and follow him. Dante’s more vocal—he’s passionate and keeps the team fired up. They balance each other really well.”
Rosa has broken the records for most games played, as he will have played 76 games by the end of the season, most saves in a career, with 704 saves, and highest save percentage in a career, which is at .601. Rosa has also broken the previous single-season save record of 297 saves, set in 2011. “Ben currently has 327 saves with one game left to play,” added Copithorne.
The seniors have certainly been the prime voices and shoulders to lean on for the team. “The seniors have contributed in the best way, Ben being the brick wall the team needs, and other role players always doing their part, like Matt and Johnathan B,” stated Bell.
The team’s performance on senior night showcased not only their desire to win but also their determination to make the seniors proud as they won against the Patriots 8-0. Powers, specifically, demonstrated his quick speed and tricks throughout the game, “I had my first high school hat trick, and it was a great game to send off the seniors.”
Before the game, Coach Copithorne gave appreciation to the seniors as they then posed for a photo.“It was exciting to see posters for seniors and having your family there to watch you play the sport you are growing to love,” Fernezan exclaimed.
Within the first quarter of the game, the atmosphere on the field seemed electric as the ball was carried countless times to both sides of the field. Malden tried various times to score but was unfortunately blocked by Revere’s surrounding defense.
With five minutes left on the clock, Revere’s offense seemed to pick up the pace, scooping the ball from right underneath Malden as they rushed towards Malden’s net. Yet, Rosa quickly blocked their attempt to score by catching the ball with his stick right before it went in, marking the end of the first quarter.
As soon as the second quarter started, Malden’s teamwork was on full display as they seamlessly passed the ball to one another in hopes of scoring. Powers came close to getting the first score for Malden but was blocked by Revere’s tight defense. Yet, Malden’s hope was certainly not diminished as just two minutes into the quarter, Brito scored the first point for Malden. With four minutes left in the quarter, Brito added yet another point with his quick throwing, bringing the score to 2-0.
The results on the scoreboard may not always reflect it, but improvement is showing up in real ways. Copithorne pointed to players like sophomore James Powers and eighth-grader Justin Hurley, who’s already competing at the varsity level. “We’ve got guys like Justin and James stepping up big-time,” he said.
Soon, the entire team was filled with enthusiasm and eagerness as their offensive abilities did not die down, and the ball stayed near Revere’s net almost the entirety of the 2nd quarter. Powers slyly went through the gap of defenders and threw the ball, hitting the net immediately. Barely 20 seconds after Malden scored another point, bringing the score to 4-0.
With less than a minute left in the second quarter, Powers stole the ball during Revere’s attempt to score and raced against Revere defenders, scoring another point for Malden. Powers had the ball again and scored his third point, which ended the second quarter with a score of 6-0.
In the third quarter, Revere fastened their pace, putting more pressure on Malden defensively. Despite their added pressure, Malden, yet again, scored another two goals, marking the scoreboard with 8-0. Although Malden’s lead had increased significantly, their defense continued to play aggressively, blocking multiple attempts at scoring by Revere. Soon, the third quarter would end with no additional points scored.
During the fourth quarter, although Malden had unsuccessful tries at scoring points, their aggressive defense continued on, which truly helped Malden control the game. The fourth quarter would end with no points scored, leading Malden to win by a landslide. Surely this last home game for the seniors on the team did not disappoint.
As the season concludes, wins may be few, but growth is everywhere. With leaders like Rosa and Bell setting the tone, and players getting better every day, Malden’s boys lacrosse team is building something bigger than just a season record. They are learning, growing, and figuring things out together—and those lessons will stick long after the last game.
