Three Saugus Centurions boys’ lacrosse stars announced their future colleges on Saturday in a signing day event just ahead of the team’s game with St. John Bosco.
Parker Teel, Matt Hollenbaugh and Wyatt Notch were hyped up after inking their commitment letters and carried that into the game, which ended in an 18-3 beatdown of the Braves.
Teel, a Concordia-Irvine commit, doubled the Braves’ goal totals by himself and finished the day with six goals and three assists.
Notch, a Dominican commit, also outscored Bosco as he netted five goals with three assists.
Hollenbaugh, who will continue his lacrosse career at William Penn, shut out the Braves with six saves in the first half, before subbing out for the second.
Teel continues to thrash defenses in his senior season. The Concordia commit is already Saugus’ all-time leading scorer and could likely finish this season with another league offensive Player of the Year award.
“Parker was the Foothill League offensive player of the year last season,” said Centurions coach Joshua Ireland via text message. “We knew he would be successful scoring points but have asked him to do much more this year. He has really stepped up. During the Dos Pueblos game, he moved to midfield and created a bunch of turnovers that sparked our come-from-behind win. At Hart, he took reps on both defense and offense and scored the game winner in OT. He’s a young man who knows what it takes to win. He’s a focused leader and he’ll be very successful at Concordia.”
Hollenbaugh is regarded as one of the top goalies in the Foothill League and currently holds the highest save percentage in program history.
“Matt is the heart, soul and comedy of our team,” Ireland said. “He wears his emotions on his sleeve and sets the pace for our defense. I’ve seen him make unbelievable saves at the most critical times. He is a big-time goalie ready for the next level.”
Notch is another elite attacker and is right behind Teel in goals, providing an unmatched one-two punch for Saugus.
“Wyatt is one of the purest offensive players l’ve coached,” Ireland said. “He has a unique combination of left-hand power, gliding speed and an incredibly high lacrosse IQ. It makes him a true threat to score from anywhere on the field.”
The three seniors have been vital in Saugus’ hot start this season and key over the past few years in the Centurions winning 19-straight Foothill League matchups.
“We had a very aggressive off-season training program,” Ireland said. “We were regularly in the weight room along with field work for speed and agility. All three seniors worked really hard. They always lead the workouts and set the tone for our program very early on. By the time the season started, they were the clear team leaders and ready to be made captains.”
Saugus returns to league play on Wednesday when the Centurions host Valencia at 3 p.m.
