UPTON, Mass. -- Mike Mannings had a hat trick Saturday to lead the Nipmuc boys lacrosse team to an 11-1 win over Wahconah in the quarter-finals of the Central/Western Massachusetts Division 3 tournament.

 

Matt Mathers set up Wyatt Schleicher for the lone Wahconah goal, and Vinny Orlandi made 17 saves in a losing cause.

 

“"I'm extremely proud of our season and how we progressed as a team,” Wahconah coach Zachary Sondrini said. “It had ups and downs, but we worked at it. It's promising for the future.

 

“Young guys like freshman Matt Mathers and Cole Accardi were thrown into the fire in the post-season and came out stronger for it. We have a strong core returning. We all got better this season, myself included.”

 

Wahconah finishes the season 12-9. Third-seeded Nipmuc (13-7) moves on to the sectional semi-finals, where it will face No. 2 Grafton (16-5).