The Big Panther/Little Panther program has been an on-and-off tradition employed by the Beverly High girls lacrosse program in recent seasons.

The program consists of Beverly veteran players adopting underclassmen on the team, taking them under their wing and helping them through their early high school years be it on the field, in the classrooom, or concerning matters that have nothing to do with either. Its not only a way of guidance, but of also serving as a helping hand.

The elder Panthers decided to bring the tradition back this spring as a way of building team chemistry and incorporating their younger, talented teammates into the fold after losing 12 seniors to graduation. Senior captains Maeve Blake, Amanda Rosenberger and Marita Smallman knew in order to be competitive again this season, theyd need to rely upon freshmen and sophomores developing into key contributors.

We had a lot of young talent that had big roles to play, said Blake. We knew they couldnt do that without the help of the older players, so that was our main focus.

Every youngster on the BHS varsity has an upperclassman to look to should they need help or guidance.

The veterans recalled such a program being implemented when they were freshmen by head coach Alyson Healey, but had fallen by the wayside in the past season or two.

Its been a really strong team dynamic of everybody working toward the same goals, said Blake. Were fortunate enough to have so much young talent, but with that has to come confidence. And they have to want to play for their seniors and want to play for the next three years.

The result? The Panthers have a 11-6 record in large part because of many underclassmen in the lineup stepping up and realizing their potential.

The team feel chemistry is its biggest strength; everybody cares for one another. It makes them want to make that extra play, scoop through that ground ball, or make that extra pass.

With its 10th win Tuesday (a 15-7 win at Danvers), Beverly qualified for the state tournament and matched its win total from 2016. The Panthers still have three games to play in the regular season before the Division 1 North sectional begins.

We have such a good relationship off the field; its so easy to bring that onto the field, said Smallman. So having the big Panther-little Panther with that definitely helped.

If you want proof of progress made by the Garden City underclassmen, look no further than the scoresheet. Two of the Panthers top three scorers are sophomores, with Sabrina Beaudry leading the team with 43 points. Brooke Baekey has 34, four behind senior Darcy McAuliffe for second on the squad. Baekey leads the team with 11 assists.

Beaudry, who has 41 goals, has been one of the top goal scorers on the North Shore this spring, including six tallies in Tuesdays win against Danvers. The sophomore feels the welcoming atmosphere set by the seniors have radiated throughout the team, creating a bond off the field that has translated to success on it.

When we have chemistry off the field, that definitely plays a role in our chemistry on the field, said Beaudry. And we just want to work together. Were happy for each other; even if youre not the one that makes the play, youre happy for your teammate.

There was a little sense of unknown for Beverly going into the season, with so many seniors gone and so many young players in the lineup. That is no longer the case, thanks in large part to the ownership the senior leaders took and the response it generated from the rest of the group.

We have bunch of girls who are willing to do things that dont show up on the scoreboard or in the stats book, and we try to praise that as much as possible, said Healey. And I think with our captains, theyve had to work really hard to get where they are. Its not just in this sport; theyre three-sport athletes, so they know what it takes to win games and be at the top. Im very impressed with them.

Ipswich dropped its first game last Thursday in a 11-8 setback to Newburyport in a battle of undefeated clubs. The Tigers bounced back nicely, however, scoring a season-high 20 goals their next outing against Cape Ann League rival North Reading before knocking off Division 1 heavyweight Chelmsford, 13-11, on Tuesday.

In the win against Chelmsford, Julia Glavin scored three goals and added two assists to eclipse the 100-point mark for the season, the first player on the North Shore to do so. She now has 60 goals and 104 points. Shes now the running for a rare Triple Crown, as shes tied for the area lead in goals while leading in assists (44) and points.

Peabody took the Danish Cup from crosstown rival Bishop Fenwick, scoring an 11-4 win on Saturday. After beating Methuen 10-7 on Tuesday, the Tanners have won eight straight and now stand at 12-2 . . . Kenzie Vasque notched her 100th career goal for Pingree on Monday in the Highlanders 15-3 win over Lexington Christian Academy.

Lets Talk Lax, a column on North Shore high school girls lacrosse, appears each Thursday in The Salem News during the spring sports season. Contact staff writer Pat ORourke at porourke@salemnews.com and follow him on Twitter @PatORourke_29.

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Let's Talk Lax column: Chemistry, leadership giving Beverly girls lacrosse a boost - The Salem News