Nashua South's Grant Imbeault, left, moves against Hollis Brookline's Cameron Nichols during Wednesday's inter-division game at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – You might say the Hollis Brookline High School boys lacrosse team caught local foe Nashua South at the wrong time.

The Panthers (2-3) had to face part of the iron of Division I, Pinkerton and Bedford, back-to-back on the road before returning to Stellos Stadium yesterday. They seemed ready to take their frustrations out on whoever took the field out of the locker room.

That just happened to be the Division II rebuilding Cavs. Oops.

“It just took a little bit for us to get on the same page and get to what we wanted to do,” South coach Will Delanoy said of the start to the season. “We played really well I think against Bedford (a 14-7 loss) and did a lot of good things, and Pinkerton, too, in the first half, and use that stuff to build off of.

“That’s the intensity we have to play with. Those are two really strong programs. If we can match that type of intensity and push that, then good things can happen.”

It was just 2-0 after the first quarter, but then the Panthers scored seven times in the second to go up 9-0 at the break. By the tail end of the third quarter, the game had reached running time (12 goal lead).

The loss left HB at 2-2, and they had just come off a 15-5 win Monday at Merrimack Valley. But this was a different world.

“We’re trying to catch up to that varsity level, that compete level,” HB coach Mac Martin said. “Every day’s another stepping stone. We showed glimpses of it Monday, we’ve got two more games this week so we’re expecting to see it the rest of the week.”

But not so much yesterday. Nashua South was led offensively by Owen Roy with six goals, while Cody Jackson added four goals and two assists. 1 had two goals and two assists while 10 had a goal and an assist and Grant Imbeault was a facilitator with four assists.

South goalie Bryce Stuart had six saves, and nearly got a shutout, the Cavs finally breaking through on a goal by Michael O’Hearn with 5:50 left. HB netminder Levi Mitchell had eight stops.

Hollis Brookline’s Bryce Cote (8) leads the chase for the ball just ahead of Nashua South’s Grant Imbeault, left, during Wednesday’s inter-division clash at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

It wasn’t like Stuart was under siege as the Panthers dominated time of possession.

“We came out a little slow, then got into it and started doing what we were doing,” Delanoy said. “A lot of guys were in the book. It was good, good to get those guys the looks.”

Jackson, a senior, is the rock of this team. “He never comes off the field,” Delanoy said. “He’s our iron man. It shocks me that he never comes off. And he plays both ends. Owen has worked really hard for a kid that this is his fourth year of ever playing lacrosse. He’s taken huge steps.”

Those are the steps Martin is hoping his team can make. South had the advantage, it seems, with its senior leadership.

“They’re just grinders,” Delanoy said of his entire team. “They’ve got grit and determination, they never give up, doesn’t matter and they push and push and push. … It’s early, but it’s good to see the good stuff on film.”

And there was a lot of good stuff yesterday if you’re from Nashua South.