Northampton’s Jack Carpenter selected as USA Lacrosse Academic All-American after standout senior season

NORTHAMPTON — Jack Carpenter did everything he could in the offseason to put himself in the best position to have a big senior year as captain of the Northampton boys lacrosse team.

Seemingly any time Blue Devils head coach Charlie Edwards checked in with Carpenter leading up to the spring season, he was doing something lacrosse related. Whether Carpenter organized captains’ practices for the team, played in pickup games at Allsport Arena in Northampton, competed in box lacrosse (indoor) leagues or performed individual drills, he took his preparation for the 2025 campaign as serious as ever.

And it paid off.

Carpenter notched his 100th career goal and 200th career point this season, and recently was named an Academic All-American by USA Lacrosse. It’s one of the highest high school honors in the sport across the country, and Carpenter earned it with his fantastic play on the field and high marks in the classroom.

Northampton finished the season 16-4 and as Western Massachusetts Class B runners-up.

“It was kind of a shock for me at first,” Carpenter said of the award. “But it’s always nice to get rewarded for hard work that you put in, in the classroom and on the field. It’s nice to validate all of those late nights in the library or studying for classes, balancing that in between going to practice and games, taking long bus rides – all that stuff. It’s definitely a nice thing to recognized for.”

Edwards described Carpenter as a “lacrosse junkie,” speaking to his dedication toward the sport. However Carpenter admitted that wasn’t always the case.

In fact, during his first two seasons as a freshman and sophomore, Northampton won only three total games. According to Edwards, who became the Blue Devils head coach prior to Carpenter’s junior year, Carpenter was the best player the second he stepped foot on the varsity field. Yet still, he slowly started falling out of love with the game he began playing back in third grade.

Once Edwards took over the job, that passion was reignited.

“He holds the team to such a high standard, and he’s definitely the main reason why I was able to achieve this award,” Carpenter said of his coach. “He’s got great character, he keeps us accountable and he truly cares about the team and makes sure we’re all doing the right things. My first two years, I kind of had a moment where I was like, ‘Wow. I’m not even really enjoying something that I’ve loved for so long.’ But Charlie really brought that spark back into my game. I don’t know if I would have stuck with it as much if it wasn’t for him. I really feel like he ultimately got me this award because of that.”

Carpenter’s connection with Edwards didn’t just start in 2024 (Edwards’ first year as ‘Hamp head coach). When Carpenter began to learn the ropes of lacrosse as a youngster, Edwards was right there helping him as his club coach. They’ve been alongside one another since Carpenter started playing in third grade.

So to see him grow up and turn into one of the best players in not just western Mass. but in the country, on top of what he’s accomplished off the field, Edwards said he couldn’t be more proud.

“He’s our top player, and honestly, in some ways, it maybe shows the most in our two bad losses against Hoosac [Valley] and Amherst,” Edwards said. “He got knocked out in the second quarter against Hoosac, and he’s the lifeblood as far as transition defense, offense, scoring, passing – he does everything. And against Amherst, it was his first game coming back from injury, so he wasn’t fully comfortable. So to miss him, we just lost that common thread in the middle of the field. I would say he was Northampton’s best player as a freshman. To be in that role for four years is unique and says a lot about how talented he is.

“He deserves every honor that comes his way. Jack is a strong academic kid and has such a positive impact on his teammates,” Edwards added. “His dedication to the game; he’s just always working.”

Carpenter is still deciding on what to do next year. He’s been accepted into the University of Florida for business, but he’s also considering starting at Holyoke Community College and then going to the Isenberg School of Management at UMass.

Regardless of where he ends up, his high school lacrosse career at Northampton will go down as one of the best.