Although it’s school vacation week, it’s been a busy week for lacrosse teams across the state with several high-profile tournaments being contested.

Here’s a look at some of the news, notes and observations from the tournament fields this week:

D-S’s Laidman making strides: At first, there’s the hype. Then comes the proof.

For Dover-Sherborn sophomore attack Bailey Laidman, there was plenty of hype heaped upon his shoulders from the commencement of his high school career. He’d already given a verbal commitment to the University of North Carolina, so much was expected from his freshman year.

He made good on the promise and was named a second-team Eastern Mass. All-American in his first year. Still, there was room for improvement.

“He’s working hard to be a better dodger,” Raiders head coach Brian McLaughlin said after Thursday’s 14-12 win over North Andover in the Coaches Challenge Cup semifinals in Wellesley. “He’s always been a great catch-and-shoot guy, but his dodging’s definitely improving.”

Laidman’s reputation has grown quickly, and it was evidenced in the manner in which North Andover head coach Ryan Connolly attempted to deny him looks during Thursday’s game. It’s the kind of treatment Laidman, along with fellow All-American Grant Gregory have come to expect.

“It’s tough when you’re getting face-guarded though,” McLaughlin said. “You can set screens for him, and things like that, but it’s tough mentally for a young kid like that to be face-guarded.”

McLaughlin paused before adding, “It’s a pain …” he said, attaching a colorful curse.

So the onus has fallen on Laidman to make the best of the situation.

McLaughlin made point to mention Laidman’s increased willingness to welcome physical play this season. He’s shown gumption weaving his way into high-traffic areas close to the crease. But that has come at a price.

“He gets whacked quite a bit and he can find open guys, and sometimes guys don’t know it’s coming because he can throw from a great many ways,” McLaughlin said.

There are other benefits to Laidman’s ability to create in traffic. The proof positive came in Thursday’s win as well.

Laidman exhibited an elite ability to find the cage and finish late in the second quarter. While wheeling around the cage with three Scarlet Knights defenders draped on him, Laidman used a series of dodges and feints to finish a breath-taking behind-the-back goal to help last year’s Division 3 state finalists to a 7-6 halftime lead.

He finished the game with two goals and an assist. But his impact went beyond that stat line. The defensive attention paid to Laidman helped loosen up North Andover’s defenses, allowing Will Spangenberg to chip in four goals, in addition to a hat trick by Gregory.

And there’s more.

“To tell you the truth, his riding this year’s been unbelievable,” McLaughlin said. “He’s chased people down, knocked them out of bounds, and that’s just hustle, so that’s been great.”

Blumenberg’s milestone: While Laidman collects points at an alarming clip, one of the state’s most prolific scorers in recent memory hit a major marker earlier this week in Coaches Cup action.

Concord-Carlisle senior attack Will Blumenberg scored his 200th career point in the Patriots’ 9-3 win over Wellesley on Tuesday.

“It’s a great accomplishment for him,” C-C head coach Tom Dalicandro said. “He’s the first guy that I’ve had, and I’ve been here 15 years, (that’s scored 200 points).”

Blumenberg has been a bit of a jack-of-all-trades for the Patriots in his career. Listed as a midfielder on C-C’s roster, Dalicandro has moved him back to attack in recent games. But that hasn’t stopped Blumenberg from remaining the Patriots’ primary face-off man.

“He’s a good face-off guy,” Dalicandro said after Thursday’s 15-8 loss to Lincoln-Sudbury. “He wants to win and he goes hard all the time. He’s a great team player.”

Upset of the year?: Here’s an entrant to the early-season upset of the year debate.

During a Thursday semifinal at the Chowda Cup in Cohasset, Braintree upended the host and defending Division 3 state champion Skippers, 10-9, with Brendan McGuire scoring the game-winning goal after a five-goal game against Scituate.

With the victory, the Wamps dealt Cohasset its first in-state loss of the season (its other came against Foothill-Santa Ana of Calif. on April 9).

Braintree (5-2) could become a dark horse in Division 1 South in a relatively flat regional. The Wamps’ losses on the year have come against a tough Westwood (9-2) squad and Bay State rival Needham (6-1).

Quote of the week: “I’m a glass-half-empty guy. But I knew what I had in these guys coming in.” – North Andover head coach Ryan Connolly after Scarlet Knights’ 14-12 loss to Dover-Sherborn.

By the way, watch out for the Knights in Division 1 North. While they suffered their first loss of the season on Thursday, they showed plenty of grit in coming back against D-S after falling behind early, in addition to skill, as both Matt Moody and Steve Canale tallied hat tricks.

“Here [the Coaches Cup], you can play a great week of lacrosse, still go 0-and-3 and be like, ‘Well, we didn’t play that bad,’” Connolly said.