LACONIA — Deacon Blue’s white T-shirt had “Hawks Alumni” written across it in green. The head coach of Hopkinton boys’ lacrosse was a player on this team not too long ago.

Now he closes out his 12th  season at the helm of the program with a run into the final four, brought to a halt Wednesday by second-ranked Campbell.

No. 3 Hopkinton couldn’t out-tough the Cougars in their Division III boys’ lacrosse semifinal Wednesday night. The Hawks ended their season with a 13-4 loss to the team they beat a year ago for the state title — one with a roster that was simply too fast and too strong to dismantle.

The game was over nearly as soon as it began.

“They were kind of like lightning, and we were a little too slow for that,” Blue said of the Cougars.

When the first quarter ended, Campbell led 5-1. The Cougars played a strong and fast game that the Hawks had trouble stopping. Senior goalkeeper Colby Boissy kept taking punches: He managed just six saves before too many aggressive plays sent him off the field with a torn meniscus. Blue caught Boissy in a hug as he tore his helmet off.

On the offensive end, Hopkinton had trouble holding onto the ball and even more trouble getting it past Cougar goalie Will O’Brien.

On the other hand, Campbell — when it wasn’t scoring — cradled, passed and picked up ground balls dropped by Hopkinton.

The third quarter brought a glimmer of hope for Hopkinton. In early minutes, the Hawks swung the ball around and around the goal, finally keeping possession for longer than a few seconds and taking advantage of a game with no shot clock.

Campbell’s defense was like a wall without a fissure, but Hopkinton finally found a crack when senior midfielder Harrison Wilson moved his lacrosse stick like he was hitting a hockey puck and swung a goal from the 30-yard line that bounced under O’Brien’s stick.

Campbell called a timeout. Ten seconds after play resumed, Hopkinton junior midfielder Ozzie Rosenholm sprinted all the way down the field and bounced the ball into the Cougars’ goal. The game had become recoverable, with the Hawks trailing 8-4.

But it had been a glimmer, not a light. Rosenholm was the last of the Hawks to score this season, while Campbell ran away with five more goals to put the game away and quash real hopes of a comeback by the end of the third period.

“I was holding back some tears at the end there,” Blue said. “Trying to be strong for them, though.”

The Hawks, for their part, did not surrender, even when morale was low. They played aggressive defense around freshman goalie Jacob Lanman, who worked hard to fill Boissy’s shoes after the senior retired to the sideline.

With seven seniors on the Hopkinton roster, these final minutes were not just the last of the season but the last of their high-school lacrosse careers. Lasts are tough, even for tough teams. The Hawks are a close group, too: Blue said they have team dinners and pizza nights.

“We play capture the flag or dodgeball instead of practicing sometimes,” he said. “The guys want to be here, the whole season.”

So does Blue. 

“This is the best thing I do in my life,” he said.