South Hierarchy Reworked in USA Lacrosse Boys' Regional Top 10 Ranks

Every Tuesday during the high school lacrosse season, USA Lacrosse updates Regional Top 10 and National Top 25 rankings to reflect the results of the previous week. Below are the USA Lacrosse High School Boys’ Regional Top 10 updates through games played May 12.

Brunswick (Conn.) remains the only unbeaten in the top 10 of the Northeast Region after securing the second league championship in program history. Half Hollow Hills (N.Y.) suffered its first loss of the year in the regular-season finale to drop three spots. Elsewhere teams have lined up top seeds for the upcoming playoffs that can impact greatly the rankings while a few teams like Chaminade (N.Y.) are already done with their seasons.

Gilman (Md.) returned to the Mid-Atlantic Region top 10 after knocking off Calvert Hall (Md.) in the MIAA playoffs. The playoffs certainly will impact the rankings in a season that hasn’t been very predictable. Boys’ Latin (Md.), Archbishop Spalding (Md.), McDonogh (Md.) and Gilman are all capable of taking the title. Haverford School (Pa.) cemented its No. 2 spot with a win over Malvern for the conference crown, while the Friars handed La Salle (Pa.) their first loss of the year. Landon (Md.) took its first league title in seven years.

Playoff action turned the South Region on its head. Almost no team was immune as the rankings underwent a big reshuffle. Lake Mary (Fla.) did its part to defend its state title, and moves to No. 1 after Community School of Naples (Fla.) topped St. Andrew’s (Fla.) to make a huge move. Roswell (Ga.) and top-10 newcomers Episcopal School of Dallas (Texas) won state crowns to climb as well while knocking down teams ranked all year. Buford (Ga.) made history with its first state title.

The Midwest Region has the same top five, though even those teams didn’t escape unscathed. Upper Arlington (Ohio) lost out of region and Olentangy Liberty (Ohio) won a key top-five matchup over St. Xavier (Ohio). Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) asserted its dominance as a repeat league champion over Brother Rice (Mich.). Two losses, narrow as they were, dropped Dublin Jerome (Ohio) down the ladder.

Playoff lacrosse also impacted the West Region. The top four teams are the same with St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.) still at the top followed by Valor Christian (Colo.) and Torrey Pines (Calif.) as they all prepare for championship chases. Brophy Prep (Ariz.) already has its state title. Wins by Marin Catholic (Calif.) and St. Margaret’s Episcopal (Calif.) helped them ascend. Newcomer Castle View (Colo.) pulled off a playoff win to set up a date with Valor Christian and the chance to climb further next week.

NORTHEAST

1. Brunswick School (Conn.), 15-0

Brunswick (Conn.) claimed the outright New England West I league championship for the second time in program history following a 14-8 victory at Salisbury (Conn.). Lucas Garcia led the offense with three goals, Tucker Williams was stellar in the net and Aidan Diaz-Matos was strong at the face-off X for the Bruins. Previous: 1

2. St. Anthony’s (N.Y.), 12-2

The Friars made it eight consecutive wins over rival Chaminade (N.Y.) and captured a fourth straight CHSAA title following a 10-6 victory. Luke Breslin had four goals, Jack Riglietti and Quinn Langton had two goals and two assists apiece and Sean Forde made 12 saves to lead St. Anthony’s (N.Y.). Previous: 2

3. Belmont Hill (Mass.), 14-1

Belmont Hill (Mass.) improved to 14-1 on the season following an 18-6 victory over Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (Mass.). Ben DiBattista had four goals and two assists, Preston Evans had three goals and four assists, Will Stewart had three goals and three assists and Eli Friedman won 13 of 15 faceoffs and had a pair of assists. Previous: 3

4. Chaminade (N.Y.), 11-4

The Flyers ended the season on a high note, beating Manhasset (N.Y.) for the fifth straight time in the 15th annual Reg’s Rock matchup in memory of Sgt. James J. Regan. Connor Kuttin scored four goals, Gavin Lynch had two goals and one assist, John Balsamo had one goal and two assists and Quinn Ball won all 13 faceoffs he took. Previous: 4

5. Bayport-Blue Point (N.Y.), 15-1

The Phantoms closed out the regular season with a 10-5 win at Shoreham-Wading River (N.Y.), earning the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Suffolk Class C playoffs. Connor Curran had three goals and one assist, Brendan Waters and Maclin Keyer had two goals apiece and Ben Morris had one goal and three assists. Previous: 6

6. Garden City (N.Y.), 14-2

The Trojans enter the Nassau Class B playoffs as the No. 2 seed after an 11-6 win at Port Washington (N.Y.). Andrew Ottomanelli had four goals and one assist, Carson Kraus had four goals and Dan Medjid netted three goals for Garden City (N.Y.), which finished the regular season on an 11-game winning streak. Previous: 7

7. Fairfield Prep (Conn.), 12-1

It’s now nine consecutive wins for Fairfield Prep (Conn.), which knocked off Boston College HS (Mass.), 21-8. The Jesuits raced out to a 10-0 lead to take control early and never look back to win their ninth straight game. Previous: 8

8. Half Hollow Hills (N.Y.), 15-1

Half Hollow Hills’ bid for an undefeated regular season ended with a 7-3 defeat to Northport (N.Y.) on the final day of the regular season. Joe Filardi scored two goals and Sal Santoro made 12 saves for Hills, which still claimed the top seed in the Suffolk Class A playoffs. Previous: 5

9. East Islip (N.Y.), 15-1

The Redmen are the top seed in the Suffolk Class B playoffs following a 15-9 victory at Mt. Sinai (N.Y.). Matt Ferraro scored three goals, Matt McIntee had two goals and two assists, Ryan Parker had two goals and one assist, and Jack Kalinowski scored twice as East Islip (N.Y.) extended its winning streak to seven games. Previous: 9

10. New Canaan (Conn.), 13-2

How impactful has Gray Tamasco been since returning from injury? The Rams beat Darien (Conn.), Staples (Conn.) and Wilton (Conn.), limiting those teams to a combined seven goals. The defenseman also had two goals and one assist in the 14-1 victory over Wilton. Previous: 10

— Dylan Butler

MID-ATLANTIC

1. Lawrenceville (N.J.), 17-1

Lawrenceville closed their regular-season schedule with nine straight wins. The Big Red opened the week with a 14-6 win over Academy of New Church (Pa.), and closed the week with a 25-6 triumph against visiting Hill School (Pa.) on May 11. The Big Red won the prep national championship a year and followed it up with another outstanding season. Previous: 1

2. Haverford (Pa.), 18-1

The Fords captured a second straight Inter-Ac league championship with a 22-2 win over Germantown Academy (Pa.) on May 7. They sealed a second straight unbeaten league record with an 11-4 win over Episcopal (Pa.) Ben McCarthy won 7 of 12 faceoffs and Griff Meyer won 5 of 7. Brody Murphy made eight saves. Finn Lawrence scored four goals, Brady O’Kane had two goals and three assists, and Evan Large and Conor Morsell each had two goals apiece. Previous: 2

3. Malvern Prep (Pa.), 18-3

Malvern handed La Salle (Pa.) their first loss of the season in convincing fashion, 9-6. The Friars led 7-1 at halftime. Michael Ortlieb finished with a hat trick and Ennis Udo and Logan Turley each had a goal and assist apiece. Heath Jones stopped 10 shots. The Friars beat Penn Charter (Pa.) 21-7 and topped Springside Chestnut Hill (Pa.) 14-3 beating La Salle. Previous: 3

4. Salesianum (Del.), 12-2

The Sals bounced back from a rare loss to knock off Ohio power Upper Arlington 10-7 on May 11. They will play in-state rival Cape Henlopen (Del.) on May 14 to finish their regular season. Previous: 4

5. Boys' Latin (Md.), 13-2

The Lakers wrapped up the top seed for the MIAA playoffs and capped the regular season with a 14-5 win over St. Paul’s (Md.) on May 7. Boys’ Latin faces fifth-seeded Gilman (Md.) on May 14 in the MIAA semifinals. The Lakers won their regular-season game 13-6 on April 30. Previous: 6

6. McDonogh (Md.), 13-3

The Eagles won their regular-season finale, 11-6, over Gilman (Md.) to wrap up third place for the MIAA A Conference playoffs. McDonogh squeezed by Loyola Blakefield (Md.) 7-6 in overtime in the quarterfinals of the MIAA playoffs. Andrew Kasten scored the final two goals for the Eagles, one coming with six seconds left in regulation to force overtime, and the game-winner with only 17 seconds left in the second overtime. Aidan Seibel made 11 saves at the other end. They face second-seeded Archbishop Spalding (Md.) on May 14 with a chance to avenge a 10-9 loss from April 16 and advance to the play for a third straight MIAA title. Previous: 5

7. Landon (Md.), 17-2

The Bears dominated Georgetown Prep (D.C.) 17-6 to capture their first IAC championship since 2017. Top-seeded Landon was a convincing 20-8 winner over St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Va.) in the semifinals on May 7. After losing two of its first four games, Landon did not lose again. Previous: 7

8. Archbishop Spalding (Md.), 13-4

The Cavaliers earned the second seed for the MIAA playoffs with a 14-4 win over Mount St. Joseph (Md.) on May 7. They haven’t lost since April 9. They will take on McDonogh in the semifinals of the MIAA on May 14. Previous: 9

9. Gilman (Md.), 12-6

The Greyhounds had lost two of their last three games to fall to the fifth seed in the MIAA playoffs, but they turned back their winning ways with a strong 12-3 upset of fourth-seeded Calvert Hall (Md.), which had edged them in overtime April 23. Gilman bolted out to an 11-1 lead over the first three quarters plus to move into the semifinals against Boys’ Latin. Zachary Parks had 13 saves and Jay Wilkerson scored a hat trick and also had three helpers. Mike Maloney also had three goals. Previous: NR

10. La Salle (Pa.), 17-1

After cruising by Christian Brothers (N.J.) 12-2, the Explorers finally lost a game. Malvern (Pa.) defeated La Salle, 9-6, on May 11 despite 17 saves by Matt Nelson and four goals from Max Wickersham Paul Van Bastelaar scored a goal and had two assists. Previous: 8

— Justin Feil

SOUTH

1. Lake Mary (Fla.), 24-1

The Rams defended their Class 2A state championship after a dominating 15-4 victory over Plant (Fla.). Caden Harshbarger and Mitchell Campbell both had hat tricks in the win. Getting to the title game was more of a challenge. Lake Mary survived a fourth-quarter rally to edge St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) 11-10. Previous: 2

2. Benjamin (Fla.), 22-1

The Buccaneers won their first state championship thanks in large part to the defensive heroics of junior Hutch Gumbinner. Benjamin held on to defeat Community School of Naples (Fla.) 11-10. Jayden Vega scored four times in the win. Benjamin advanced to the final thanks to a 19-7 win over Bolles (Fla.). Vega had six tallies in the dominating win. Previous: 7

3. Roswell (Ga.), 21-2

The Hornets repeated as state champions after defeating Centennial (Ga.) 17-11. Senior Ezra Moore had four goals while Kyle O'Neal had three tallies. Moore had a team-leading 90 goals for the season. Previous: 8

4. Episcopal School of Dallas (Texas), 21-5

The Eagles won their fifth state title in program history after defeating the Woodlands (Texas) 12-10. ESD advanced to the title game by toppling Highland Park (Texas) 8-6. Previous: 10

5. St. Andrew’s (Fla.), 22-2

After defeating Community School of Naples 15-6 during the regular season, the Scots were handed a shocking defeat to CSN in the state semifinals. St. Andrew’s lost 11-10 in overtime after digging out of an early 4-1 hole. Dylan Faison had five goals and two assists in a losing effort. Previous: 1

6. Highland Park (Texas), 16-4

Apparently Episcopal School of Dallas (Texas) is Highland Park’s kryptonite. Of Highland Park’s three losses, two were to ESD. The latest loss was the most devastating as it came in the state semifinals by an 8-6 margin. ESD avenged losing to Highland Park last year in the state semifinals. Previous: 4

7. Westlake (Texas), 18-2

The Chapperals’ 16-game winning streak concluded with a 12-11 loss to the Woodlands (Texas) in the state semifinals. This season marked the second consecutive season the Woodlands eliminated Westlake in the state final four. Previous: 6

8. Charlotte Catholic (N.C.), 23-1

The Cougars’ quest to perfection ended last week after losing to Marvin Ridge (N.C.) 16-14 in the state quarterfinal. Charlotte Catholic had defeated Marvin Ridge in the regular season by an 18-7 margin. Previous: 3

9. Buford (Ga.), 21-1

The Wolves won the Class 7A title after defeating Lambert (Ga.) in overtime 14-13. The title was the first in program history. Lambert had a 10-6 lead in the third quarter but Matthew Scruggs’ heroics helped put Buford ahead. He netted four goals in the win. Previous: 9

10. Bolles (Fla.), 21-3

After taking a 5-2 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Bulldogs were outscored 17-2 in the final three quarters in their 19-7 loss to Benjamin in the state semifinals. Previous: 5

— Justin Boggs

MIDWEST

1. Culver Academy (Ind.), 13-2

The Eagles enjoyed a week off after their Midwest Scholastic Lacrosse Association championship May 4. Next up, Culver faces Bullis School (D.C.) May 17 at the National Prep Lacrosse Championship. Previous: 1

2. Upper Arlington (Ohio), 15-3

The Golden Bears impressed mightily in a win (doubling up on a solid in-state foe in St. Ignatius) and even in a loss (by just three goals to Delaware power Salesianum). Keeper Sam Old came up clutch in both games for UA, making 23 saves against Salesianum and 11 against St. Ignatius. Previous: 2

3. Rockhurst Jesuit (Mo.), 14-2

The Hawklets begin postseason play May 14 against Lee’s Summit West (Mo.), which Rockhurst Jesuit beat 20-0 in early April. While the Hawklets were off this week, going 12 days without a game, it was still an exciting week as 11 players earned all-league recognition. Their five first-teamers are highlighted by Luke McNamara, who’s already well over 100 points. Previous: 3

4. Olentangy Liberty (Ohio), 16-1

The Patriots ran their win streak to nine with a 14-11 thriller over a fellow top Buckeye State team in St. Xavier. Down 3-0 early, Liberty rallied and knotted the score at eight after three quarters, the Patriots took over the fourth. Jake Struck had a whopping eight goals, Luca Minitti had five assists and Broc Fitzpatrick and Luke Mulder combined to go 16 of 27 from the X. Keegan Kuhns and Brian Savage added hat tricks earlier in the week in a 12-5 win over Worthington Kilbourne (Ohio). Previous: 4

5. St. Xavier (Ohio), 15-3

The Bombers went 2-1 against a trio of tough in-state opponents, winning an overtime thriller at Dublin Jerome before falling by three to Olentangy Liberty. In that regular-season finale against the Patriots, Khalif Hocker had four goals and an assist while Luke Sprong also had a hat trick. Hocker also had an overtime game-winner against the Celtics, totaling 10 goals and seven assists on the week. Previous: 5

6. Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), 13-3

The Shamrocks made it back-to-back Catholic League championships by defeating 2023 state champion Brother Rice by a 15-2 score. Nick Edwards won 12 faceoffs to lead DCC, while Lachlan Moffatt added four goals and an assist and Tyler Lammers made six saves. Previous: 8

7. Brother Rice (Mich.), 12-4

Prior to the Warriors’ loss against the Shamrocks, they scored a dominant 19-5 win over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (Mich.). Cashton Papadelis and Theo Ley were both instrumental in that victory, sparking the offense, with Papadelis frequently finding Ley for goals. Previous: 6

8. Trinity Louisville (Ky.), 14-1

The Shamrocks had a dominant week, beating in-state foes Ballard and DeSales by a combined margin of 38-2. Trinity has now won 13 straight games, including one-goal wins over Centerville (Ohio), Montgomery Bell Academy (Tenn.) and St. Xavier (Ky.), the latter two coming in overtime. Previous: 9

9. Prior Lake (Minn.), 8-0

The Lakers had another perfect week, including a pair of three-goal wins over in-state foes in Lakeville North and Chanhassen. Jack Tocko had a huge performance in the former, scoring six of Prior Lake’s 12 goals. He also had three goals in his team’s 12-6 win over Eastview/Apple Valley (Minn.), marking his fourth hat trick in Prior Lake’s first seven games. Previous: 10

10. Dublin Jerome (Ohio), 10-4

The Celtics have played four straight one-goal games, two of which went to overtime. After edging a top Michigan team, Detroit Catholic Central, in overtime the week before, Dublin Jerome fell in overtime to St. Xavier (Ohio) May 8 and then dropped another one-goal game to Mason (Ohio) on May 10. Previous: 7

— Jonah Rosenblum

WEST

1. St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.), 18-2

The Wildcats defeated Serra (Calif.) in the CCS playoffs’ opening round. They play St. Francis (Calif.) on May 15 for a spot in the championship match. Previous: 1

2. Valor Christian (Colo.), 14-2

Valor Christian advances in the 5A CHSAA state championships after a dominant 21-4 victory over Ralston Valley (Colo.). They face Castle View (Colo.) next. Previous: 2

3. Torrey Pines (Calif.), 15-3

This week Torrey Pines takes on Bishop’s (Calif.) in the CIF Open Division semifinals for a spot in the championship game on May 17. Previous: 3

4. Brophy Prep (Ariz.), 22-2

Under the leadership of head coach Pat Harbeson, the Broncos are crowned the Arizona Lacrosse League state champions for the third consecutive year with a 19-2 victory over Pinnacle (Ariz.). Previous: 4

5. Marin Catholic (Calif.), 18-5

For the first time in program history, Marin Catholic claimed the North Coast Section Division 1 title after a dominant 14-3 victory over De La Salle (Calif.). Two weeks ago on the same field, the Wildcats were crowned the MCAL champions when they defeated Redwood (Calif.). Previous: 7

6. St. Margaret’s Episcopal (Calif.), 20-2

The Tartans are crowned the CIF-SS Division 1 champions for the first time ever thanks to a gritty 10-9 victory over Loyola-Los Angeles (Calif.). The milestone marks the program’s fourth Southern Section title and first since 2019; St. Margaret’s defeated Loyola in the 2019 championship match. Previous: 8

7. Cherry Creek (Colo.), 13-3

Cherry Creek defeated Denver East (Colo.), 13-7, to secure a spot in the Class 5A CHSAA State Championships quarterfinals against Regis Jesuit (Colo.) on May 15. Previous: 5

8. Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.), 14-6

The Gators take on Menlo-Atherton (Calif.) in the semifinals of the CIF CCS Championships on May 15 after defeating Bellarmine College Prep (Calif.), 21-5. Previous: 6

9. Arapahoe (Colo.), 15-1

After a first-round bye, Arapahoe took down Monarch (Colo.), 8-4, in round one of the Class 5A CHSAA State Championships. They face Denver South (Colo.) in the quarterfinals on May 15. Previous: 10

10. Castle View (Colo.), 11-5

Castle View upset previously-ranked No. 9 Mountain Vista in the second round of the Class 5A CHSAA State Championships after losing to them in the regular season. Quarterfinals up next against No. 2 Valor Christian (Colo.). Previous: NR

— Theresa Palmquist