Sign up for the latest news & updates
© 2024 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
© 2024 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
St. Andrew’s (Fla.) tops the first South Region Boys’ Top 10 of the 2023 spring season.
With each region beginning play in different weeks — the South and West start before the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Northeast get underway — our high school contributors will provide in-season updates in each active region prior to the first National Top 25 update.
The West and Mid-Atlantic previews are unveiled the week of March 13, and watch for the Northeast and Midwest previews the week of March 20 — along with updated top 10 rankings from the South and West. USA Lacrosse Magazine will also release 25 players to watch for both boys’ and girls’ lacrosse that week.
The first National Top 25 update comes March 28. From there, rankings will be updated each Tuesday throughout the spring.
USA Lacrosse Magazine contributors consult with high school coaches across the country to develop the Nike/USA Lacrosse National Top 25 and Regional Top 10 rankings for boys’ and girls’ lacrosse. These rankings do not include schools that admit post-graduate students.
The Scots return leading scorer Jack Schulte (Air Force), who helped lead St. Andrew’s to a second consecutive state championship in 2022. He returns after a 60-goal, 53-assist season. Schulte will be joined by a plethora of talented seniors, including Navy-bound goalie Gunnar Schwarz. Junior Connor Hofbauer, an Army recruit, promises to be a top two-way presence in the midfield.
The Sharks are poised to avenge a four-loss season a year ago with a squad led by Denver-bound Maddox Johnson, who can score at will. The squad also returns Luke Lowery, a defensive midfielder who will go to Dartmouth. Ponte Vedra has arguably the toughest schedule in the South, facing four defending state champions this year.
The Eagles look to have one of the best offenses in the region in 2023 with senior Cooper Raney and junior Virginia recruit Sean Browne leading the attack. Raney, who is uncommitted for 2023, had 62 goals and 30 assists a season ago. ESD’s toughest test will come March 31 against rival Dallas Jesuit (Texas).
The Rangers lost a significant amount of talent last year, most notably regional player of the year McAllister Hobbs (Penn State). Senior Cameron Martin and Charlie Schmidt are expected to lead the offense, while Jesuit’s defense should remain strong with Jacksonville recruit Cooper Coleman between the pipes and defensive midfielder Billy Robertson.
The Hornets ought to have one of the top offenses in the South with seniors Alex Lobel, a Michigan commitment, and Army-bound Hill Plunkett up front. They’ll have to wait until the final game of the regular season for their toughest test of the year when they face Blessed Trinity (Ga.).
The Raiders will have a new look this year after winning a state championship in 2022. Aquinas lost its top seven scorers from a year ago. The squad still looks to be strong defensively with three seniors — Bobby Windesheim (Iona), Adam Nigrelli (North Carolina) and Ethan Streiner (Iona) — all committed to Division I programs.
After losing their season opener a year ago, the Crusaders won 18 in a row against in-state competition before running into state champion Middle Creek (N.C.). Junior Brady Dolan, a Marist recruit, looks to lead the offense after scoring 29 goals a year ago. Cardinal Gibbons faces Maryland power McDonogh on March 14.
After finishing the season 21-3 with a state championship, the Tigers return a bulk of their lineup, including defensive midfielder Jackson Campisano, defenseman Ryder John and attackman Trevor Havill. Louisville St. Xavier takes on 10 out-of-state opponents this year, including Culver Prep (Ind.) and Brother Rice (Mich.).
After going 15-2 a year ago, the Rams return top juniors Caden Harshbarger, a midfielder headed to North Carolina, and John Scarelli, a faceoff specialist headed to Rutgers. Harshbarger, one of the top juniors in the region, scored 44 goals and 35 assists a season ago.
The Lions were one of the biggest surprises of the season, going a perfect 23-0 and winning a state title a year after a 7-10 campaign. Top players Russell and William Overly have gone off to college, and it’s unclear who will be able to fill the void they left.
