Bryn Evans’ first priority originally was just doing everything he could to stay on the field this season.

The St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.) boys’ lacrosse player had battled injuries as a junior and wanted more than anything to be there for his team during his final season.

Evans, a senior midfielder, was more than just there for his team. He became the Wildcats’ go-to player in crucial situations and led the squad to a 19-2 finish, highlighted by a pair of top 25 wins over No. 10 Chaminade (N.Y.) and previously-ranked Gonzaga (D.C.). St. Ignatius claimed its eighth straight West Catholic Athletic League title and landed at No. 5 in the national rankings.

Nike/US Lacrosse High School Rankings

National Boys' Top 25 | National Girls' Top 25
Northeast Boys' Top 10 | Northeast Girls' Top 10
Mid-Atlantic Boys' Top 10 | Mid-Atlantic Girls' Top 10
South Boys' Top 10 | South Girls' Top 10
Midwest Boys' Top 10 | Midwest Girls' Top 10
West Boys' Top 10 | West Girls' Top 10

The 6-foot-2, two-way middie is the Epoch/US Lacrosse West Boys’ Player of the Year for a St. Ignatius team that finishes atop the Nike/US Lacrosse West Region Top 10. Evans, who is headed to Harvard in the fall, finished with 47 goals on 123 shots, 11 assists and 31 ground balls, while also playing goalie in two WCAL games “just for fun.”

“I wanted to be the best I could be,” Evans said. “A big part was wanting to be on the field as much as I could so I wanted to be active and play as much as possible. I have bad hips and had some minor injuries my junior year that were kind of limiting, but I was able to keep those healthy, which was really important in being able to competitive.”

Wildcats coach Chris Packard said Evans put in the work to get himself in top condition during the offseason, and it paid off.

“In previous years, he was still growing a bunch so was going through growing pains and the physical toll of playing at a high level when maybe you’re not quite ready for it,” Packard said. “He was in the weight room a bunch in the offseason and worked to get to a fitness level where he could play the whole game, so when you’re big and strong and fast like that and skilled and physically fit, you’re hard to defend. No one we saw could cover him in a 1-on-1 capacity.”

The first few games of the season, Evans was more of a distributor, setting up his teammates for goals, but after dropping a 14-11 loss to Torrey Pines (Calif.) on March 11 – just the third game – his competitive drive kicked into gear and Evans began taking over games, Packard said.

Evans had just one goal and “a couple careless turnovers” in that Torrey Pines game and knew he could have been a more active contributor.

“After that loss I definitely had to rethink some things, and I was very motivated after that to leave everything on the field,” Evans said. “It made me mad because I knew I could have done more, so I wanted to play a lot better after that game. It was definitely a wake-up call for all of us. It lit a fire and drove us every game.”

The next outing was one of Ignatius’ biggest wins, as the Wildcats overcame then No. 6 Gonzaga (D.C.) at the Jesuit Lacrosse Classic in Dallas, Texas.

It was their first win over Gonzaga in three straight years meeting, and Evans finished with three goals and three assists.

“Once I got the ball rolling, I kind of found my groove and it kept getting easier and easier to score goals, assist guys and make plays,” Evans said. “Once I found what I was looking for, it got easy. I was playing my game and I could do my thing out there. But, I could never do what I did without my teammates.”

The Wildcats went on to win 17 of their last 18 games, including going 2-1 during an April trip to the East Coast.

In those three games, Evans had 12 groundballs, scored 10 goals and caused six turnovers, including a six-goal performance in an 11-10 win over No. 10 Chaminade (N.Y.). He also had a hat trick, seven groundballs and one caused turnover in a 15-11 win over national No. 1 Landon (Md.) and scored one goal, caused four turnovers and scooped up three groundballs in a 7-4 win over Garden City (N.Y.), which finished 16-4.

Evans said those games in particular were a chance for him and the other seniors to leave their mark “on the legacy that is SI lacrosse.” St. Ignatius closed out the season in dominating fashion, winning four of its last six games by 10 goals or more.

“That newfound confidence allowed him to be a better leader, more vocal, and he was making plays so people followed him and listened to him,” Packard said. “He was unselfish when he needed to be and taking control when he needed to. But in a tight game you’ve got give the ball to one kid and you’re always giving it to him. Guys were always wailing on him and couldn’t take it away from him. He was exceptionally aggressive in the right spots and just a really talented athlete who understands the game. He played his best when it mattered most, which is the sign of a real star.”

EPOCH/US LACROSSE WEST REGION PLAYER OF THE YEAR

BRYN EVANS
School: St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.)
Year: Senior
Position: Midfielder
Stats: 47 goals, 11 assists, 31 ground balls
Coach Chris Packard: “This kid is the ultimate two-way middie. We always gave him the ball to close out games or in crucial situations and had him on D for much-needed stops, and he is tireless. I'd be surprised if he doesn't start right away at Harvard. He’s tough as nails and too big, too fast and too skilled not to play.”
Also notable: Asher Nolting, Cherry Creek (Colo.); Joe Theuer, Loyola-Los Angeles (Calif.)

NIKE/US LACROSSE WEST REGION TOP 10 (FINAL)

1. St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.), 19-2

The Wildcats beat Bellarmine Prep 9-4 to claim their eighth straight West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) title and wrap up another impressive season that included two top 25 wins. Ignatius, which is ranked No. 5 nationally, hasn’t lost a league game in eight years of play. Bryn Evans (Harvard) was among the team’s top playmakers, finishing with 47 goals, 11 assists and 31 groundballs, including a 10-goal performance during a 2-1 finish on the East Coast, which included a win over No. 10 Chaminade (N.Y.).

2. Cherry Creek (Colo.), 18-1

A year after failing to make the state final for the first time since 2011, the Bruins made the most of their return to collect their record sixth title with a 17-8 win over defending champion Regis Jesuit (Colo.) in the Class 5A championship. Cherry Creek beat Kent Denver (Colo.) 13-5 in the semifinals to set up the third championship meeting in the last four years with Regis. Asher Nolting was the state’s Player of the Year, finishing with 48 goals and 66 assists, and helped send long-time coach Bryan Perry into retirement on a high note.

3. La Costa Canyon (Calif.), 18-2

The second-seeded Mavericks claimed their eighth CIF championship overall and third in four years by outlasting Coronado (Calif.) 10-9 in the San Diego Section Open final. They ended a one-year title drought after topping Poway 11-8 in the semifinals. LCC had just one in-state loss, a two-goal decision against Torrey Pines on April 28 and the other loss was to Texas state semifinalist The Woodlands on March 15.  

4. Regis Jesuit (Colo.), 15-4

The Raiders topped 2016 state runner-up Arapahoe (Colo.) 15-7 in the Class 5A semifinals but couldn’t repeat an early-season win over Cherry Creek in the final. Regis fell behind 5-1 in the first quarter and trailed 9-2 at the half. Sophomore Jake Taylor led Jesuit with 48 goals and 16 assists this season, while classmate Joe Kassal had a 61.0 percent success rate on faceoffs and senior goalie Braden Host surrendered 7.2 goals per game and stopped 54.9 percent of the shots he faced.

5. Loyola-Los Angeles (Calif.), 21-4

The Cubs claimed their second straight Southern Section CIF title, avenging a regular-season loss to Palos Verdes (Calif.) in the Los Angeles final and topping Foothill-Santa Ana (Calif.) 13-5 in the overall championship. Loyola’s other three losses were against teams that have been ranked this season. Senior goalie Joe Theuer was one of Los Angeles’ top players this season, posting a 4.3 goals against average, while posting a 65.0 percent save rate, and his 760 career saves are believed to be a state record.

6. De La Salle (Calif.), 19-4

The Spartans claimed the CIF North Coast Division 1 title, beating Amador Valley (Calif.) 7-5 in the final to avenge an early-season loss to the Dons. Three of their four losses were decided by two goals or less, including one against nationally-ranked St. Ignatius Prep. De La Salle beat knocked defending champion Monte Vista-Danville (Calif.) out in the semifinals, 8-6.

7. Arapahoe (Colo.), 13-5

The Warriors won 12 of their last 14 games after a 1-3 start to the season but ended their season with a second loss to Regis Jesuit in the Class 5A state semifinals. Arapahoe led 5-4 at halftime but was outscored 11-2 in the second half of the 15-7 loss. Senior attackman Chase Douglas was the team’s lone player to be named first-team all-state.

8. Oregon Episcopal (Ore.), 17-1

The Aardvarks avenged their lone loss of the season by beating previously-ranked West Linn (Ore.) 11-10 in overtime of the state semifinals May 31, then went on to win the title with a 9-6 win over Sunset. They held a 4-3 advantage at the half but fired off four goals in the third quarter to propel themselves to the win.

9. Skyline (Wash.), 16-2

The Spartans claimed the WHSBLA Class 4A state title with a 9-7 win over rival Eastlake (Wash.) in the final after topping Woodinville (Wash.) 9-6 in the semifinals. Skyline had one in-state loss this season, a two-goal loss to Bellevue (Wash.) in the opener. Nolan Eggert averaged about four points a game as one of the leaders for Skyline.

10. Coronado (Calif.), 15-7

The Islanders rallied back from an 8-4 deficit against La Costa Canyon to take a 9-8 lead with 4:29 left but couldn’t hold on and settled for runner-up in the San Diego Open division. It was their second one-goal loss to LCC. Coronado upset previously-ranked Torrey Pines (Calif.) 6-4 in the semifinals, less than two weeks after dropping a 19-7 loss to the Falcons.