St. Andrew’s (Fla.) boys’ lacrosse coach Tony Seaman has seen many of the greats during his expansive lacrosse coaching tenure.

So when Seaman, a member of the Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Hall of Fame, says long-stick midfielder Sean Jordan has the potential to be one of the best the sport has to offer, it’s clear the player is a legit talent.

Jordan backed up that endorsement on the field this season and still has one more year of high school development. After leading St. Andrew’s to an undefeated record and FHSAA Class 1A state title, he has been named the Nike / USA Lacrosse South Player of the Year.

“He will be as good as any college lacrosse player defensively the college scene has seen,” Seaman said. “I guarantee it.”

Jordan, a junior who is considered one of the top prospects in the class of 2022, is committed to Harvard. He also is a star on the St. Andrew’s football team, but he credits much of his success on the lacrosse field to having one of the most accomplished coaches in the nation leading his high school program.

“With Coach Seaman, everyone knows he is a legend in the sport and that he’s a bit old fashioned, and we need it because we’re all prep school kids,” Jordan said. “He teaches us that no matter what, you can always work harder and never take a play off. Every day after practice, we would have 30-45 minutes of sprints and everybody would be dead, but after, he wouldn’t say anything but, ‘It was all worth it.’

“We realized that the only way to do well is through hard work. Hard work can lead to talent, which is what he showed us this year.”

That hard work paid dividends in 2021 both offensively and defensively for Jordan. He picked up 63 ground balls in 16 games, and even with the long stick, Jordan played a key role in St. Andrew’s offense, contributing 16 goals along with seven assists.

With Jordan serving as a catalyst, the Scots were rarely tested en route to a state championship, and when they were, he was right in the thick of things. St. Andrew’s squeaked by Oxbridge Academy (Fla.) with an 8-7 victory in the season opener, and in the middle of the season, the Scots eked out a 5-4 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas. Both were among the state’s top teams.

Jordan enjoys his role as a long-stick midfielder because he gets to be involved in every play. He briefly started out in high school as an attacker, but Seaman thought Jordan would thrive at the LSM.

“I was actually playing middie and ended up getting hit pretty hard and ended up getting a pretty bad concussion, and [Seaman] was like, ‘Okay, Sean, you should probably switch back because it is probably going to happen a lot,’” Jordan said. “From then on out, I have ended up playing LSM for years.”

Seaman says he is as good with the ball as anyone on his team.

It turns out the position is a natural fit for Jordan.

“I liked playing the position because it opened up my legs and sometimes with playing base defense, you don’t get to run as much,” he said. “This gave me more of an opportunity to be an athlete and show my athleticism.”

Seaman compared Jordan’s ability to former Johns Hopkins star and coach Dave Pietramala. Seaman said he has yet to find any flaws in Jordan on or off the field.

“That is the kind of gifted athlete that he is,” Seaman said “Anything he does, he does really well. He works hard to make it even better. He works hard in the weight room. He is as strong as an ox.”

While the pandemic sidelined St. Andrew’s and all high school lacrosse last March, it did not diminish his game.

“He worked hard at home,” Seaman said. “We did a lot of stuff on Zoom with our players, and they reported in that way. You never had to worry about Sean. He was a leader with everybody.”

Seaman said Jordan puts in work in the classroom as well and was recruited by other Ivy League schools besides Harvard. Jordan said that he previously interacted with Harvard coach Gerry Byrne at a camp, and he followed Byrne during his tenure at Notre Dame.

“Coach Byrne is the best,” said Jordan, whose brother attends nearby Boston College. “We always saw Coach Byrne, so it just all fit into place and Harvard is an amazing school.”

But before looking too far ahead, Jordan has another year of high school to finish and more to accomplish with St. Andrew’s.

Nike/USA 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

presented by

FINAL NIKE / USA LACROSSE
SOUTH BOYS’ TOP 10

1. Dallas Jesuit (Texas), 12-2

The Rangers’ season culminated in a state title victory over Highland Park (Texas), avenging for a second time their only in-state loss — an 11-9 defeat in the third game. Senior Curran Rose, who finished with a team-leading 31 goals, scored four times in the state championship. Jesuit had four contests early in the season canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. The team’s only other loss was to nationally ranked Culver Prep (Ind.).

2. St. Andrew’s (Fla.), 16-0

Led by South Player of the Year Sean Jordan and top scorer Jack Schulte, the Scots went on to an undefeated season, capped by a state championship. St. Andrew’s season closed with a 13-5 win over St. Edward’s (Fla.) in the FHSAA Class 1A final, lifting legendary head coach Tony Seaman to his first title with St. Andrew’s. With Schulte, Jordan and goaltender Gunnar Schwarz returning, St. Andrew’s will be the favorite to win the title again in 2022.

3. Cardinal Gibbons (N.C.), 17-0

The Crusaders concluded a perfect season with a state championship victory over Hough (N.C.). Junior Caden Zadell led Cardinal Gibbons with 42 goals this season. Cardinal Gibbons will send a handful of players, including long-stick midfielder Diego Roman (Loyola) and defender Daniel Enoch (Air Force), to the collegiate level this fall.

4. Blessed Trinity (Ga.), 25-0

The Titans capped a perfect season with a 12-8 win over Pace Academy (Ga.) in the GHSAA Class 5A-A state championship. Blessed Trinity needed an 11-10 win over Westminster (Ga.) in the state semifinals to advance to the title game but wasn’t tested much before that. Standout senior attacker Riley Sullivan will depart for Lafayette.

5. Jupiter (Fla.), 18-1

The class of 2021 exited Jupiter with a Class 2A state title after defeating Winter Park (Fla.) 12-8 in the final. The only setback in 2021 was a 12-11 decision against St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) on March 10, but Jupiter avenged the loss by knocking Aquinas out in the state quarterfinals on April 30 by a one-goal margin. Lafayette recruit Max Sanderson led Jupiter with 71 goals. Junior Trace Hogan had 35 assists in addition to 49 goals.

6. Highland Park (Texas), 14-3

The Highlanders came up just short of a state title, falling to Dallas Jesuit 10-8 after holding a 6-5 lead early in the second half. Highland Park had regular-season wins over Dallas Jesuit (splitting games) and Westlake (Texas). Seniors Thomas Mencke (Virginia), Anthony Ghobriel (Navy), Jake Jent (Lafayette) and Brooks Bond (Delaware) are all set to join the Division I collegiate ranks next season.

7. Louisville St. Xavier (Ky.), 18-3

The Tigers won their third straight state title in 2021 after defeating Trinity (Ky.) 17-8. Two of St. Xavier’s three losses came against Midwest powerhouses: Culver Prep (Ind.) and Cincinnati St. Xaiver (Ohio). The Tigers went 13-0 versus in-state opposition. Seniors Hillis Burns (Air Force) and Ben Hubbs (Bellarmine) will join the Division I college ranks next season.

8. Ponte Vedra (Fla.), 15-1

The Sharks had their undefeated season unexpectedly dashed by Creekside (Fla.) on April 15, preventing Ponte Vedra from defending its state title. Maddox Johnson led Ponte Vedra with 49 goals, while Jack Reed had a team-high 20 assists. While Reed and Johnson are set to return in 2022, Ponte Vedra will lose midfielders Frankie DiMarzo (Utah) and Joe Taraboletti (Denver) to the Division I level.

9. Middle Creek (N.C.), 12-1

The Mustangs had their perfect season interrupted by eventual state champion Cardinal Gibbons in the state playoffs. Eight Mustangs tallied double figures in goals this year, led by junior and Ohio State recruit Tate Jones, who had 36. Charlie Riesett won more than 90 percent of faceoffs.

10. St. Edward’s (Fla.), 16-5

The Pirates’ run in the state tournament came to an end just short of a title. St. Edward’s lost to St. Andrew’s (Fla.) 13-5 in the Class 1A final. The Pirates survived a pair of close games before losing in the state final. Junior Oscar Lindenthal led St. Edward’s with 66 goals but was held scoreless in the championship game. Senior Danny Richmond had 62 assists.