Sallies's defense will be nowhere close to what it was last year. C'mon now, Kilpatrick was arguably the best defenseman in DE lacrosse history, and Leeder was very good as well. I'm sure they'll do a great job with the players they have, but it won't compare. The Sals bring back a lot, but their system and great coaching wins championships, not the individuals.
Archmere loses their best two defenders, Thomson, and several middies, but Garrahan and Revak should have tremendous years. Look for Russell to have a strong season in goal. It's hard to remember the last time a team returned two All-Americans - Sallies in '08 possibly? I can't remember but I doubt it.
Tower returns everyone from a top defense with Stone and Schleppler leading the way that held Sallies in the Championship to one of their lowest scores of the season. Mette is a great dodger/shooter who really came on late last season, and everyone knows what Pettit is capable of. Their offense has centered around Robino for two years now, and he and Luft have been a huge part of it for 4 years, so it'll be interesting to see how Tower adjusts.
Friends returns virtually everyone outside of Sam Davis, a midfielder who contributed mostly with his leadership, his absence shouldn't be felt this season. Tracy is a very good pole, and the offense has several good weapons such as Kirkpatrick and several other shooters who should make them dangerous.
My Top 5 1. Sallies 2. Tower 3. Archmere 4. Friends
I'll put Cape as a wildcard for the semi finals, they could knock off one of those teams outside of Sallies. Unless something crazy happens, these should be your four (plus maybe Cape) teams in the semis no matter how you look at it. If you think otherwise, you didn't watch much DE lax last year. CR losing Brooks Johnson will really hurt their defense, his brother comes back but they've been on the decline since '08. Tatnall has steadily been getting worse since '09 with Fragomele. Brandywine losing Zach Johnson kills their D, although they return their best attackman. Charter lost Rittenhouse, I think they return Mergenthaler at D but they shouldn't contend for the title.
No matter what, the state championship will run through Sallies, just as it has since 2008.
Posted on 2/23 3:06 AM | IP: Logged
"everyone knows what Pettit is capable of" Idk, It will be interesting to see him against the quality #1 poles of the other 3 teams of your top 4. Robino and Luft drew the 1 and 2 for years, how this works out will be the key for TH.
Posted on 2/23 8:57 AM | IP: Logged
axnq92, I disagree in that Luft has drawn the #2 poles of teams for years. 3 years ago, Dedominicus drew the #1 pole while Robino had the #2, 2 years ago Robino had the #1 while Ripley Nielson had the #2, and last year, Robino had the #1 while Pettit or Mette had the #2. Luft had the #3 or #4 pole his entire career at Tower, he was absolutely the 3rd attackmen last year. Pettit is at his best off ball, making cuts in front of the crease, receiving quick passes, finishing very well, and playing very well on fast breaks - this is what I was referring to.
Posted on 2/25 4:14 AM | IP: Logged
I did not hear about Revak until recently, a real shame to hear that, huge loss for Archmere and Delaware high school lacrosse in general. Choosing between Revak and Walker, I'd pick Revak as the best attackman in the state.
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