1. Lambert (Ga.), 17-1
The Longhorns absorbed a rare loss toward the end of the regular season, falling 8-5 to Lovett (Ga.) on April 20. Coach Joshua Sagel said the loss helped refocus a group with “a lot of weight” on its shoulders. Otherwise, Lambert has rolled, including wins over Middle Creek (N.C.), Ponte Vedra (Fla.), Centennial (Ga.) and Milton (Ga.). For all of Gerard Kane’s scoring, the Longhorns are built on defense, yielding just 118 shots in 18 games, led by Patrick Deans, who recently committed to Johns Hopkins. Previous: 1
2. Weddington (N.C.), 12-1
An impressive first month of the season — including wins over Lake Norman, Charlotte Catholic, McCallie (Tenn.) and Middle Creek — has continued as the Warriors have run their win streak to seven games. The defense has been stellar, with junior Colby Barsz (Towson) providing superb 1-on-1 defense and sophomore goalie Andrew Miller playing “lights out,” per coach Britton Short. Meanwhile, James Shipley (Penn) draws closer to 300 career points. Previous: 2
3. Ponte Vedra (Fla.), 22-1
The Sharks have continued to win big games, including an 11-9 victory at Oxbridge Academy (Fla.), as well as against Bartram Trail (Fla.) and Creekside (Fla.). They showed their mettle in their win over Oxbridge, rallying from 8-4 down entering the fourth quarter with help from Freddie Amato’s five-goal performance. Ponte Vedra’s lone loss is to the South’s top-ranked team. Previous: 3
4. Middle Creek (N.C.), 15-2
The Mustangs roared back from a 10-8 loss to rival Weddington with five straight wins, including a 13-10 victory over East (Pa.). With a one-goal loss to Lambert and the narrow loss to Weddington serving as the only blemishes, Middle Creek’s resume’ is among the best in the South. Jake Caputo (Duke) headlines the group, but the Mustangs have depth, including junior Nathan Greenberg hitting 100 career points and Graham Schwartz playing well in the faceoff area. Previous: 4
5. Lassiter (Ga.), 18-1
There are no perfect teams in The Peach State this year. After surviving close road games at Lovett and Pope (Ga.), Lassiter fell to Roswell (Ga.) on April 16. Otherwise, the close games have gone the Trojans’ way. They bounced back the next time out with an 8-6 win over Walton (Ga.) for the team’s fourth victory by three goals or fewer. Lassiter was fueled by two fourth-quarter goals by Braden Erksa. Previous: 7
6. Bishop Moore (Fla.), 17-5
After a slow start that included dropping three losses in four games in early March, the Hornets have been on a roll. They won 15 of their last 17 en route to a return trip to the state final four, with the only losses coming to Ponte Vedra and Cardinal Mooney. Goalie Davison Oser is a big reason for the Hornets’ success. He registered 14 saves in a 9-8 regional semifinal win over Lake Highland Prep, while Jake Kiefer has been hard to stop at the other end of the field. Previous: NR
7. McCallie (Tenn.), 10-4
Following a 2-3 start against strong opposition, the Blue Tornado have started to whirl, including three huge in-state victories in the month of April against Memphis University (11-8), Christian Brothers (14-10) and Montgomery Bell (12-8). With Cameron Henry (Duke) leading the defense and Nick Jessen (Lafayette) notching 70-plus goals this season, McCallie could be tough to beat down the stretch. Previous: NR
8. Montgomery Bell (Tenn.), 10-2
After racking up road wins over Louisville Trinity (Ky.), Brentwood (Tenn.) and Charlotte Latin (N.C.) in its first four games, Montgomery Bell defeated two of Tennessee’s best in April, beating Memphis University, 12-0, and Christian Brothers, 13-5. Against MUS, Stephen Avery (41 goals, 26 assists) had three goals and two assists, while Luke Mryncza and William Tyrone had two goals and three assists apiece. Against Christian Brothers, junior Steven Mason tallied five goals and Braden Myers notched seven ground balls. Previous: NR
9. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.), 18-3
The Raiders took a few lumps with a March loss to Oxbridge Academy and an early April loss at Jupiter, but they appear to be firing on all cylinders now. Brock Gonzalez tallied five goals to power Aquinas to a 13-12 win over St. Andrew’s in the regional semifinals, and he followed with a hat trick and a superb defensive performance against Gulliver Prep to help his team advance to this week’s state final four. Sophomore Jared Chenoy has been dominant on faceoffs. Previous: NR
10. Highland Park (Texas), 12-4
This season in Lone Star State continues to be wild, but with six straight wins, the Fighting Scots are rising toward the top. Following an 11-10 loss to Woodlands on April 6, they racked up close victories over Allen, 11-7, St. Mark’s, 5-4, and Dallas Jesuit, 9-7. An 18-3 win over Kingwood to clinch an eighth consecutive trip to state featured less suspense with Makay Hansen, Thomas Mencke, Pete Sitton and Trystan Uphoff all tallying hat tricks. Previous: NR
— Jonah Rosenblum
1. Culver Military Academy (Ind.), 16-1
The Eagles successfully defended their Midwest Lacrosse Challenge championship on Sunday, defeating Glenbrook North (Ill.), Everest Prep (Ont.) and New Trier (Ill.) en route to the title. The last month for Culver also was highlighted by a 16-8 win over Hill Academy (Ont.), as Michael Robinson (Delaware) scored five times. Previous: 1
2. Brother Rice (Mich.), 14-0
Although the Warriors have maintained a perfect record through the first week of May, they have been challenged. They squeaked by with a 12-11 win over St. Xavier (Ohio) on April 27 thanks to Justin Glod (Harvard) scoring Brother Rice’s last four goals. Then on May 4, the Warriors rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Dublin Coffman (Ohio) 8-6. They also scored big wins over Forest Hills Central (Mich.) and Upper Arlington (Ohio) in recent weeks. Previous: 2
3. Dublin Coffman (Ohio), 14-1
After starting off undefeated through 14 matches, the Shamrocks could not hold their halftime lead against Brother Rice on May 4. Evan James had an impressive April, scoring 29 goals and adding 24 assists. Previous: 3
4. St. Ignatius (Ohio), 11-3
The Wildcats have won seven out of eight since losing to Culver on April 6, and that stretch was highlighted by a 12-9 win over St. Xavier (Ohio) on April 26. St. Ignatius’ only loss in the last seven contests came on April 20 at Georgetown Prep (Md.). Previous: 4
5. MICDS (Mo.), 13-1
Led by Georgetown-bound Graham Bundy Jr.’s eight-point game, the Wildcats clinched the No. 1 seed in Missouri’s state playoffs May 5 with a 17-3 win over Eureka (Mo.). MICDS has won 10 straight since its March 30 loss to St. Ignatius. Bundy now has 114 points for the season and topped 400 points as a Wildcat last week. Previous: 5
6. Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), 13-1
The Shamrocks have won 11 in a row since their early-season loss to Brother Rice (Mich.) on March 26. Detroit Catholic Central could get a rematch against Brother Rice on Saturday in the Detroit Catholic League championship game. In recent weeks, Central’s biggest win came over St. Michael’s College (Ont.) on April 13. Previous: 6
7. Loyola Academy (Ill.), 8-6
The Ramblers have faced an incredibly tough schedule, with all six of their losses this season coming against some of the best East Coast programs. Loyola is 7-0 against Midwest competition, which includes a 7-6 win over in-state rival New Trier on April 16. Previous: 7
8. Forest Hills Central (Mich.), 11-1
The Rangers have dominated teams in Michigan since their April 16 loss to Brother Rice (Mich.). Forest Hills Central’s offense has been led by Tate Hallock, who is a three-star football recruit and committed to play for Mark Dantonio’s Michigan State Spartans. Previous: NR
9. New Trier (Ill.), 10-5
The Trevians have faced a tough schedule in the Midwest, with losses in recent weeks to Loyola and Culver. New Trier did pick up an impressive win over St. Michael’s College (Ont.) on May 4. Previous: 8
10. St. Xavier (Ohio), 10-6
The Bombers are 0-4 against the Midwest’s top 10 so far this year, including a disappointing one-point loss to Brother Rice on April 27. St. Xavier also lost by one to Louisville Trinity (Ky.) and by three to St. Ignatius (Ohio). Previous: 9
— Justin Boggs
1. Torrey Pines (Calif.), 17-2
The Falcons begin their CIF San Diego Open Division state title defense with the start of the playoffs Saturday at Cathedral Catholic (Calif.). They closed the regular season on a 12-game winning streak that included a notable win over previous No. 4 St. Margaret’s Episcopal (Calif.) on April 18 and a pair of wins over two of the top program’s in Texas. Christian Rasmussen and Dewey Egan each had five goals in a 14-12 comeback win over La Costa Canyon (Calif.) on April 26. Torrey Pines’ lone losses were against St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.) and IMG National’s all-star squad. Previous: 2
2. San Ramon Valley (Calif.), 17-1
The Wolves leaped into the rankings with a perfect April – after a lone loss to Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.) on March 23 – and took over the No. 2 spot by beating former No. 1 St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.) 9-8 on April 23. SRV closed the regular season on an 11-game win streak and head into the CIF North Coast Section Division 1 playoffs this week as the top seed. Previous: NR
3. St. Ignatius (Calif.), 14-4
The Wildcats hit a big bump in the road at the end of April when they lost four in a row, but three of those were against some of New York’s top teams and the fourth was a 9-8 loss to San Ramon Valley. St. Ignatius bounced back with an 8-7 win over ranked Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.), as Mario Hemann recorded 13 saves to preserve the win and secure the top seed in this week’s WCAL playoffs. Previous: 1
4. Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.), 16-3
The Gators suffered all three of their losses over the final five games of the regular season, but they’ll enter the WCAL playoffs battle-tested as two of those came against Mid-Atlantic powers Gonzaga (D.C.) and St. Paul’s (Md.). They also played St. Ignatius close in an 8-7 loss May 1 and will be looking for a rematch in the WCAL final Friday if both teams advance. Previous: 5
5. Arapahoe (Colo.), 13-2
The Warriors suffered a 12-10 loss to Grandview (Colo.) at the beginning of April but are heading into the postseason on a roll. They’ve won nine straight, including beating Kent Denver (Colo.), Cherry Creek (Colo.) and Regis Jesuit (Colo.) within the last two weeks. Bobby Baltzer, Jake Hall and Josh Carlson all have 25 goals or more to lead the attack. Previous: 8
6. St. Margaret’s Episcopal (Calif.), 16-3
The Tartans suffered losses to St. Ignatius and Torrey Pines earlier this month but regained some confidence with a 10-8 road win over ranked Palos Verdes (Calif.) on April 20. They play Foothill-Santa Ana (Calif.) in the CIF Southern Orange County final Wednesday. Previous: 4
7. Palos Verdes (Calif.), 19-2
The Sea Kings’ only loss in April came against St. Margaret’s. They will compete in the CIF Southern Section Los Angeles playoffs this week after closing the regular season with five straight wins, including beating Harvard-Westlake 9-3 in the finale Saturday. Previous: 7
8. Valor Christian (Colo.), 15-0
The Eagles suffered a lone loss, 9-5, to La Costa Canyon (Calif.) on March 22, but LCC ended up having to forfeit the win so Valor Christian’s record remains perfect, highlighted by a victory against Regis Jesuit. Lance Tillman leads with 31 goals and 26 assists, and Ian Acheson adds 27 goals and nine assists. Sophomore goalie Mitch Gutgsell has a 6.3 goals against average. Previous: NR
9. La Jolla (Calif.), 17-0
The Vikings remain unbeaten but they haven’t been tested much either. An 11-6 win over La Costa Canyon on April 30 was their closest game since an overtime decision over Thompson Valley (Colo.) on March 20. La Jolla plays Poway (Calif.) in the CIF San Diego Section Open Division playoffs Friday. Previous: NR
10. Cherry Creek (Colo.), 14-2
The Bruins have lost two of their last four games, but their resumé remains strong with wins over Grandview and Regis Jesuit among in-state competition. Their losses came against ranked Arapahoe and a strong Kent Denver team in overtime on May 3. Previous: 3
— Laurel Pfahler