1. Weddington (N.C.), 16-1
The Warriors trailed for just 96 seconds in their Class 3A state title game, but James Shipley tied the game, then scored the go-ahead goal to launch a 10-0 run and Weddington cruised to a 16-5 win over Chapel Hill (N.C.). A 9-8 win over Marvin Ridge (N.C.) in the semifinals proved more challenging, but goalie Andrew Miller came up with “several big saves down the stretch,” according to coach Britton Short. Previous: 2
2. Ponte Vedra (Fla.), 24-1
For all the tight games the Sharks won this season, the state championship was a bit anti-climatic. After beating Bishop Moore and Oxbridge Academy by two goals apiece during the regular season and Jupiter by two goals in the state semifinals, Ponte Vedra doubled up St. Thomas Aquinas in the final, winning 19-7. The Sharks sniffed blood with two goals in the opening 62 seconds and never let up, with Dylan Hess scoring five goals and Patrick Dotsikas and Carter Parlette tacking on hat tricks. Previous: 3
3. Walton (Ga.), 21-2
The Raiders won their final seven games, capped by an 8-7 victory over Lambert in the state final in which Tate Harran, Taylor Aston and James Gurr scored two goals apiece. Harran, who was vomiting blood that morning, scored the game-winner in overtime and also came up clutch in the semifinals, notching a hat trick in an 8-3 victory over Centennial. Walton had no shortage of weapons with six scorers topping 40 points, including freshman Lee Butler (82 points) and junior Drew Pritts (68). The defense was led by goalie Nick Floyd and Drew Michalek. Previous: NR
4. Lambert (Ga.), 21-2
While the Longhorns couldn’t repeat as state champions, they still had an impressive season, including an out-of-state win over Ponte Vedra (Fla.) and a playoff run in which they won their first five tournament games by a 61-17 margin. Lambert fell in the state title game despite a four-goal performance from Benny O’Rourk (36 goals this season), including a buzzer-beating, game-tying goal to force overtime off a pass from Gerard Kane (63 goals, 19 assists). In addition to Kane and O’Rourk’s heroics, defender Patrick Deans (Johns Hopkins) had a remarkable year for the Longhorns. Previous: 1
5. Episcopal Dallas (Texas), 19-5
Given the way Lone Star lacrosse played out this season, a state title run was never going to be easy for the Eagles. Episcopal Dallas survived a tight semifinal, edging Dallas Jesuit 5-4, before avenging a regular-season loss to Highland Park in the championship game. Drew Wasserman and Jack Loftus contributed hat tricks, while Carson Raney (Ohio State), Scott Bower (Virginia) and Henry Watson led a strong defensive effort. Previous: NR
6. Montgomery Bell (Tenn.), 13-2
The Big Red also had a tough run to a state title, beating Memphis University 10-8 in the semifinals and Christian Brothers 9-8 in the final. Stephen Avery had four goals apiece in the state semifinal and final to finish the season with 49 goals and 32 assists. Garrett Murphy won 63 percent of his faceoffs, corralling 82 groundballs, while defenders Noah Mendoza, Peyton Brien (Rhodes College), Braden Myers (Wesleyan University) and goalie Chris Tarquinio (Rhodes) held opponents to six goals per game. Previous: 8
7. Cardinal Gibbons (N.C.), 18-4
The Crusaders captured their first state championship since moving up to Class 4A, dominating their title game thanks to a strong performance from Nick Gorman, who won all 18 of his faceoffs. Cardinal Gibbons was brilliant defensively, allowing three second-half goals combined between the state semifinals and final game with senior Riley Myer in goal. The Crusaders’ attack, led by seniors Will Stock and Joe Torres, picked up extra punch with freshman Caden Zadell averaging 5.2 points during the playoffs, notching four-plus in every game. Previous: NR
8. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.), 18-4
The Raiders were blown out by Ponte Vedra in the state final but their road through the playoffs included a pair of tough 13-12 wins over Bishop Moore and St. Andrew’s, and they didn’t have a bad loss in the regular season. Their other three defeats were against Massapequa (N.Y.) and two of Florida’s top teams in Oxbridge and Jupiter. The Raiders also owned a notable win over Locust Valley (N.Y.). Previous: NR
9. Middle Creek (N.C.), 18-3
The Mustangs’ eight-game win streak came to an end in the state semifinals against eventual state champion Cardinal Gibbons. All three of Middle Creek’s losses came against top-notch opposition — Lambert (Ga.), Weddington and Cardinal Gibbons — by a combined five goals. All-American Jake Caputo capped his career with a remarkable senior season, tallying 72 goals and 35 assists. While Caputo and fellow senior David Baird (36 goals) provided the kind of scoring that will be hard to replace, freshman Tate Jones notched 43 goals and 31 assists and junior Nathan Greenberg had 37 goals and 15 assists. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, they must also say farewell to another All-American in Graham Schwartz, who won 80-plus percent of his faceoffs this season in setting a North Carolina career record for faceoffs won. Previous: 4
10. Lassiter (Ga.), 20-2
The Trojans’ season came to an end prematurely, but their lone two losses came to Roswell and Lambert, and their resume has some impressive victories. Among the highlights was a blowout of Memphis University, one of Tennessee’s top teams, and a win over state champion Walton. Previous: 5
— Jonah Rosenblum
1. Culver Military Academy (Ind.), 20-1
The Eagles closed out the 2019 season on a 16-game winning streak, highlighted by a 9-5 win over Hill Academy (Ont.) to earn the National Prep Championships title. Culver also defeated Hill School (Pa.) and Academy New Church (Pa.) en route to the title. Previous: 1
2. Brother Rice (Mich.), 23-0
Justin Glod’s third goal with one second left lifted the Warriors to a 14-13 win over Detroit Catholic Central in the Michigan state final, as they claimed their 14th title in 15 years. Brother Rice had lost to Catholic Central in the 2018 title game. Glod closed out his senior season with 86 goals and more than three dozen assists. Previous: 2
3. Dublin Coffman (Ohio), 24-1
The Shamrocks defeated perennial power Cincinnati St. Xavier 13-8 on June 1 to claim their first state title in their first finals appearance. Evan James (Loyola commit) tallied five goals to lead the way. Coffman also defeated highly-rated St. Ignatius (Ohio) and crosstown rival Dublin Scioto en route to the title, and James came up big in those games as well, scoring eight times against St. Ignatius and five times against Scioto. Previous: 3
4. MICDS (Mo.), 18-1
Graham Bundy Jr. (Georgetown) once again showed his mettle, scoring six times in the Missouri state final to lead the Rams to a 15-1 win over De Smet (Mo.) on May 24. Bundy also led Missouri in points, combining 72 goals and 65 assists for a total of 137 points this season. MICDS has won six straight titles. Previous: 5
5. Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), 20-4
The Shamrocks were hopeful that the third time would be the charm. After losing to Brother Rice (Mich.) twice during the regular season, Catholic Central lost to its rivals in the state title game on June 8 by a one-goal margin. Three of the Shamrocks’ four losses were to Brother Rice. Joey Kamish (Loyola commit) scored 77 goals this season, including six in the title game. Previous: 6
6. New Trier (Ill.), 20-5
The Trevians won the Illinois state title on June 1 in dominating fashion, defeating Warren (Ill.) 16-4. Henry Scherb (Tufts) had a team-record 70 goals this season, including five in the final game. The blowout over Warren followed a tight 8-6 win in the semifinals over Neuqua Valley (Ill.). New Trier also picked up a notable win over Loyola Academy (Ill.) in the sectional round. Previous: 9
7. St. Ignatius (Ohio), 18-5
The Wildcats lost to eventual champion Dublin Coffman (Ohio), 15-8, in the state semifinals. St. Ignatius’ season was highlighted by wins over MICDS (Mo.), Cathedral (Ind.) and St. Xavier (Ohio). Previous: 4
8. Cincinnati St. Xavier (Ohio), 17-7
After losing to Brother Rice (Mich.) on April 27, the Bombers turned their season around by winning nine in a row, culminating in an appearance in Ohio’s state championship game. The streak ended there with a 13-8 loss to Dublin Coffman on June 1. St. Xavier’s run to the state title game included wins over Cincinnati Moeller (Ohio) and Upper Arlington (Ohio). Previous: 10
9. Forest Hills Central (Mich.), 22-1
The Rangers won Michigan’s Division II state title on June 8, defeating Forest Hills Eastern (Mich.) 20-4 in the final. Central’s only loss in 2019 was against Brother Rice (Mich.). Previous: 8
10. Cathedral (Ind.), 19-3
The Irish won Indiana’s state title by defeating Hamilton Southeastern (Ind.) 13-6 on June 1. The win marked Cathedral’s third title in four years.
— Justin Boggs
1. Torrey Pines (Calif.), 20-2
The Falcons claimed their second straight CIF San Diego Open Division state title with a 12-4 win over La Costa Canyon (Calif.). They rattled off seven unanswered goals to close the game, which at first looked like it would resemble an April 26 matchup in which Torrey Pines squeaked out a victory. Four of the last seven goals came from senior Brad Lienhart, and coach Jono Zissi collected his fourth section title in nine years. The Falcons outscored three playoff opponents 44-10. Previous: 1
2. St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.), 17-4
The Wildcats bounced back from a 9-8 loss to San Ramon Valley to win their last five games, including an 8-6 win over Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.) in the West Catholic Athletic League final May 10. Mario Hemann had 11 saves, Wells Bligh tallied two goals and one assist, Topher Bligh added two goals and Joey Hagen and Nils Barry each had one goal and one assist. Previous: 3
3. Cherry Creek (Colo.), 18-2
The Bruins collected their seventh state title in memorable fashion, beating Kent Denver 12-7 in the Class 5A final May 20 during a snowstorm. Kent had beaten Cherry Creek in double overtime 17 days prior, but the Bruins got their revenge with the help of Connor Terrell’s game-leading four goals. Dante Orlando and Aidan Burke each scored three times. Previous: 10
4. St. Margaret’s Episcopal (Calif.), 18-3
In a rematch of last year’s Southern Section final, the Tartans came out on top this time, holding Loyola off the board until the fourth quarter for a 13-4 win and the program’s first title since 2015. Kevin Groeninger finished with four goals and one assist, goalie Zane Handy posted 14 saves, including 12 in the first half, and Stuart Pollard won 17 of 18 faceoffs to control possession. St. Margaret’s advanced to the final with a 17-10 victory over Foothill-Santa Ana (Calif.) in the Orange County championship, a game in which Pollard won 29 of 31 faceoffs. Previous: 6
5. Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.), 18-4
The Gators got their chance to avenge a narrow regular-season finale loss to St. Ignatius when the two clashed in the WCAL championship, but they couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity. The only other teams to beat them were Mid-Atlantic powers Gonzaga (D.C.) and St. Paul’s (Md.). Previous: 4
6. Kent Denver (Colo.), 15-4
The fifth-seeded Sun Devils couldn’t repeat their regular-season win over Cherry Creek when the two met for a rematch in the state final, but Kent’s three other losses were by two goals or less. The Devils knocked off top-seeded Valor Christian (Colo.) 12-11 in the semifinals. Brandon Bergner had four goals and two assists in that game, while Maxwell Hewitt added three goals and two assists. Previous: NR
7. De LaSalle (Calif.), 18-6
The Spartans peaked at the right time, ending the season on a 15-game winning streak to lift the CIF North Coast Section championship trophy as the eighth seed after a 3-6 start to the season. They avenged a March loss to San Valley Ramon in the final, overcoming third-seeded Marin Academy 11-10 in double overtime thanks to Justin Barton’s game-winner with 2:36 seconds left. All four of De LaSalle’s playoff wins were decided by one goal, including a notable victory over top-seeded San Ramon Valley, which was ranked third in the West at the time. Previous: NR
8. San Ramon Valley (Calif.), 17-2
The Wolves couldn’t ride the momentum of a late April win over St. Ignatius Prep to accomplish their ultimate goal. They entered the CIF North Coast Section Division 1 playoffs as the top seed but opened the tournament with a 12-11 upset loss to No. 8-seeded De LaSalle in the quarterfinals. Previous: 2
9. Loyola Los Angeles (Calif.), 16-8
The Cubs avenged two of their losses during the second half of the season and bounced back from a three-game losing streak to reach the Southern Section final, where they were unable to defend their title against St. Margaret’s. That tough late-season losing streak included a pair of games in New Jersey and a defeat to Palos Verdes, who Loyola beat 12-6 in the Los Angeles final. Previous: NR
10. Lake Oswego (Ore.), 16-4
The Lakers ended on a 10-game winning streak to claim the Oregon state title with a 14-7 win over West Linn. They had opened the season 6-4 but avenged two of those losses later in the year, including beating Lakeridge twice after dropping a 16-8 decision April 16. Lake Oswego also beat Jesuit Portland 12-7 in the state quarterfinals, which served as a rematch of an overtime game Jesuit won April 9. Previous: NR
— Laurel Pfahler