MIDWEST TOP 10
1. Culver Academy (Ind.), 15-2
After edging Western Reserve Academy (Ohio) in the Midwest Scholastic Lacrosse Association championship game, the Eagles get nearly two weeks off before competing in the National Prep Lacrosse Championship. Culver will face off against Bullis School May 19 in the NPLC semifinals. Previous: 1
2. Brother Rice (Mich.) 15-2
It’s never easy to beat a good team twice in 12 days, and sure enough the Warriors fell in their rematch against Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) to split their regular-season series. Now, Brother Rice, with only two losses all year, both by a single goal, enters the postseason as the No. 1 seed in Region 6. Previous: 2
3. Dublin Jerome (Ohio), 16-1
The Celtics ended the regular season with a 16-12 victory at St. Xavier (Ohio). The opponent was fitting as Marek Tzagournis tied St. Xavier alum Connor Buczek as Ohio’s all-time leader in points with 410, a particularly impressive feat given Tzagournis lost his freshman season due to COVID. Previous: 3
4. Upper Arlington (Ohio), 16-2
The Golden Bears went on one last out-of-state trip before the postseason, picking up impressive wins over Hamburg (N.Y.) and New Canaan (Conn.), which happens to be one of Connecticut’s top teams. Jack Caine was brilliant in both wins, with five goals against the Bulldogs and six goals against the Rams, as was Sam Old, who had 14 saves against New Canaan. Previous: 4
5. Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), 14-2
The Shamrocks had one of the more impressive weeks of any Midwest team, going 3-0, including wins over two of the Mitten State’s best. After beating East Grand Rapids by a seven-goal margin, Detroit Catholic Central was able to edge one of the state’s (and region’s) best in Brother Rice. Don’t miss a big contest at Forest Hills Central on May 19. Previous: 6
6. Hartland (Mich.), 15-2
Talk about bouncing back. The Eagles rallied from a heartbreakingly close loss to Dublin Jerome (Ohio) with a 3-0 week, capped by an impressive 15-3 win over one of the Mitten State’s top teams: Forest Hills Central. Drew Lockwood played a massive role in that victory with six goals. Previous: 7
7. St. Viator (Ill.), 18-1
The Lions enter the postseason on a six-game win streak, including a decisive 16-9 victory over Mukwonago, one of Wisconsin’s top teams. Thanks to its stellar regular season, St. Viator got the top seed in the Lincolnshire Sectional. Watch out for a potential supersectional contest against Loyola Academy, New Trier or whoever captures the Glenview Sectional. Previous: 8
8. Rockhurst Jesuit (Mo.), 16-0
The Hawklets picked up yet another dominant victory, 28-3, over Lee’s Summit West (Mo.), marking their fifth straight win by 13-plus goals. Those 28 goals came from a whopping 16 Rockhurst Jesuit players, including hat tricks from seniors Brock Narciso and Johnny Steffano and junior Luke McNamara. Previous: 9
9. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (Minn.), 10-0
After a challenging victory over St. Thomas Academy (Minn.) May 4, the Red Knights had a more comfortable week, topping Moorhead (Minn.) and New Prague (Minn.) by 15-plus goals. This week brings a big challenge as Benilde-St. Margaret’s and Chanhassen (Minn.) meet in a battle of undefeated teams. Previous: T10
T10. Wheaton Academy (Ill.) 16-1
The Warriors passed two big tests, and with flying colors at that, as they beat Lake Forest (Ill.) by seven goals and New Trier (Ill.) by 12. Next up, Wheaton Academy faces Maine South (Ill.) in its regular-season finale before heading into the postseason. Previous: T10
T10. Forest Hills Central (Mich.), 13-3
After recording seven straight wins, much of it against steep competition, the Rangers finally fell, 15-3 to Hartland (Mich.). While the result was a tough one, Forest Hills Central’s resume is still plenty impressive with out-of-state wins over the likes of Carmel (Ind.), Hamilton Southeastern (Ind.), Hudson (Ohio) and St. Xavier (Ohio). Don’t underestimate this Rangers team. Previous: 5
— Jonah Rosenblum
WEST TOP 10
1. St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.), 20-4
The top-seeded Wildcats advance to the CIF Central Coast Section semifinals with a 15-3 win over Menlo-Atherton (Calif.) on Friday in their opening game of the tournament after earning a first-round bye. St. Ignatius faces Bellarmine Prep (Calif.) on May 17 and will be looking for a chance to defend its 2022 title with a possible rematch of last year’s final against Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.). Previous: 1
2. Valor Christian (Colo.), 15-1
The Eagles rolled to a 20-5 win over Denver East (Colo.) in the second round of the CHSAA Class 5A tournament, and they will next face Arapahoe (Colo.) in the quarterfinals. Valor Christian topped Arapahoe 7-3 on March 24. The Eagles’ lone loss this season was a 9-7 decision against Cherry Creek on March 29. Previous: 2
3. Regis Jesuit (Colo.), 14-2
The Raiders beat Cherokee Trail (Colo.) 14-2 in a second-round Class 5A tournament game last week, and they move on to meet Kent Denver (Colo.) in the quarterfinals May 17. Regis topped Kent 13-8 on March 24 and would get a chance to avenge a regular-season loss to Valor Christian if both teams make it to the semifinals. Previous: 3
4. Cherry Creek (Colo.), 16-1
The Bruins bounced back from their regular-season finale loss to Regis Jesuit by cruising to a 15-6 win over Columbine (Colo.) in the second round of the Class 5A tournament. Up next is Denver South (Colo.) in the quarterfinals, as Cherry Creek looks to repeat a 17-4 victory from a regular-season matchup April 11. Previous: 4
5. De La Salle (Calif.), 21-3
The Spartans repeated as CIF North Coast champions, beating Redwood (Calif.), 13-10, in the final May 11 after topping Vista del Lago (Calif.) in the semifinals. Hudson Lee scored four goals and Ben Kangas added three goals to lead the attack in the championship game. De La Salle had notable wins over Foothill-Santa Ana (Calif.) and Sacred Heart Prep, and its lone on-field losses were against St. Ignatius and Mater Dei (Calif.), in overtime. Previous: 6
6. Foothill-Santa Ana (Calif.), 18-6
The Knights bounced back from back-to-back losses in the final week of the regular season to beat two quality opponents in the opening rounds of the CIF Southern Section tournament. They edged St. Margaret’s (Calif.) 12-11 on Blake Wozniak’s overtime game-winner, then toppled former No. 5 Mater Dei (Calif.) 15-7 in the quarterfinals with hat tricks from Connor Pietras, Jackson Hines and Sean Sanchez and 10 saves from Cohen Krudwig. Now they get a rematch against Corona del Mar in the semifinals. Previous: 7
7. Loyola-Los Angeles (Calif.), 18-6
The Cubs fell short in the CIF Southern Section championship, ending a seven-game winning streak that began with a notable overtime win over Corona del Mar and a 12-2 win over Santa Margarita Catholic (Calif.) in the semifinals. Trent Turner scored a hat trick and had an assist in the championship game. All of Loyola’s losses were by four goals or less, including three by one goal apiece. Previous: 5
8. Mater Dei (Calif.), 18-3
Another strong season ended early when the Monarchs fell to Foothill in the CIF Southern Section quarterfinals last week. The Monarchs’ other losses were to previously-ranked Legend (Colo.) and unranked Santa Margarita Catholic (Calif.), but they had previously beaten Foothill during the regular season and also had wins over CdM and De La Salle. Previous: 8
9. Bishop’s School (Calif.), 17-1
The Knights advanced to the CIF San Diego Open Division semifinals with a 10-3 win over Coronado (Calif.). They next meet Cathedral Catholic (Calif.), whom they defeated 10-9 in the season opener. Torrey Pines (Calif.) and La Costa Canyon (Calif.) play in the other semifinal. Previous: 9
10. Jesuit Portland (Ore.), 13-3
The Crusaders outscored Aloha/Southridge (Ore.) and Sunset (Ore.) 37-1 in their two games last week. They close the regular season with a home game against Beaverton (Ore.) on May 15. Jesuit has won nine straight since dropping three in a row to St. Ignatius and a pair of top Texas teams. Previous: 10
— Laurel Pfahler