Lake Highland Prep went through a rare difficult season last year as they struggled with giving up goals against good teams, but still managed to get back to the FHSAA bracket before being ousted in the first round by Winter Park.  This is not a deep district currently and that probably does LHP no favor.  They will always play a strong out of district schedule but there was not an MIAA team played last year.  Will they get back on track with being an annual state title contender this year?  Their final poll ranking of #16 was their lowest since I started polling. Last season’s Regular Season records via MaxPreps (Note: possibility not all results were uploaded):  

School Name	*W-L	*Pct.	*GF	*GA	W-L	Pct.	GF	GA	Strk
Lake Highland Prep	6-0	0.857	100	31	9-9	0.474	225	208	1 L
East River	3-2	0.667	65	42	10-7	0.611	205	149	3 L
Boone	3-2	0.600	59	51	9-8	0.529	180	165	1 L
Lake Nona	3-3	0.500	37	66	9-6	0.600	127	138	2 W
University	0-3	0.000	12	35	3-14	0.176	96	201	1 W
Timber Creek	0-4	0.000	12	54	5-14	0.263	129	203	1 W

• * Denotes district data.

  Boone was able to find their way to the District final but did not garner a big statement win last season.   Lake Highland Prep 9-9, lost in the FHSAA first round Second year Head Coach Jeff Vander Meulen expects the program to rise above last year’s: What are your expectations this season for the team? Every year we aim to improve as a team and compete for a State Championship. A very young team last year has grown and matured tremendously.  We have 16 returning juniors and 9 returning seniors. However, ultimately, we are trying to help produce good young men, not just good lacrosse players and athletes. The true benchmark of our program is the quality of the young men that graduate from LHP and our program.   

  Who are the returning players who will make a difference this season? Derek Farwell: Ferrum College (Attack), Tim Curtin (Goalie), Kole Piercy (Midfield), Clayton Kolar (D) and LHP Newcomer Hudson Bohn (FO/M) Penn State. What players do you expect to step up this year that didn’t get much playing time last year? Senior Middies: Jameson Crews and Keanu Merle and the ENTIRE JUNIOR CLASS: Especially Jack Frazee (M), Brady Sanchez (D), Patrick Woodhouse (D), Zach Davenport (A), and Max Medary (FO/M) Swarthmore What are the games you are really looking forward to this season? In all honesty, after a rebuilding year last year, we are looking forward to every game on our schedule.  We are going to focus on one game at a time and see what happens at the end.  Obviously, our perennial matchups with teams like STA, PV, BM, and LM always standout.  Looking forward to what the 2019 season holds for this team.   East River 10-7, lost in the district semifinals Has not returned their questionnaire yet, we’ll update when it is received   Boone 9-8, lost in the district final Has not returned their questionnaire yet, we’ll update when it is received   Lake Nona 9-6, lost in the district semifinals Head Coach Chris Rullan emphasizes his team’s ascent: What are your expectations this season for the team? In 2018 we had our first winning season and district tournament appearance since 2013. We are expecting this year’s team to build on that season, build a winning tradition, and hopefully make it a step further to our district finals.     Who are the returning players who will make a difference this season? Expect senior attackman Brady Ragsdale (18g, 18a), midfielders Alex Torres (12g, 10a) and Jack Ketterle (60%fo) to step up from supporting roles to lead our offense. On defense returning Senior captain Connor McLaughlin (29gb, 4a) and Orlando All-Metro LSM Dimitri Noze (35gb, 2a) should anchor a defense that is playing in front of a new goalie. What players do you expect to step up this year that didn’t get much playing time last year? Sophomore attackman Creek Gausman should step up and be a key offensive scorer after a strong freshman season. Junior Midfielder Dominic Rodio was an standout defensive midfielder who should contribute to the offense as a leader of the team.     What are the games you are really looking forward to this season? We had very close wins against Olympia and conference opponent Timber Creek last year which has us excited for the rematch this season.   University School 3-14, failed to qualify for district Has not returned their questionnaire yet, we’ll update when it is received   Timber Creek 5-14, failed to qualify for district Head Coach Trey Gordon looks for redemption this season: What are your expectations this season for the team? Our expectation is we redeem ourselves from last year. We are looking to be competitive in every game, and to be competing for a District Championship. We are also looking at a 10 win season.     Who are the returning players who will make a difference this season? Aiden Caskey committed to Tusculum University (Senior Attackman, Captain), Zach Hixenbaugh (Junior Midfield, Captain) What players do you expect to step up this year that didn’t get much playing time last year? Anthony Tora (Faceoff midfielder), Ethan Canning (Midfielder) What are the games you are really looking forward to this season? We are looking forward to all of our district opponents in a “redemption” type year. Outside of our district we are looking forward to our games against Hagerty and Winter Park.