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The South Central bracket is deep and has some of the biggest teams from the last couple of seasons. St. Andrews, of course, looks to be a contender this season along with Jupiter, Benjamin, and Vero Beach.
District 23
Ryan Clinton of Boca High
St. Andrews is still in the driver’s seat for this district and the entire bracket. If one of the other contenders wants it they will have to take it away. The Scots aren’t going to just give it up.
Coach RJ Dawson has plant of talent to work with and a solid group of senior leadership. Connor Poetzinger, senior goalie is headed to Connecticut College and will continue to be tough in the cage. Seniors Thomas Lounsbury (D), Ben Kennedy, (M), Zach Schwartz, (A- Amherst College), Jake Legates, (M-Roanoke), Bobby Rauch (A –MIT) and Dalton Davis (LSM – Bard) bring plenty of big game experience and talent. A deep class of juniors include Keith Mahler (M), Brandt Guldin (M), Jake Bargas (D-Michigan), Alex Heatzig (D), Alex Newhouse (M-F/O) and Addison Lutes (A) will give St. Andrews the depth which makes them so tough to beat in big games. And a great looking sophomore LSM, Conlan O’Hara gives them some great speed between the boxes.
Zach Schwartz of St. Andrew’s
Pope’s Joey Giuffrida
Pope John Paul II HS is going to be tough this year with lots of talent. Seniors Mikey Urso (Mount St Mary’s) and Jake Boyer should help lead the offense with several underclassmen contributing from attack & midfield. Chris Castellon, Drew Minchew and Patrick Brower are a few of the players to watch. Graham Kramer and starting attackman John McTurk will miss significant time due to injuries and those will be tough shoes to fill.
Defensively Tommy Dunne (St Johns University) and Joey Giuffrida (Lynn University)will anchor the unit. They will get some help from Chase Caldararo and Nick Updike who will all be playing in front of second year starter, junior, Niko Morfogen.
Spanish River’s Adrian Franzone is a big time player
Head Coach Andrew Bolger stated, “We play in a brutal district with some of the best teams in the state of Florida. It is a grind every time you face a district opponant. SA, River and Boca are all well coached and have a ton of talent. Al three of those teams are tough teams to beat for Pope.”
Out of district competition for the Eagles this season includes some very good teams. Jupiter, Dwyer, Jensen, Wellington, Pine Crest, Columbus and Vero Beach. All teams that could potentially go far in the play offs, not to mention Grayslake North, the state runner up program from Illinois.
Pope is balancing their preparations for the season with concern for an injured teammate. “We will be dedicating the season to Chris “Otter” Johnson who suffered a brain injury the day before he was to return to school after Christmas break. He had brain surgery and is working hard to get back to school and to get back on the field. We have really focused on giving back this season/school year…we have Lax 4 All Youth up and running, are active in Habitat for Humanity and I believe more than half of the lacrosse players at Pope are certified (or almost certified) referees.”
Pope will host all of Lynn University’s home games.
Update: Boca knocked off final four favorite Ponte Vedra at the Moe’s Southwest Grill Lacrosse Classic on Monday.
Pine Crest vs Boca High in 2013 – Boca won 11-8
Boca High School will be in the thick of it this season, as usual. The experienced senior will make up the stating defense this year for Boca. Jordan Aman, Harriosn Rodormer, and Cole Garner. Ryan Clinton (junior) and Parker Giarratana (junior) will lead the attack unit while sophomore Nick McCabe and senior Christian Mauro will be strong at the midfield.
Spanish River returns a ton of scoring from last season. Senior Adrian Franzone had 123 points last season and junior Colton Stanger scored 89. That’s a solid attack. Middies Jonathan Spevacek and sophomore Davis Diamond combined for 145 points in 2013. Junior Jake Diamon returns to the goal after a very good sophomore year.
Adrian Franzone is a dynamic player and can be a challenge for any defenses state wide. Franzone needs only twelve points to become the all time leading scorer at Spanish River. Davis Diamond is coming off an impressive Freshman campaign and I look for him to make an immediate impact to our offence. Returning starting Goalie Jake Diamond will backstop our defense and create fits for all shooters.
Head Coach Brian Johnson says, “St Andrews is still the top team in the district and the state. I feel we have the most balanced district in the state with Boca and Pope competing with the top programs in the state.”
Dawson Allen of Calvary Chrsitan
On a note that is more important than the game, Coach Brian Johnson’s wife was recently diagnosed with cancer. The team is starting a fund to raise cancer awareness and the hope to involve every team on their schedule this season.
District 24
Pine Crest is in transition this season but will still be the team to beat in this district. New head coach, George Harris, is looking to put his stamp on a program that has been on the verge of breaking out. They had a great 2013 season going 14-7 which included the District 26 Championship. They got past Stoneman Douglass by two goals in the first round (now a district opponent) and lost to eventual state runner up St. Andrews. Players to watch this year include midfielders Zach Smith, Marc Woolf, Cody Shamon, McCoy Berger and Stewart Hackleman.
Calvary Christian enters their fourth season and will be stacked with seniors, the kids who started the program. These seniors include Dawson Allen (Mount Saint Mary’s) and David Salvatelli. In addition, Colton Coffin is an improved face-off specialist. He is joined by Eddie Holm, Chase Knox, Bito Pimenta, as well as Tres Huizenga. Returning All-Region Hunter Ramsay and Gibbons transfer Jesse Cervone, are on defense in front of first year goalie Josh Stephenson.
“We feel like the district is more competitve this year than in the last few years. Our major concerns are Pine Crest and new district member Stoneman Douglas,” commented Head Coach Adam Bond. The Eagles are looking forward to hosting the district championships this year at Calvary under their newly installed lights and stadium bleachers.
Stoneman Douglass comes into the 2014 season with a new head coach in Ryan Burton. The Eagles won district 25 last season and played Pine Crest to a tough 14-12 loss in the play offs. They should continue to keep things headed in the right direction this season. Junior defenseman/LSM AJ Ferraro (Navy) will anchor the defense.
Cardinal Gibbons (6-8 in 2013) and Taravella (1-14 in 2013) round out this district.
