Above – Wharton got past Newsome last season 10-8 in their first meeting and won by the same score in the playoffs This is our fifth installment of the FHSAA season preview.  We kept track of teams and players around the state, spoke to coaches, and watched some fall ball and think we have a pretty good handle on who is who in each district.  So here we go! See Districts 1 & 2, See Districts 3 & 4, See Districts 5 & 6, see Districts 7 & 8, See Districts 9 & 10, See Districts 11 & 12, Districts 13 & 14, District 15, District 19,District 20, District 23, With only four teams able to make the district playoffs we aren’t sure why the FHSAA piled all nine of these teams into a single district.  That’s lots of guys who won’t experience  a district play off game this season. District 16 Newsome is a team we think will be in the mix at the end of the season.  We spoke with many coaches who said this is the team to beat in the Tampa area.  Watch for Ian Lukas and Bryce Liekefet on the attack.  Ross Patrick (Lincoln Memorial) and Kyle Rintoul are running the midfield and Tim Greene and Christian Avalos are players to watch a defense. Colby Blackburn (Seaton Hill) is in the cage.  We saw Greene and Avalos play for the Central Florida Express at the IMG National Tournament and we were impressed.  This is a solid pair of defenders. Wharton will start most of their games this season with a possession advantage right out of the gate.  Sophomore FOGO stand out, Matty Bleckley looked great last year as a freshman.  He is going to be tough to beat this season.  Older brother Nate Bleckley (Tampa) is a fantastic attackman.  He teams up with Mark Munzo on that unit.  Munzo has a blistering outside shot.  Devin Cannata will provide senior leadership and outstanding play on the defensive end of the field. Tampa Catholic begins it’s 10th season of lacrosse after a decent 9-5 outing last year.  They are looking for a strong season out of senior Jackson Costello offensively.  At the other end of the field they are led by senior Ben Sexton.  It was feast or famine last year for Tampa Catholic.  They scored at least 15 goals in all but one victory but 3 goals or less in all but one loss.  They will look to get over that hump this season. Freedom is one of those schools who may be relatively new to the FHSAA but has been playing lacrosse for a long time.  Look for Senior LSM Justin Ogilbee and junior defenseman Evan Crawford to have big seasons for the Patriots. All Saints set a school record last season with 7 wins, the most in the FHSAA era of Saints Lacrosse.  Head Coach Ray Ryan said that the team has set it’s sights on a winning record this year and taking the 4th District Tournament play-off spot away from Tampa Catholic this season.  With only two senior starters on the roster the saints will be looking to senior, Dylan Methot, for leadership as well as offensive production.  Method led the team in scoring in 2014 and is dangerous in transition in addition to being an excellent outside shooter.   He is joined on the midfield by sophomore Shaun Slachta.  Shaun is a strong dodger and shooter.  Look for attackman Hunter Bennett to help balance the offense.  He is a solid all-aourbd attackman who can go left or right.  He is a strong finisher who runs works from X most of the time.  Zack Wilson is a sophomore attackman to watch.  This quick, slashing dodger will demand the slide and could be one of the top playmakers on this roster.  He transferred in from Lakeland High School this year.  One of the best athletes on the team is all around lacrosse player Nick Wegman.  Wegman can play just about any position including LSM, Close D, and take face offs.  The junior is the kind of guy every coach wants on his team. All Saints Academy is the only FHSAA program in Polk County and their program is growing.  Last season they had 40 youngsters playing on their middle school team which went undefeated in the spring season and won the U13 Fishhawk Championship.  Look for this program to continue to grow and continue to become more competitive under the direction of Ray Ryan.  Central Florida coaches would do well not to look past these guys on your schedule. Durant is looking to senior LSM Robert Seguin (Hendrix College,) and senior middie Jordan Jolly for leadership this season.  Sequin is looking for his third Durant Player of the Year award of his four year high school career.  Sophomore Defender Ethan Chadwell is looking to build his resume with another Defender of the Year award in his second year playing lacrosse.  Freshman goalie Alex Cordero takes over in the crease this year and keep an eye on sophomore attack/middie Cecil Cadwallader this year. Bloomingdale, Tampa Bay Tech, and Tampa Prep round out this district.