Above – Jackson Colling (Boston U) is a talented goal scorer at the midfield 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 13 & 14

District 11 Lake Highland Prep  has bad news for the naysayers.  They return seven starters from the 2014 state championship team.  They do have some key losses, whoever, including Max Parker (Syracuse) and Adam Sawicki (Lehigh.)  Two specialists who are going to be hard to replace.  Other notable graduates for the Highlanders include Will Wolfson, the high scoring middie who is now at Florida.  Dylan Farwell (Babson,) Christian Englehart (Birmingham Southern,) and Jacob-Brantley Head who are all excellent defenders who added a ton of depth to the talented team. The Highlanders return a fantastic starting attack with Kyle Richbourg (Salisbury), Connor Aniello,  and Tiger Graham.  Look for Jake Zerevitz to play substantial time on attack as Aniello and Richbourg will also run some midfield.

Reid Thedford may be the top unsigned middie in the state right now.  He is joined on the midfield by fellow senior Don Eidson (Delaware,) junior Jackson Colling (Boston U,) and Miles Brown.  Two F/O Middies will be taking face offs this season, Will Walker and Brandon Mintzer.  Both of these guys are talented and fast at the X and can handle the ball well after gaining possession. Defensively look for Griff Caligiuri (High Point,) Adam Strobel (Rollins,) and Scott Duncan to start.  Junior LSM Earl Eidson is poised for a break out year, keep an eye on him.  Junior Austin Farwell should be taking over the goal tending duties and he is solid between the pipes. Two-time Coach of the Year, Chris Spaulding says of his guys, “This team is an enjoyable group to be around, they really like one another and hate to lose which will hopefully carry onto the field.”

Winter Park is looking for a big year from young George Greer (Jacksonville U) on attack.   The 2017 attackman is a legitimate talent who had a big year as a freshman in 2014.  Thatcher Clark (Mount Olive) has started on the Wildcats attack for four years.   A great surprise for Winter Park offense has been Alex Greer (no relation to George.) The young attackman has looked good in pre season work so far and impressed the coaching staff.  Look for   On defense we are looking for a break out year from big Will Indest. Indest is a 6’3″ 230 pound beast.  This kid can run and has good technique.  If he keeps working on his footwork he is going to be a serious player.   Nick Beattie in the goal for Winter Park brings a lot of skill and experience.  This may not be the deepest team that Winter Park has ever put not he field but the Wildcats always seem to put a good product out there and can be counted on to give everyone they play a good game. Alex Greer (no relation) attackman looked good in pre season work so far. Big improvement Edgewater a team that is ready to make some moves this year.   Rabon Smith has joined this program as head coach.  Smith is a very respected coach who played at Mars Hill and has coached in both the College and High School ranks for the last ten years.   They were 7-10 in 2014 which was a big improvement over 2013 and they have some decent talent.  Senior middie Trevor Hall has great size and good shooting instincts.  Senior middie Connor Fields is a compact speedster who can dodge to the cage.  They make a good midfield team.  In the cage look for talented sophomore Matt Goin who already has a full season of Varsity lacrosse under his belt. Edgewater is looking forward to rekindling a rivalry with Freedom that began back in 2004 when both were brand new programs.  They have not played in two years but are going to meet once again in a regular season finale this year. District 12

Timber Creek should be ready to make a run for the District 12 Championship this season.  They return three experienced attackmen including junior Nate Gillan and seniors Steven Torres and Marco Montero.  Nate is a tremendous talent who has a natural instinct for the goal and Torres is an explosive playmaker.  Montero has become one of the most accurate shooters on the team and all three are a threat as they move well off the ball.  Key loss at attack is Mike McAllister. The Wolves graduated a ton of size and speed at the midfield including Bruce Preeschl (Saint Leo,) Brock St. John, and Joseph Cassata.  But look for a couple of very experienced and athletic seniors to step up this season.  Parker Quigley is a very smart middie with a great stick.  He and  2014 All Metro middie Jake Sousa, who is a speedy offensive threat make a good team.  Hard working Sean Johnson is an old fashioned all around middie who can face off, play defense, and score goals. Defensively look for senior Cameron Von Dyke to provide solid leadership combined with good fundamentals to be key to a unit that graduated the starters last season.  Brody Sauers (Now an FLN writer), Cameron Hixenbaugh, and Dakota Ortiz will be tough to replace.  Look for Tyler Gunning and Nick Rodriguez along with LSM Evan Walker to step up this season.  Bennett Hopkins is a vocal leader for the Wolves who has accurate clearing passes and can get the transition game started for the Wolves who can be dangerous in the fast game with solid finishers at attack.

Boone won this district in 2014 with a gutsy come from behind victory over Timber Creek last season.  Key players for Boone include goalie Joe Kissick,  LSM Mitch Capps  and Middie Conor Curry.   Kissick is a senior who has started three years in the cage.  He may play the angles better than any other goalie in Central Florida.  He has a knack for being were the ball is.  Mitch Capps is a junior who is going to be looked to for leadership this season.  Curry, a senior, is going to be looking at a lot of game time this season as his experience is going to be at a premium on this young team. We know this team is in good shape as this will be the 6th year that the lacrosse team has run in the Boone HS Reservation Run 5K to benefit the Boone athletic department University has not always had great success but Boone head coach Elliott Whitten commented, “I am very impress with level of athletes they have.” Head Coach Andrew Hochheimer has been working hard to turn that athleticism into success on the field and they are making headway.  Matt Raike and Parker Irvin will lead the attack for the Cougars while Max McRaie and Josh Hilgen will run a very athletic midfield.  Look for Matt Trendafilov and David Vargas to be tough on the defensive end this year. East River (2-10) Colonial (0-11) will round out this district. Sign up to get our nightly email updates! Don’t miss a thing this season.  Click here!