Above – Maryland commit Jared Bernhardt is ready for his junior season with older brother Jake at the helm as new head coach 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 11 & 12, See Districts 13 & 14 District 9

Lake Brantley will mark the beginning of a new era with the start of the 2015 season.  Jake Bernhardt will lead this young team as only the second head coach for the Patriots since 2007 as he replaces Brian Theiss, now at Providence High school.   Lake Brantley did loose some key players like Hiram Carter (Navy.)  But they still have one of the top attackmen in the state, junior Jared Bernhardt (Maryland.) Other players to watch this season are senior Ryan Crowley, and juniors Austin Guerrina and AJ Monte.

Wekiva made some noise last year when they improved from an 8-9 2013 season to become a contender at 11-4.  However, 2 of their 4 losses came at the hands of Lake Brantley by margins of 7 and 13 goals.  That’s a lot of ground to make up in one off season.  But we expect Wekiva to continue improving and they should not return to “also ran” status anytime soon.   They will have to overcome the graduation of dynamic defender Adam Brathwaite (Saint Leo) and goalie Dustin Stanley as well as top scorer Jesse Ormond.    Seniors RT Rogers and Travis Claiborne are going to have to shoulder a bigger load this season as we look to see which young players step up.  Senior middie Josh Cromwell is a player to watch this year as well.

Lyman was only 4-14 last year but you wouldn’t know it by spending time on the sidelines with friends and family during fall ball.  Head coach J.R. Rozier said it best, “We are really excited about the future here.”   With only three seniors on the roster for the 2015 season the future may not be here right now, but they are looking to be improved.  “We are confident with the young players we have and we think they will develop well this year and we should be competitive with anyone we play.”

Last season they lost five top players in the first six games.  The result was a five game loosing streak to start the season and a nine game loosing streak to close it out.  They Greyhounds are putting 2014 in the rear view mirror and looking forward.  The up side to that kind of season is youngsters were put into action and now come into 2015 with some game experience. Two good juniors will lead the offense, Christian Betancourt and Noah Kaznowski.  However, keep an eye on a freshman named  Weston Rodiek.   This kid works hard and has stick skills well beyond most freshmen.  He may very well be one of the top scoring Greyhounds this season. Junior F/O Middie Chase Tart has worked hard on his technique this off season and is looking for more possessions at the “X”.  Also on the midfield this year are juniors Roger Kennedy, Adam Johnson. and Wendle Rawls.   Lyman is going to need quite a bit more scoring this season and Adam Johnson is a strong shooter that give them an outside threat.

Defensively they are led by junior Trevor Van Orman, and the lone senior to crack the starting line up, Rufus Woodard.  Trevor is a strong presence on the crease and a solid stick handler.  Rufus might be the most athletic player on the team. He will draw the tough match-ups this season. Michael Granada, a junior, will play close defense as well and freshman, Ethan Trout, should get the start at LSM.  Ethan is the son of Shaun Trout, who played at UMBC and clearly passed some skill and knowledge along to Ethan. Junior Andrew Courts should get the start between the pipes. Apopka was 1-3 in District play last season and 7-8 overall. District 10 Oviedo should be looking for a district championship this year with Rylan Kortus leading the attack.  He will most likely break the all time goal record for Oviedo High School this season. Adam Lager and Matt Mullins are also seasoned senior attack men and will be a threat this year. the Lions’ midfield is be lead by Frank Strobl, Michael Conlon and Harrison Wiggins who make up a solid line. Oviedo returns six seniors on defense where Josh Garrett, Andy Bosley, and Keain Gill make up the starting trio. Peter Bial and Alex Fischer will split time in the goal.  Dakota Dunmire (Manmouth), however, is a big loss for the Lions. Coach Kortus is looking for his guys to step up this year. “Our plan this year is to challenge teams like Lake Mary, Lake Brantley, Seminole, and Bishop Moore who are always consistent and have great lacrosse programs.” Hagerty topped Oviedo last year for the district championship 14-10.  In the regular season the two teams played a barn burner with Adam Lager scoring late in the game to give the win to the Lions.  Junior Granite Porcher (Air Force) returns and is a huge threat with lots of speed and a good shot.  Senior Bronson Reno and junior Taner Ward are both solid goalies.   Other players to watch this season include Corey Shulte, Evin Code, and Colby Floeter.  They need to over come some key losses including Connor Knaresboro (Saint Leo,) Chris Carpenter (North Greenville,)  Keith Smellie, and Sam Hapgood. Trinity Prep begins it’s third year under head coach Austin Ricci.  Ricci, who is second all time in scoring at Rollins College, has brought a young group of players a long way in his three years.  Long time Trinity Prep players John Michael Night (Mercer) and Adam Hale will lead the Saints offense.  Night is a big face off middie who can do a lot more than just face off.  Hale is a speedster who can score lots of goals for the Saint.  Look for big Nick Smith, team captain, to anchor the defense this season.  Smith has solid fundamentals and a good stick.  Jack Lilley will get the start in goal. Trinity lacks depth but this is a top notch school that always produces stand out athletes in every sport and lacrosse is no exception.  The Saints are on the right track with lots of young players picking up the game on their middle school team.  This program is on the rise. Lake Howell and a newcomer to the district, International Community School, will round out this district. Sign up to get our nightly email updates! Don’t miss a thing this season.  Click here!