The annual season preview is being brought to you by the Lacrosse News Network Florida Classic! The Lacrosse News Network, Inc, parent company of FloridaLacrosseNews.com, is proud to announce the inaugural LNN Florida Lacrosse Classic, slated for February 27th in West Palm Beach, Florida. Ponte Vedra made it to the FHSAA semi-finals for four straight years until they were knocked out last season by Lake Mary.  They are certainly the team you have to beat in order to win a competitive district 6 and they are looking to return to the final four.

The Sharks start on the offensive end with a very talented Reid Smith (Delaware.)  The junior has fantastic footwork and a very accurate shot.  He can find space along the crease like few other players. Junior Clay Welch (Binghamton) is a very effective F/O middie, he is a difference maker in many games.  Ben Buchanan is a solid senior middie who knows this system and has a ton of big game experience.  Greg Celani is a big senior defender and should draw most of the tough assignments this season.  PV has a history of being strong in the goal and this year will be no exception.  Sophomore Wyatt Schupler has been looking great throughout the fall and is ready to go. The Sharks may be young this year, or as Head Coach Tom West put it, “We are 2018 heavy,” they do have lots of talent.  Keep any eye on Matt Kieler. He has been moved back to midfield this season and it looks like it’s going to be a great move.  CD James is also looking good running middie for the Sharks.  Up on attack with Smith look for Andrew O’Dare to have a break out year.  We also like newcomers Andrew Bray and Jack Burke to have big seasons.

Fleming Island has joined district 6 and we think it makes a very good district even better. We are happy to be done with that goofy three team arrangement in District 5 that just never made any sense.  High School sports are, in a large part, about fair play.  What is fair about one team like Durant missing the district playoff with a winning record in a 9 team District 16 and another team having an automatic bid into their district playoff because there are only three teams? But, enough with that.   Onto the new season! Flemming Island was 12-5 last year and had wins over new District 6 competitors Creekside and Bartram Trail. They did loose to PV last year 16-2, but we would not be surprised to see the Eagles in the championship game this season. Three athletic senior midfielders to keep an eye on include Devan Marquis, Sam Barrington, and Will Yarborough. Senior Isaac Funyak  transitioned from midfield down to close defense and that looks like a great move.  He and sophomore Addie DeAbreu-Reece anchor the defense. Both have quick feet and good stick discipline. Offensively, look for a break out season from sophomore attackman Patrick Schreiber. He is a savvy offensive threat who can shoot with either hand and has a high lacrosse IQ. Head Coach John Hawley knows he’s got his work cut out for him in his new district. “We are looking forward to a good season here at Fleming Island. We have joined a very competitive district- Ponte Vedra, Nease, Creekside, and Bartram Trail-all solid, well coached teams.”

Gurowski Gurowski Nease  has a new coach who may be familiar to JU fans.  Max Gurowski was an orginal member of the JU men’s lacrosse team.  He played in some great games for the Dolphins including a great win over Navy in the Moe’s Southwest Grill Lacrosse Classic back in 2012. He should get good leadership from a good group of seniors including goalie Ian Areford, defenseman Austin Prince (Flagler College), midfielders Joey Oliveira, Michael Cotter, Richard Caserta, and  attackman Brent Whiting.

Look for Junior defenseman  Tyler Schaffer (Jacksonville University) to have a big year. Coach Gurowski knows what it takes to win big games and he is looking to pass that onto his players, “We hope to improve in our ability to overcome adversity. And we want to be playing our best lacrosse come playoff time.” Bartram Trail finished 9-8 last season but only 1-3 in district play but Head Coach John Jackowiak likes what he has seen from his guys so far.  “We’ve had a very good pre-season.  Energy is up and the competition at practice has been fun to watch.”

He’ll be looking to his senior captains on the midfield to get the hard work done between the boxes.  Alex Testa and Tommy Ruede, along with sophomore Aiden Par comprise a very athletic midfield unit.  Defensively look for senior Patrick Brittain, junior Ethan Hale, and sophomore Nick Jennis to anchor the defense. Down on attack it’s Kyle Retamar, Hunter Goyette, and sophomore Nolen Davis who the Bears are looking to for scoring opportunities. Creekside is looking to rebound from a 7-10 outing a year ago. Senior Julian Bonilla is an offensive threat as well as an excellent F/O middie.  He has been starting for Creekside for a long time and has plenty of experience under his belt.  Along with junior middie Ben Wiegel and sophomore attack Tim Vanderlinde (Jacksonville) they have the talent to get the ball in the goal this season. A trio of seniors including LSM Alex Lief (Flagler College) along with close defenders Tiernana Hart (U. of Alabama Huntsville) and Evan Kamm create a solid and experienced defensive unit for the Knights. Return to the main preview page