As I mentioned last week, and the week before . . . Florida teams need to reserve their places!  

  I’m going to keep reminding you until the slots are all filled up so you might as well get going on this!   Hard to believe but we are only three weeks away from the District playoffs.   Country music makes its’ debut in the Media Top 20 Poll!!!   A lot of movement in the Top 20 this week as many games impact the polls. One very big move up for an un-ranked team. A top team loses two Top 20 matchups. But one thing has not changed . . .   SA is back.  Like in Big Red Machine Back. Or to put it in a more historical context. Sherman’s march through the South.   Saint Andrew’s went north to Orlando and manhandled Lake Highland and Lake Mary by a combined 26-9. Ouch. There are two other unbeatens that are legitimate threats left . . . St. Thomas Aquinas and Ponte Vedra. There are two more unbeatens that haven’t played a tough enough schedule to be considered title contenders . . . H.B. Plant and Belen Jesuit . . . both are having great years.  Belen’s final game is at Saint Andrew’s.  Hmmm. And at 7-0 there is one other undefeated team in the state. A free Al Packer Ford car to the first person who can guess who it is . . . Just kidding.  See the end of the column for the answer.   This upcoming week we get the return of the MIAA games as McDonogh visits LHP on Monday and SA on Tuesday. Once again the lacrosse G*ds are playing with me. On Tuesday we have: Vero hosting STA, Jupiter and Benjamin in their backyard brawl, SA hosting McDonogh But the two most important games of the night in the southeast are . . . Saint John Paul II hosting West Boca and Spanish River hosting Boca Raton.  Four schools potentially playing for their District playoff lives. But I have to go to SA . . . a potential Top 25 national ranking is within grasp.  Right now, McDonogh is ranked 8th and Boys’ Latin is ranked 22nd.  A great opportunity for Florida lacrosse to make a national statement. Who could forget this incredible game?     Let’s look back at last week’s Top 20: #1 – Saint Andrew’s – cruising #2 –  St. Thomas Aquinas – cruising too #3 – Ponte Vedra – big time win #4 – Jupiter – split the northern road trip #5 – Vero Beach – upset by Jensen #6 – Lake Highland – not a factor right now #7 – Lake Brantley – keeps it going #8 – Benjamin – played IMG tough Saturday #9 – Oxbridge – big time win . . . finally #10 – Lake Mary – treading water #11 – Maclay – quietly successful week #12 – H.B. Plant – still running strong #13 – Nease – double thud of the week #14 – Oak Hall – split their two key games #15 –Belen Jesuit – finally playing for keeps Friday, the Tampa Jesuit win looks better now #16 –  Creekside – like Oak Hall, split their key games #17 –  Stoneman Douglas – starting to roll #18 –  Gulliver Prep – liked what I saw against STA #19 – Pine Crest – probably where they will finish the year too #20 – Bishop Moore – nice road win, can they actually steal the district regular season on Tuesday at home?   Also considered:   American Heritage-Plantation Berkeley Prep Bolles Buchholz Cardinal Gibbons Creekside Matanzas Newsome Tampa Jesuit   And now a word from our new sponsor:   Milk Seafood Noodle!!!  Yummy! Okay, that was scraping the bottom of the barrel but they did pay a lot to make me have a yen for it . . .   The results from last week’s key games:   Tuesday Oxbridge beats Jupiter, Jensen Beach nips Vero in OT, Maclay over Oak Hall, Nease over Buchholz, Bartam Trail over Bolles Wednesday Boone over Timber Creek Thursday Fleming Island over Bartram Trail and West Boca in OT over Spanish River Friday Plant over Berkeley Prep, Oak Hall over Fleming Island, SA over LHP, Creekside over Nease, Ponte Vedra over Juptier, STA over Gulliver Prep and Bishop Moore over Tampa Jesuit Saturday SA over Lake Mary, Maclay over Creekside and Jupiter over Nease   And now for the Underdog Upset of the Week!     Going into this season P.K. Yonge had not won a game in 2013-2015 and after the first three games this season that losing streak had hit 30 games.  They broke through against new program Santa Fe, who is only playing three games this year according to available records. And then they defeated Eastside 5-4 this week!  Good job P.K. Yonge!  Let’s hope this is a sign of things to come! A close second was not an upset but an almost one.  Down in the southwest Riverdale lost 7-6 to Cypress Lake.  CL went 12-2 last season although they are suffering through a bad season this year.  In the last 8 years Riverdale has only won 3 games total so that was a great effort for them!   The Upcoming Week Big games coming up!   Monday LHP plays McDonogh Tuesday Bishop Moore hosts LHP Bolles hosts Ponte Vedra Jupiter hosts Benjamin Lake Brantley hosts Timber Creek Pine Crest hosts American Heritage-Plantation Saint Andrew’s hosts McDonogh Vero Beach hosts St. Thomas Wednesday Cardinal Mooney hosts Barron Collier Thursday Oak Hall hosts Buchholz Friday Belen Jesuit hosts Gulliver Prep Boca Raton hosts West Boca Jupiter hosts Lake Brantley Lake Mary hosts Stoneman Douglas Saint John Paul II hosts Nease Vero Beach hosts Saint Andrew’s Saturday LHP hosts Boys’ Latin   And now an interlude   Imagine Brett Queener doing this? With a seven second mute button of course . . .   A thought . . . Over the next few weeks we will start to focus on those Florida kids who are really playing well at the next level.  Send your requested player profiles to lee@floridalacrossenews.com.   And now, a new drum roll before we reveal the new Top 20!   Okay, not quite a drum roll but one of the more famous TV incidents of the rock era . . . And yes kids, we actually did dress like that back then!  Try an outfit like that in school on Monday and see what happens.   This Week’s Top 20!   #1 – Saint Andrew’s – a national ranking is now within grasp #2 tie –  St. Thomas Aquinas – they’ve done nothing wrong but PV has earned the right to be co-ranked with them #2 tie – Ponte Vedra – can’t say enough about them #4 – Oxbridge – maybe a little high but what a win on Tuesday #5 – Lake Brantley – moves up due to others losing #6 – Jupiter – tough week ahead #7 – Maclay – just keeps finding a way to win #8 – Benjamin – goes north to NY to test themselves #9 – H.B. Plant – the schedule looks a little better now #10 – Vero Beach – tough week coming. can they pull an upset at home? #11 – Lake Highland – right now this is too low or too high, I can’t decide which one it is #12 – Oak Hall – really playing well this year #13 – Jensen Beach – red hot #14 – Lake Mary – maybe a little low but they haven’t won a big one yet this year, plenty of chances coming up to do so #15 –Belen Jesuit – One thing I’m sure of.  They will be moving in next week’s poll #16 –  Creekside – really coming on strong #17 –  Stoneman Douglas – their three losses are all in the Top 6 #18 –  Gulliver Prep – gut check time Friday, needs a big win #19 – Pine Crest – the second half rush is in full bloom #20 tie – Bishop Moore and Nease – really out of inertia right now   Also considered:   American Heritage-Plantation Berkeley Prep Bolles Buchholz Cardinal Gibbons Matanzas Newsome Tampa Jesuit Timber Creek   Remember, take a friend to a game!   ———- Oh. Key West is 7-0. Honestly, did any of my readers know that?