3/6/2016- By my count, today is the exact middle of the regular season for varsity lacrosse here in Florida.  For the occasion I decided to do my best Lee Roggenburg impression with a mid-season one-voter media poll. Hopefully, I don’t regret it.  I welcome all complaints to twitter at @brosau96.  (Disclaimer: I’m not quite at Lee’s level yet so no YouTube videos) To start off, lets take a look at last year’s elite eight teams.

• Oak Hall is looking all right with only two losses on the season, both to quality opponents.
• Ponte Vedra is 8-2 with a win over a strong Olympia team.
• Timber Creek sits at 4-5 and looks like they just lost too much to graduation in recent years.
• Olympia only has one loss, which came at the hands of last year’s state runner up in Ponte Vedra.
• Vero Beach, the perennial state champion, FINALLY lost an in-state game when they traveled to Orlando to take on Bishop Moore.
• Benjamin again looks very strong, their only loss coming at the hands of Vero Beach.
• Barron Collier seems to be handling the graduation of Olivia Ferrucci well as they hold a 7-2 record.
• Pine Crest is another team with only two losses to quality opponents, Vero Beach and St. Thomas Aquinas.

There seems to be lots of parity this year, which is great.  Bishop Moore ended Vero’s 146 in-state win streak! But as of now the Hornets sit a game under .500 with losses to Ponte Vedra, Lake Highland, Bartram Trail, and Creekside. An interesting triangle between three top teams: Olympia lost to Ponte Vedra, who lost to Lake Highland,  who lost to Olympia.  Bartram Trail is undefeated in-state but dropped two one-goal games to teams hailing from Georgia.  Oviedo, Winter Springs, and Winter Park appear as contenders in Orlando but they all lack signature wins.  Down south American Heritage (Delray) is undefeated with a win over Barron Collier. With Vero Beach having a loss for the first time in a long time, it looks like it could be anyone’s year and I’m sure a lot of teams are using that as motivation. Without further ado, here is my top ten. 1.) Vero Beach (6-1)-  They’re number one until proven otherwise.  I was tempted to drop them due to the Bishop Moore loss, but, they still look like the strongest team and they have the history to deserve the benefit of the doubt.  Big game comping up when they take on Olympia tomorrow. 2.) Olympia (10-1)-  The Titans’ only loss came at the hands of last year’s state-runner up, Ponte Vedra.  Wins over Lake Highland, West Orange, and Oviedo make an impressive resumé.  As I just mentioned, they have a big game tomorrow when they travel to Vero Beach. 3.) Lake Highland (7-1)- Stomped Oviedo,  beat the giant killer Bishop Moore, and topped Ponte Vedra.  The Highlanders have had superb defense the last couple of years and this could be the year they make it to the final four.  They’d be number two if not for the loss to Olympia.   4.) Ponte Vedra (8-2)- Both losses came by one goal against Lake Highland and Walton (Ga).  They gave Olympia their only loss, though, which is a big plus and the sharks have the opportunity for two more significant wins when they take on Bartram Trail on 3/8 and American Heritage on 3/11. 5.) Benjamin (7-1)- Looks very strong being led by Kylie Kempe and Autumn Ryan.  They have a good win over a tough Oak Hall team, but, lost to #1 Vero Beach by 12.  Big game coming up tomorrow when they take on undefeated St. Thomas Aquinas. 6.) St. Thomas Aquinas (7-0)- They haven’t lost a game.  If they beat Benjamin tomorrow, they’d switch places with them in my book. 7.) Bartram Trail (7-2)-  The Bears’ only two losses both came against Georgia teams, one of them in overtime and the other one by only a single goal.  They dominated Bishop Moore and beat Lake Brantley.  Starting on Tuesday, Bartram has the opportunity to show their might with three straight tough games as they travel to Ponte Vedra (3/8) and Lake Highland (3/12) and then host Creekside (3/16). 8.) Winter Springs (7-2)-  The central Florida team has losses to Lake Highland and Olympia, but they beat Oviedo in overtime.  I’m interested to see how they finish out the season. 9.) Pine Crest (7-2)- They made it to the elite eight a year ago and they could do it again. They were 7-0 before dropping consecutive games to #1 Vero Beach and #6 St. Thomas Aquinas, who pulled out the win by only one goal. 10.) American Heritage Delray (11-0)- The Stallions round out the top ten because they remain undefeated.  Their closest game came against Barron Collier when they won by six. Like Bartram, American Heritage also has a tough stretch of games coming up; at undefeated Spanish River (3/8), at Ponte Vedra (3/11), and home against Benjamin (3/15). Others considered:

• Barron Collier (7-2)
• Bishop Moore (3-4)
• Creekside (5-3)
• Gulf Coast (9-1)
• Lake Brantley (8-4)
• Oak Hall (3-2)
• Oviedo (6-3)
• Winter Park (6-2)

In true Lee Roggenburg fashion, I’m telling you all to get out to a game soon!  The season is almost over and the games are great to watch.  If you are a men’s lacrosse fan, I challenge you to give it a chance by appreciating the skill required and not contrasting it with the men. On that note, here a couple of good ones coming up: 3/7

• #2 Olympia at #1 Vero Beach
• #5 Benjamin at #6 St. Thomas Aquinas
• Oviedo at Bishop Moore
• Buchholz at Oak Hall

3/8

• #7 Bartram Trail at #4 Ponte Vedra
• #5 Benjamin at #9 Pine Crest
• #10 American Heritage at Spanish River

3/9

• Boone at Winter Park
• St. John Paul II at St. Andrews

3/10

• #6 St. Thomas Aquinas at #1 Vero Beach

3/11

• #10 American Heritage Delray at #4 Ponte Vedra
• Lake Brantley at Bishop Moore
• West Orange at Oviedo
• Oak Hall at #8 Winter Springs

3/12

• #7 Bartram Trail at #3 Lake Highland