FloridaLacrosseNews.com has released the results of the 2012 pre-season coach’s poll. The 2012 Florida high school season officially begins today with an 11:00 AM face off between Ransom Everglades and St. Ed’s in Vero Beach.  Let’s take a look at how 18 of the States’ most respected coaches  think the teams rank now.

1. Lake Highland
2. Saint Andrews
3. Ponte Vedra
4. The Benjamin School
5. St. Thomas Aquinas
6. Winter Park
7. Timber Creek
8. Lake Brantley
9. Boone
10. Boca Raton

That rounds out the top ten.  Other teams receiving votes included Barron Collier, Bartram Trail, Bishop Moore, Bolles, Creekside, Episcopal, Gulliver Prep, Lake Mary, Leon, Maclay, Oviedo, and Pine Crest. The Coach’s poll is made up of 18 coaches representing each area of the state, with the number of coaches in each area participating representative of the number of teams in that region.  We would like to acknowledge a good friend of the site, Gary Hendrzak, who volunteered his time to create our system and spreadsheet to crunch the vote totals. We also polled our coaches for their picks for the “Game of the Week.”  This is a tough question because, despite all of the fall ball and off season play, nobody really knows who has what until the first whistle blows. The favorite is the Lake Mary vs. Ponte Vedra match up set for Wednesday night.   As one pollster put it, “Lake Mary could be a sleeper this year with a new coach. Also, how will Ponte Vedra bounce back after their first final- four appearance and loss? There are a lot of cool story lines here.” Another popular pick is the Winter Park/ Lake Brantley game on Friday night.  One coach commented, “…you have the two most decorated public schools in Central Florida facing off in the first week of the season. Great treat for lacrosse fans in the Central Florida area this early in the season! Best of luck to both teams!”