CIF-SOUTHERN SECTION BOYS

The Team to Beat: Foothill-Orange County

The three-time defending Southern Section champion Knights are the class of the region once again. Foothill-OC is the only champion in the history of the CIF-Southern Section, and early indications are that trend will continue for a fourth straight season.

The Knights strength will be on the offensive side of the ball, where all three of the team’s starting attackmen return. In all, Foothill-OC brings back six starters, including one each in the midfield, on defense and in the cage.

Foothill-OC will be led by junior attackman Cameron Cole, senior attackman Taylor DeBerry and senior attackman Tucker Rowe, who will combine to form the most intimidating attack unit in the area. The talent level doesn’t drop off too far throughout the rest of the lineup, and look for junior middie Cooper Pickell to also be a big contributor.

Contenders: Palos Verdes, St. Margaret’s Episcopal, Mira Costa, Corona del Mar, Santa Margarita Catholic

With nine returning starters, Palos Verdes is set for a return to prominence. The Sea Kings, who won the Northern Division title in 2008 and 2007, have all their big guns coming back. Palos Verdes will be led by Providence-bound senior defenseman Zach Rogers, two-time All-Bay League senior goalie Matt Schladen and last year’s leading scorer, senior attackman Brandon Lim. Sophomore speedsters Zach Henkhaus and Zach Fixen will be impact players in the midfield and at attack, respectively.

St. Margaret’s Episcopal brings back seven starters, including two at attack, two in the midfield and two on defense. With that kind of experience spread throughout the lineup, the Tartans are looking at perhaps their best team in several years. Senior goalie Jeff Askin will be a four-year starter, and senior attackman Johnny Murayama led the Tartans in scoring last season. Senior defenseman Chris Adams, sophomore middie Chris Bauer and sophomore middie Matt Duenes are also top players.

Defending Bay League champion Mira Costa brings back five starters who will be on a mission after blowing it in the Northern Division championship game last year. Mira Costa has several of its top players back, and it will be in a fierce battle with Palos Verdes for the league and the regional title. Junior middie Tom Farrell and senior defenseman Cole Russert were both first-team All-Bay League selections last year. Senior attackman Nick de la Espriella and sophomore attackman Dakota Randall made the second-team All-Bay League list.

Corona del Mar may have missed its big chance to knock off Foothill-OC last season, but the Sea Kings do return half their starting lineup, with two attackmen, one first-line middie and two defensemen back in the fold. Notre Dame-bound senior attackman Ryan Mix is unquestionably the leader of this group, and he’ll get plenty of help from junior defenseman Donald Dalton, senior defenseman Alex Mainthow, senior middie Daniel Noto and senior attackman Randall Nelson.

Santa Margarita Catholic has good depth, with the core of the team being sophomores and juniors, and the Eagles will be a bolstered by three sophomore transfers: attackman Griffin Foster from Beckman, middie Connor Ebner from St. Margaret’s and defenseman/long-stick middie Josh Kang from St. Margaret’s. Mesa State-bound senior middie Jordan Lievois and Mesa State bound senior long-stick middie Justin Malloy will team with sophomore goalie Ronnie Pisano and junior middie Cory Thomson to make a formidable group.

Sleeper: Harvard-Westlake

This will likely be the best Wolverines team in school history, and they very well could make a run at the Northern Division title. Harvard-Westlake has two returning first-team All-Mission League selections in Hamilton-bound senior goalie Barrett Meister and Bowdoin-bound senior middie Connor O’Toole. On top of that, the Wolverines also bring back three more players who were named second-team All-Mission League in 2009. They are junior attackman Cory Wizenberg, senior middie Joe Edwards and senior long-stick middie Riley Mate.

NCAA Division I Recruits: Ryan Mix, Att., Corona del Mar (Notre Dame); Zach Rogers, Def., Palos Verdes (Providence).

Mix is the son of former Los Angeles Riptide General Manager G.W. Mix.

Other Top Players: Chris Adams, Def., St. Margaret’s Episcopal; Trevor Anderson, Def., Chaparral (Brigham Young); Tommy Andrews, MF, Tustin; Jeff Askin, G, St. Margaret’s Episcopal; Jeffrey Atkinson, MF, Great Oak; Evan Backal, Def., San Juan Hills; Tony Balanca, MF, Dana Hills; Chris Bauer, MF, St. Margaret’s Episcopal; Dillon Bernad, Att., Great Oak; Matt Bomberger, Def., Loyola-Los Angeles; Brad Brandenburg, G, Los Alamitos (Whittier); Aaron Bucka, Att., Northwood; Cameron Cole, Att., Foothill-Orange County; Dennis Cook, MF, University-Irvine; Jake Craycraft, MF, El Toro; Brandon Cyprus, MF, Huntington Beach; Erik Decker, MF, Anaheim Servite; Donald Dalton, Def., Corona del Mar; Will Daniel, MF-Att., Dana Hills; Anthony Daniels, MF, Chaminade Prep; Taylor DeBerry, Att., Foothill-Orange County; Nick de la Espriella, MF, Mira Costa; Matt Duenes, MF, St. Margaret’s Episcopal; Tom Farrell, MF, Mira Costa; Zach Fixen, Att., Palos Verdes; Griffin Foster, Att., Santa Margarita Catholic; Elliot Freeks, Att., El Toro; Taylor Gass, Def., Esperanza; Cole Gilbert, Def., Mater Dei; Zach Goodman, G, Chadwick; Levi Hayes, MF, Capistrano Valley; Mackie Greason, Att., Cate School; Garrett Hedstrom, Def., Woodbridge; Zach Henkhaus, MF, Palos Verdes; Zachary Inzer, Att., Redondo Union; Wyatt Jackson, Def., El Toro; Joey Jacobellis, Att., Chaminade Prep; Hunter Kimpler, MF, J-Serra Catholic; Joey Kimpler, MF, J-Serra Catholic; Knute Kraus, Def., Tesoro; Jaeoh Lee, LSM, Beckman; Brad Lattanzio, Def., Crespi; Jordan Lievois, MF, Santa Margarita Catholic (Mesa State); Max Lightbourne, Att., Loyola-Los Angeles; Brandon Lim, Att., Palos Verdes; Ben Mahoney, MF, Chaminade Prep; Alex Mainthow, Def., Corona del Mar; Justin Malloy, LSM, Santa Margarita Catholic (Mesa State); Michael Marchand, Att., Los Alamitos; Nick Mayeda, MF, El Dorado; Matt McCall, Def., Capistrano Valley; Barrett Meister, G, Harvard-Westlake (Hamilton); Nico Meyer, MF, Great Oak; Kyle Milack, Def., Crespi; Max Mirman, MF, San Clemente; Johnny Murayama, Att., St. Margaret’s Episcopal; Randall Nelson, Att., Corona del Mar; Daniel Noto, MF, Corona del Mar; Riley O’Neil, Att., Malibu; Connor O’Toole, MF, Harvard-Westlake (Bowdoin); Tristan Pace, Def., Mission Viejo; Ryan Page, Def., Tesoro; Ronnie Pisano, G, Santa Margarita Catholic; Brandon Propp, G, Beckman; Dakota Randall, Att., Mira Costa; Jack Robinson, MF, Newport Harbor; Dakota Rohlin, MF, Great Oak; Tucker Rowe, Att., Foothill-Orange County; Kevin Rowen, Att., Northwood; Cole Russert, Def., Mira Costa; Matt Schladen, G, Palos Verdes; John Schneider, Def., Malibu; Craig Seidenglanz, Def., Chaminade Prep; Kevin Shepley, G, Huntington Beach; Scott Spielman, Att., Peninsula; J.T. Stanley, Att., Capistrano Valley; Cory Thomson, MF, Santa Margarita Catholic; Robbie Thomson, Att.-MF, Oaks Christian; Connor Thornton, Att., Beckman; C.J. Triebels, MF, Tesoro; Giorgio Valenzuela, G, Oaks Christian; Walter Wakeman, LSM, San Clemente; Spencer Winter, LSM, Peninsula; Jackson Wirht, MF, Malibu; Cory Wizenberg, Att., Harvard-Westlake.

Preseason Top 10: 1. Foothill-Orange County, 2. Palos Verdes, 3. St. Margaret’s Episcopal, 4. Mira Costa, 5. Corona del Mar, 6. Santa Margarita Catholic, 7. El Toro, 8. J-Serra Catholic, 9. Los Alamitos, 10. Harvard-Westlake.

Notes: Chaminade Prep will also be a contender in the Mission League this season. The Eagles return two first-team All-Mission League players in senior middie Ben Mahoney and senior defenseman Craig Seidenglanz and two second-team All-Mission League players in senior attackman Joey Jacobellis and senior middie Anthony Daniels....El Toro returns six starters, including all three of its attackmen, one first-line middie and two defensemen....There will be several new teams playing lacrosse from all corners of the Southern Section in 2010. Temecula-based Chaparral in Southwest Riverside County will field a varsity program for the first time, becoming the second high school in that city with a team. In the Ventura County and Santa Barbara County areas, programs that will now be playing CIF include Agoura, Calabasas, Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks, Viewpoint School and Westlake....Oaks Christian, which has six returning starters including its top scorer, has left the Condor League and joined with Oak Park, Malibu, Agoura, Calabasas, Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks and Westlake to form the new 101 League....There are 64 varsity teams slated to compete in the Southern Section in 2010, an all-time high....G.W. Mix has taken over for Mark Todd as head coach at Corona del Mar....Andreas Gaynor has taken over for Alex Buckley as head coach at Newport Harbor.