MISSOURI SCHOLASTIC LACROSSE ASSOCIATION DIVISION II

The Team to Beat: Ladue

With two future NCAA players, four returning first-team All-Conference players and two returning second-team All-Conference players all coming back, the Rams are the clear-cut favorite in Division II this season. Ladue brings back nearly all its impact players from a team that lost by a goal to eventual champion Pembroke Hill in last year’s semifinals and had a landmark win over MICDS during the 2009 regular season.

Brown-bound senior attackman Sam Hurster is one of the top players in in the state. He and Ohio Wesleyan-bound senior goalie Thomas Deane are the only two players in Division II to commit to NCAA programs so far. Both were first-team All-Conference picks last season, as were senior defenseman Tucker Bond and sophomore middie Chandler Millstone.

Two more players who will make an impact for the Rams are senior middies Geoff Pellett and Cameron Millstone. Both garnered second-team All-Conference honors last season. In all, Ladue graduated just three seniors and returns nine starters, including all three on attack, two first-line middies and all three defensemen.

Contenders: Clayton, Columbia Rock Bridge, Pembroke Hill, Fox, Hazelwood Central

Clayton brings back eight starters from last year’s team that lost by a goal in the Division II quarterfinals. The Greyhounds return all three of their starting attackmen, two first-line middies, two defensemen and their goalie. Clayton will be led by junior middie Gabe Nicolazzi, last year’s team MVP, senior attackman Max Goldfarb, junior attackman Josh Goldstein and senior attackman Jordan Stern. Nicolazzi, Goldfarb and Goldstein were all first-team All-Conference players last season, and Stern was a second-team All-Conference pick.

Columbia Rock Bridge finished 8-9 last season, but the Bruins were better than their record indicates. Columbia Rock Bridge lost by a goal to Pembroke Hill in the Division II quarterfinals, and it also beat Division I Columbia Hickman during the regular season for the first time in program history. This year, the Bruins return all their impact players, including first-team All-Conference selections in senior attackman Tony Bradshaw, senior attackman Matt Gibbons and senior attackman Jacob Huebert. Junior middie Jacob Woods was a second-team All-Conference pick as a sophomore.

Defending champion Pembroke Hill has some rebuilding to do this season after it graduated a dozen seniors. The Raiders bring back just three starters off last year’s title-winning team, but they have a strong core of players. Senior attackman Jacob Sinclair is one of Division II’s best, senior goalie Alex Larios will be a four-year starter, and senior middies Blake Pierce and John Heddens will also make big contributions.

Fox, the 2008 Division II champion, always seems to manage to field a quality team. This year, the Warriors will have to replace some top players. Fox graduated 12 seniors and three first-team All-Conference picks, but it returns two second-team All-Conference players in senior middie Zach Rodgers and senior goalie Adam Ure. Senior defenseman Nick Spink is another returning starter.

What a difference one year made for Hazelwood Central, which finished 12-5 and lost by a goal in the Division II quarterfinals last season. The Hawks improved their win total by 10 games in 2009 after they went a combined 2-23 in 2008 and 2007. This year’s team will look to continue that momentum behind junior attackman Kasey Wade, but Hazelwood Central must contend with having graduated four first-team All-Conference players.

Sleeper: Wentzville

The Indians struggled to a 3-13 finish last season, but with seven returning starters confidence is running much higher. Wentzville graduated just three seniors and it returns two starting attackmen, all three first-line middies, a defenseman and its goalie. Senior attackman Grant Young and senior middie David Lemon will be this team’s standouts.

NCAA Division I Recruits: Sam Hurster, Att., Ladue (Brown).

Hurster is the second Division II player in the last two years to commit to an NCAA Division I program. He joins former Fort Zumwalt standout Tyler Jarvis, who has moved on to Manhattan.

Other Top Players: Tim Adams, Att., Webster Groves; Tucker Bond, Def., Ladue; Tony Bradshaw, Att., Columbia Rock Bridge; Alex Cook, MF, Marquette; Thomas Deane, G, Ladue (Ohio Wesleyan); Matt Gibbons, Att., Columbia Rock Bridge; Max Goldfarb, Att., Clayton; Josh Goldstein, Att., Clayton; Craig Harris, Def., Webster Groves; John Heddens, MF, Pembroke Hill; Jacob Huebert, Att., Columbia Rock Bridge; Alex Larios, G, Pembroke Hill; David Lemon, MF, Wentzville; Jake Martin, Def., Parkway North; Kirk Metzger, Att., Springfield Republic; Connor Milford, MF, Webster Groves; Cameron Millstone, MF, Ladue; Chandler Millstone, MF, Ladue; Gabe Nicolazzi, MF, Clayton; Geoff Pellett, MF, Ladue; Blake Pierce, MF, Pembroke Hill; Zach Rodgers, MF, Fox; Jeff Schweig, Att., Marquette; Jacob Sinclair, Att., Pembroke Hill; Nick Spink, Def., Fox; Jordan Stern, Att., Clayton; Doug Thorson, Att., Marquette; Hunter Tubbs, Att., Fort Zumwalt; Adam Ure, G, Fox; Kasey Wade, Att., Hazelwood Central; Jacob Woods, MF, Columbia Rock Bridge; Grant Young, Att., Wentzville.

Preseason Top 10: 1. Ladue, 2. Clayton, 3. Columbia Rock Bridge, 4. Pembroke Hill, 5. Fox, 6. Hazelwood Central, 7. Parkway South, 8. Webster Groves, 9. Fort Zumwalt, 10. Wentzville.

Notes: Parkway South has been relegated to Division II, becoming the first Division I program to be dropped to the state’s lower level....Webster Groves brings back seven starters, including all three of its starting defensemen. However, depth will be an issue for the Statesmen. Webster Groves will be led by junior defenseman Craig Harris, senior attackman Tim Adams and senior middie Connor Milford....Greg Kintz has taken over as head coach for John Tersigni at Marquette. He has inherited a team that will be led by junior attackman Doug Thorson and senior attackman Jeff Schweig....Former assistant Dan O’Brien has taken over as head coach for Tony Cecil at Parkway North. O’Brien has inherited a team that will be led by senior defenseman Jake Martin.