NORTH IDAHO LACROSSE LEAGUE

The Team to Beat: Gonzaga Prep

After advancing to the league championship game for the first time in three years last season, the Bullpups appear ready to reclaim their spot at the top. Gonzaga Prep, which hasn’t won the NILL title since it took home back-to-back crows in 2005 and 2004, graduated just two seniors and brings back eight starters, including three first-team All-NILL selections.

Gonazga Prep returns all three of its starting attackmen, all three of its starting defensemen, one first-line middie and its goalie. Senior attackman Joe Ippolito, senior middie Paul Entzminger and senior defenseman Brian Armstrong were all first-team all-league picks last season.

The Bullpups will also get big contributions from junior attackman Geoff Barnes, junior defenseman Keenan Sullivan and junior attackman Logan Rogers, all of whom are returning starters.

Contenders: Lake City, Coeur d’Alene, Logos

Four-time defending league champion Lake City has some rebuilding to do this year after it graduated seven starters and two of its three first-team All-NILL players. This is the first year in quite some time in which the Timberwolves are not the favorite heading into the season, but Lake City has a way of winning even when it appears to be a little down. The Timberwolves return three starters, including standout senior middie Adam Marfice, the team’s only remaining first-team all-league pick. Junior middie Jesse Hansen, freshman attackman Max Evans, junior attackman Brad Schmidt and senior defenseman Zach Maryon will have to bring it if Lake City is to continue its run at the top.

Coeur d’Alene has a lot of experience coming back from last year’s team that finished a disappointing 5-8. The Vikings graduated just six seniors, and they return seven starters, including all three first-line middies. Leading the way this year for the 2009 league semifinalists will be senior goalie Joe DeSantis, junior middie Cory Mortensen, senior middie Collin Cordon and sophomore defenseman Harry Birak.

After attending graduate school for the last three years in Oxford, England, Logos will welcome back head coach Ben Merkle this season. Merkle has taken over for caretaker Wes Struble, and he will lead a team that graduated five seniors, including two first-team All-NILL players. Logos also lost a third all-league pick when junior goalie Wesley Saunders was ruled ineligible. The Blue Knights will be a young team, led by senior attackman Tyler Evans, junior middie Caleb Struble and sophomore attackman Luke Shaw.

Sleeper: Sandpoint

The Bulldogs, with no seniors on last year’s team, scored a landmark upset victory over Coeur d’Alene in the middle of the season. It was one of just three wins, but with all 10 starters expected to be back, this should be the first time Sandpoint legitimately competes. Senior attackman Nick Guida, senior middie Emerson Jessup and senior middie Timothy Householter are the Bulldogs’ top three players.

Top Players: Brian Armstrong, Def., Gonzaga Prep; Geoff Barnes, Att., Gonzaga Prep; Joe DeSantis, G, Coeur d’Alene; Harry Birak, Def., Coeur d’Alene; Paul Entzminger, MF, Gonzaga Prep; Max Evans, Att., Lake City; Tyler Evans, Att., Logos; Collin Cordon, MF, Coeur d’Alene; Cody Gorenthal, MF, University; Nick Guida, Att., Sandpoint; Jesse Hansen, MF, Lake City; Matt Hobbs, Att., Bonners Ferry; Timothy Householter, MF, Sandpoint; Joe Ippolito, Att., Gonzaga Prep; Emerson Jessup, MF, Sandpoint; Adam Marfice, MF, Lake City; Zach Maryon, Def., Lake City; Cory Mortensen, MF, Coeur d’Alene; Logan Rogers, Att., Gonzaga Prep; Brad Schmidt, Att., Lake City; Luke Shaw, Att., Logos; Caleb Struble, MF, Logos; Keenan Sullivan, Def., Gonzaga Prep; Joey Welch, Def., Bonners Ferry; Sean Whaley, Att., University.

Preseason Top 7: 1. Gonzaga Prep, 2. Lake City, 3. Coeur d’Alene, 4. Logos, 5. Sandpoint, 6. Bonners Ferry, 7. University.

Notes: Bonners Ferry expects to return four players from last year’s varsity team and will be bolstered by eight freshmen from its middle-school program and another handful of experienced out-of-state kids who are living in local resident homes. One of the new out-of-state players is senior attackman Matt Hobbs, a Chicago-area native with six years of lacrosse-playing experience. Senior defenseman Joey Welch will also be an impact player for a Badgers team that won one game last season....Spokane, Wash.-based University will be playing a full-varsity schedule for the first time this season after going 2-16 playing against mostly JV competition last year. The Titans anticipate having at least 25 players on the team this season, so there will be plenty of bodies. Senior attackman Sean Whaley and sophomore middie Cody Gorenthal will lead the Titans in 2010....Should Spokane-based Gonzaga Prep win the NILL title, the Bullpups will be eligible to face the Treasure Valley Lacrosse League champion in the third-annual Idaho state championship game.