Division I (Preseason #1: St. Mark's)

TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL LACROSSE LEAGUE DIVISION I

The Team to Beat: St. Mark’s

The Lions have been the proverbial bridesmaid of Texas lacrosse, having lost in the state championship game two of the last three seasons. But St. Mark’s finally has the talent to make it to the top in 2010. Last year’s state finalist is loaded, with talent at every position.

St. Mark’s, which has won five of the last six Southwest Preparatory Conference championships, graduated just five seniors off last season’s team. The Lions return seven starters and have 13 seniors on this year’s roster, the most in head coach Hayward Lee’s tenure.

Leading the way will be two players who have committed to play college lacrosse in the Ivy League, Dartmouth-bound senior attackman Jeff Perkins and Princeton-bound senior middie Fred Addy. Joining them will be senior attackman Charles Branch, senior middies Elliott Chang-Tung and Connor Watumull, senior defensemen Noah Bricker and John Montgomery and senior goalie David Christoff.

Contenders: Highland Park, Dallas Episcopal, Strake Jesuit, St. John’s, The Woodlands, Westwood

Two-time defending state champion Highland Park returns three first-team All-State selections and two honorable-mention All-State selections and will play against a fierce schedule that includes some of the most highly-regarded teams in the nation. Duke-bound senior defenseman Chris Hipps leads an experienced group of standouts that includes senior goalie Jordan Lee, senior middie Chase Prospere, senior defenseman Jackson Coon and senior attackman Cody Crews. The Fighting Scots will also get a boost from the return of senior middies Josh Francis and Campbell Powers, who both missed substantial time during their junior year because of injuries.

Dallas Episcopal should profit this year from the new playoff format, because now it won’t have to get past St. Mark’s or Highland Park to reach the Final Four. Junior attackman Phil Wagley, junior middie James Collins and senior middie Reece Dinkins will keep this team in contention.

Fresh off its close loss to St. Mark’s in last year’s state semifinals, Strake Jesuit will come back strong with six returning starters, including Bucknell-bound senior middie Tyler McLamb. Strake Jesuit also returns its top goal scorer in senior attackman Chris Duin.

St. John’s returns seven starters and will have 11 seniors on this year’s team. Senior middie Reed Daniel, senior attackman William Young, Wesleyan-bound senior middie Zach Gaitz, senior defenseman John Ytterberg and brilliantly-named junior long-stick middie William Wallace make up the core of the Mavericks’ team.

The Woodlands has one of Houston’s brightest young stars in sophomore attackman Ian Seale, and Westwood is the early favorite to take the Central District title behind standout senior attackman Sam Jones, junior attackman Nick Ierullo and senior middie Pierce Ingram.

Sleeper: Kingwood

The Mustangs came on strong late last season, and after graduating just four seniors they are expected to keep the momentum going in 2010. Kingwood has a junior-heavy lineup, with just two seniors, so it may be a year away from making real waves. But junior attackman Ryan DeLange, junior goalie Patrick McClernon and junior defenseman Hunter Hendrick are planning to surprise some people.

NCAA Division I Recruits: Fred Addy, MF, St. Mark’s (Princeton); Brandon Bonvino, Def., Dallas Jesuit (Princeton); Taylor Floyd, Def.-LSM, Houston Episcopal (Virginia Military Institute); Chris Hipps, Def., Highland Park (Duke); Sean Leon, Att., Plano (Bellarmine); Tyler McLamb, MF, Strake Jesuit (Bucknell); Jeff Perkins, Att., St. Mark’s (Dartmouth).

Addy is ranked No. 8 in the latest WSL Elite 25 individual player rankings for seniors, making him the top-rated player in the Lone Star state.

Other Top Players: Jeremy Agness, LSM, Westlake; Tony Atkinson, MF, Lamar; Bass Barfield, G, Austin; Graham Bayley, MF, Kinkaid; Charles Branch, Att., St. Mark’s; Noah Bricker, Def., St. Mark’s; Elliott Chang-Tung, MF, St. Mark’s; David Christoff, G, St. Mark’s; Collin Clark, Att., Anderson (Nazareth); James Collins, MF, Dallas Episcopal; Jackson Coon, Def., Highland Park; Cody Crews, Att., Highland Park; Reed Daniel, MF, St. John’s (Sewanee); Ryan DeLange, Att., Kingwood; Reece Dinkins, MF, Dallas Episcopal; Tyler Downing, MF, McNeil; Chris Duin, Att., Strake Jesuit; Sam Finney, Def., Strake Jesuit; Michael Fitzpatrick, Def., St. Andrew’s Episcopal; Josh Francis, MF, Highland Park; Zach Gaitz, MF, St. John’s (Wesleyan); Alec Garza, G, St. Andrew’s Episcopal; John Gentry, Att., Houston Episcopal; Stuart Grady, Att., Kinkaid; Connor Griffin, LSM, McNeil; Ted Guevel, Def., Dallas Episcopal; Patrick Heisler, Att., Cinco Ranch; Hunter Hendrick, Def., Kingwood; Nick Ierullo, Att., Westwood; Pierce Ingram, MF, Westwood (Goucher); J.J. Jackson, Att., Westlake; Sam Jones, Att., Westwood; Jackson LaPlant, MF-Att., The Woodlands; Michael Lintner, Def., Houston Episcopal (Roanoke); Jordan Lee, G, Highland Park; Joe Loden, G, Lamar; Ben Marrone, MF, McNeil (Goucher); Parker Mason, MF, Houston Episcopal; Buck McClure, Att., Dallas Jesuit; Patrick McClernon, G, Kingwood; Will Merritt, MF, Austin; John Montgomery, Def., St. Mark’s; Wes Patterson, MF, St. Stephen’s Episcopal; Will Perkins, Att., St. Mark’s; Dominic, Pizutti, MF, Bowie; Campbell Powers, MF, Highland Park; Chase Prospere, MF, Highland Park; Chase Rogers, Att., The Woodlands; Chris Ruiz, MF, Bowie; Robert Sauermann, Att., Memorial; Ian Seale, Att., The Woodlands; Trevor Sieracki, MF, Anderson (Catawba); Max Skibber, Att., Houston Episcopal; Matt Steininger, Att., Memorial; Paul Stephenson, MF, Southlake Carroll; Carson Sublett, MF, Cinco Ranch; Phil Wagley, Att., Dallas Episcopal; Henry Waite, Def., Kinkaid; William Wallace, LSM, St. John’s; Connor Watumull, MF, St. Mark’s; Joey Wippold, MF, Strake Jesuit; Colton Yarborough, G, Cedar Park (Ferrum); William Young, Att., St. John’s; John Ytterberg, Def., St. John’s; James Ziemba, Att. St. Thomas.

Preseason Top 10: 1. St. Mark’s, 2. Highland Park, 3. Dallas Episcopal, 4. Strake Jesuit, 5. St. John’s, 6. The Woodlands, 7. Westwood, 8. Dallas Jesuit, 9. Houston Episcopal, 10. Kingwood.

Notes: Division I will expand to 26 teams this season, up from 23 in 2009, and all three of the promoted programs are located in the Houston-based South District. The powerful Dallas-based North District will continue to have just six teams in Division I, and the Austin-based Central District will continue to have 10 teams. In the South, Cinco Ranch, Memorial and St. Thomas have all moved up to the state’s top flight, giving the district 10 Division I teams, up from seven last season....St. Mark’s junior attackman Dan Trevino is the son of golfing legend Lee Trevino....Dallas Jesuit graduated 24 seniors and returns three starters off its 2009 team....Nolan Godfrey has taken over as head coach for Kevin MacGibbon at Plano....Kinkaid returns four starters, one at every position, but must replace the vast majority of its scoring....Promoted Cinco Ranch has five returning starters and two players -- senior middies Will Cargo and Mo Sillah -- who have committed to play NCAA Division II lacrosse at Mesa State....Promoted Memorial brings back half its starting lineup, including all three of its attackman....Houston Episcopal has seven returning starters, including all three of its attackman and its top three middies....Anderson could be a team to watch in the Central District after it returned seven starters, including two heading to NCAA programs. Former assistant coach Zach Kurzweil has been promoted to head coach....Former University of North Carolina middie Jamie DeBole has taken over for Nolan Godfrey as head coach at St. Andrew’s Episcopal....McNeil returns seven starters from its Central District championship team....St. Stephen’s Episcopal should be much improved this season. The Spartans graduated no seniors off last year’s team and return all 10 starters…Kenny Pailes has replaced Evan Whelchel at Westwood. Whelchel has taken over as head coach at Westlake.