UTAH HIGH SCHOOL LACROSSE LEAGUE DIVISION I

The Team to Beat: Judge Memorial

This will be one of the most wide open years in recent memory in Utah, with several of the traditional top teams having graduated a large portion of their rosters. There is no clear-cut favorite, but the Bulldogs appear to have a slight edge going into the 2010 season.

Judge Memorial graduated 11 seniors and returns just three starters from its state-finalist team. But don’t let that fool you. The Bulldogs had six players participate on last summer’s prestigious Utah Select club team that won numerous games.

Senior middie Ian Larsen, junior middie Patrick Griffin, sophomore attackman Ethan Gosselin, senior attackman Zach Huie, junior defenseman Andrew Rechsteiner and middie Zach Knettles will make up the core of what should be a very competitive team. Judge Memorial will be at its best on offense, where two of three starting attackmen will be back.

Contenders: Brighton, Bingham, Park City, Juan Diego Catholic, Waterford, Alta, Bountiful

Brighton heads a long list of contenders that all have the ability to compete for the state championship. The Bengals bring back six starters from last season’s quarterfinalist team, and they have seven players who participated on the Utah Select squad. Senior long-stick middie Joe Hernecker is a returning second-team All-State selection, and junior attackman Jayden Haws will be one of the most feared scoring threats in the state. Senior defenseman Brad Davis, junior middie Brandon Wall, junior attackman Dillon Tran and junior goalie Nate Wilkinson are all impact players.

After turning around the program at Riverton last season, Todd Heaton has moved on to become the head coach at Bingham. He has inherited a team that only returns three starters, but that is a red herring in this case. The Miners have a lot of depth and chemistry. Senior attackman Cole Christensen will lead the team, and he will have plenty of help from a supporting cast that includes senior defenseman Chris Copier, sophomore attackman Jordan Shumway and senior middie Peter Tschaggeny.

There were 15 first-team All-State players last season, and 14 of those picked were seniors. The one underclassman and only returning first-team All-State selection in Utah is Park City senior middie Matt Mersereau. The Miners also have a returning second-team All-State pick in senior defenseman Alex Scott, making Park City the only team in Division I with two players on its roster that made last year’s Division A All-State team. Also look for senior attackman Dillon Dutkanych and junior attackman Griffin Perkiel to put up big numbers on offense for a team that has seven returning starters.

Juan Diego Catholic senior goalie Chris Burkle is one of just four players who garnered second-team All-State honors as underclassmen in Division A last season. He will lead an Eagles team that also has two of the top-rated juniors in the West. Long-stick middie Zach Bullett and attackman Stephen Dunn Jr., are ranked Nos. 7 and 16 among juniors in the Western United States, according to the WSL Elite 25 selection committee.

Waterford has gone through a boom-and-bust cycle over the last few seasons, but this looks like it’s going to be a boom year for the Ravens. Coming off last year’s 1-11 bust, Waterford brings back nine starters, including its entire attack and first-line midfield. Depth will still be an issue, with just 23 players available, so a few critical injuries could still derail the season. Senior middie Alek Mika, junior goalie Alex Smidt and junior middie Jon Franco will be the players who put Waterford back in contention.

Todd Handley has taken over for Taylor Cotterell as head coach at Alta, and he has inherited a team that brings back seven starters. The Hawks return all three of their starting defensemen, two on attack, one first-line middie an their goalie. The coach’s son, junior defenseman Boston Handley, will be an impact player, as will senior middies Chase Triptow and Todd Snyder.

Two-time defending state champion Bountiful has a major rebuilding project ahead of it after graduating 17 seniors, including four first-team All-State players and one second-team All-State selection. The Braves had eight juniors and no sophomores or freshmen on last year’s roster, so the new blood will either sink or swim with the sharks right away. Senior middie Jason Andre was a second-team All-Conference selection last season, senior defenseman Quentin Willey has started since his sophomore season and senior goalie Parker Marsden had the second-best save percentage in Division A last season.

Sleeper: American Fork

The Cavemen have been promoted to Division I after reaching the Division B semifinals in their first season as a varsity program last year. American Fork appears to be the strongest of the eight promoted teams after graduating just three seniors. New head coach Grant Cotterell has inherited a program that brings back nine starters, including all three attackmen and all three defensemen. Senior goalie Josh Berrett, the brother tandem of senior middie Chanson Miller and junior defenseman Kaiana Miller, and senior attackman Taylor Lindsey are four players to watch. Lindsey is a transfer student from Fort Collins, Colo.

Top Players: Jason Andre, MF, Bountiful; Duke Babka, Def., Jordan; Ryan Barraco, Def., Jordan; Josh Berrett, G, American Fork; Chris Boland, Att.-MF, Park City; Talyn Bowman, G, Copper Hills; Zach Bullett, LSM, Juan Diego Catholic; Chris Burkle, G, Juan Diego Catholic; Tannen Campbell, Def., Sky View; Caleb Cannon, MF, Woods Cross; Joe Carpenter, G, Orem; Cole Christensen, Att., Bingham; Nate Clyde, Def., Sky View; Jake Connelly, Def., Bonneville; Chris Copier, Def., Bingham; Brad Davis, Def., Brighton; Stephen Dunn, Att., Juan Diego Catholic; Dillon Dutkanych, Att., Park City; Taylor Elton, Def., Olympus; Jon Franco, MF, Waterford; Bryce Fontenot, Att., Copper Hills; Sam Garcia, MF, Olympus; Patrick Griffin, MF, Judge Memorial; Ethan Gosselin, Att., Judge Memorial; Tyson Green, MF, Viewmont; Boston Handley, Def., Alta; Conner Hansen, MF, Pleasant Grove; Jayden Haws, Att., Brighton; Trent Herbert, Def., Skyline; Joe Hernecker, LSM, Brighton; Zach Huie, Att., Judge Memorial; Keaton Hyde, Att., Woods Cross; Jay Jensen, Def., Judge Memorial; Kelly Judson, MF, Pleasant Grove; Matt Klepper, Def., Olympus; Zach Knettles, MF, Judge Memorial; George Lafayette, Att., Bonneville; Ian Larsen, MF, Judge Memorial; Tate Lindford, Att., Riverton; Taylor Lindsey, Att., American Fork; Collin Madsen, Att., Olympus (Dominican, N.Y.); Matt Mersereau, MF, Park City; Chanson Miller, MF, American Fork; Kaiana Miller, Def., American Fork; Alek Mika, MF, Waterford; Spencer Moore, LSM, Orem; Griffin Perkiel, MF, Park City; Craig Potter, Def., Weber; Taylor Price, Att., Jordan; Andrew Rechsteiner, Def., Judge Memorial; Daniel Sanders, Def., Viewmont; Alex Scott, Def., Park City; Jordan Shumway, Att., Bingham; Alex Smidt, G, Waterford; Todd Snyder, MF, Alta; Ian Spendlove, MF, Jordan; Zak Stout, MF, Lone Peak; Dillon Tran, Att., Brighton; Cameron Tribe, Att., Pleasant Grove; Chase Triptow, MF, Alta; Peter Tschaggeny, MF, Bingham; Brandon Wall, MF, Brighton; Nate Wilkinson, G, Brighton; Zach Zdunich, Att.-MF, Copper Hills (Mesa State).

Preseason Top 10: 1. Judge Memorial, 2. Brighton, 3. Bingham, 4. Park City, 5. Juan Diego Catholic, 6. Waterford, 7. Alta, 8. Bountiful, 9. Jordan, 10. American Fork.

Notes: There is a new alignment in Utah this season and new nomenclature as well. First off, Division A and Division B have been renamed Division I and Division II to correlate with most other leagues throughout the country. Secondly, Division I has expanded by 50 percent, from 16 teams in 2009 to 24 teams in 2010. There will now be four six-team conferences instead of two eight-team conferences. The eight former Division B teams that have been promoted are: American Fork, Copper Hills, Lone Peak, Skyline, Sky View, Orem, West Jordan and Woods Cross....Jordan returns five starters from last year’s state semifinalist team, including two first-line middies and two defensemen. Junior defenseman Ryan Barraco, senior middie Ian Spendlove, senior attackman Taylor Price and senior defenseman Duke Babka will lead the Beetdiggers....Viewmont graduated 19 seniors and returns just two starters, but all hope isn’t lost for the Vikings. This year’s group of seniors went 9-3 as sophomores when they were JV players. Senior middie Tyson Green and senior defenseman Daniel Sanders are two standouts....Olympus is flying under the radar, but with seven returning starters it could make some waves. Senior attackman Collin Madsen is a future NCAA Division II player, and he is the team’s unquestioned leader....It looks like a rebuilding year for Bonneville, which returns three starters, one on attack, one on defense and the goalie. Senior attackman George Lafayette and senior defenseman Jake Connelly both started as juniors....Weber has four starters back, one at every position. Head coach Jeff Prendergast said he believes this year’s team has the chops to take a big step forward. Junior defenseman Craig Potter is the best of the bunch....Woods Cross is making the jump to Division I despite having just two seniors on the team. Five starters return, but it will likely be a growing year for a squad led by junior middie Caleb Cannon and junior attackman Keaton Hyde....Division B state champion Orem has made the jump to the big time with four returning starters. The Tigers have two standout players back from last season in senior long-stick middie Spencer Moore and senior goalie Joe Carpenter....Pleasant Grove has half its starting lineup back, including two on attack and two in the midfield. Senior middie Connor Hansen, junior middie Kelly Judson and junior attackman Cameron Tribe are the top three....Copper Hills is flying under the radar but could be a dark horse. It returns six starters, including two on attack, two first-line middies and two defensemen. Senior attackman-middie Zach Zdunich has committed to NCAA Division II Mesa State, and he’ll be joined by junior goalie Talyn Bowman and junior attackman Bryce Fontenot.