WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL BOYS LACROSSE ASSOCIATION DIVISION II

The Team to Beat: Lynnwood

There will be a seismic power shift in Division II this season, because seven of last year’s top programs have been promoted to Division I. Of those remaining, 2006 Division II state finalist Lynnwood is sitting pretty.

The Tigers graduated seven seniors, but only two of them starters. That means Lynnwood brings back eight starters, including all three of its attackmen, all three of its first-line middies and two of its starting defensemen. The Tigers need to replace just one defenseman and their goalie, and expectations are running high as a result.

On top of having nearly everyone back, Lynnwood has one of Division II’s top players most lethal scoring threats in junior attackman Cameron Girgus. Lynnwood has a strong supporting cast as well. Senior middie Alex Tindall, senior middie Trey Knowles and senior long-stick middie Jon Williams are all impact players.

Contenders: Snohomish, Sammamish, Lake Washington

Snohomish is a perennial playoff team in Division II, and it will almost certainly be in the mix come late May. The Panthers graduated five seniors and bring back six starters, including all three of its attackmen, two first-line middies and their goalie. Snohomish did graduate its entire starting defense, but it has capable replacements. Senior attackman Nick Hund, senior middie Nathan Wirtz, senior defenseman Greg Lucas, senior defenseman Peter Mueller and senior goalie Loren Danielson will make up the core of this year’s team.

Sammamish graduated just three seniors off the first winning team in program history. After winning just three games in the first two years of the program, the Totems went 8-7 last year. This year’s group should be a threat to go all the way, with seven returning starters, including two on attack and defense and all three first-line middies. Sammamish will be led by junior attackman Brian Headland, junior defenseman Sam Chapman and senior middie J.T. Farmer. The Totems will also get contributions from sophomore middies Neil Hones, Tyler Wright and Christian Paxton, all of whom started as freshmen.

Lake Washington is a new program, but don’t let that fool you. The Kangaroos are replete with players from last year’s Redmond team that went 14-2 and advanced to the Division II semifinals. Five varsity players and about a dozen JV players from the Redmond program are now playing for Lake Washington, including standout junior middie Jake Bernstein. Sophomore attackman Cody Bernstein and senior defenseman Michael Erickson will also make an impact, and Lake Washington will be fortified by a strong incoming freshman class.

Sleeper: Woodinville

A lot of people are taking about the first-year Falcons, who split off from Division I Northshore. Woodinville’s program begins with about 10 experienced players from the Northshore program, although the vast majority of those played with the JV last season. Junior middie Tyler Paris and junior attackman J.D. Chapman will be two players the opposition will need to watch with a careful eye.

Top Players: Jesse Aldapa, MF, Stanwood; Thomas Bass, G, Wenatchee; Blake Berg, MF, Skagit Valley; Cody Bernstein, Att., Lake Washington; Jake Bernstein, MF, Lake Washington; Quinn Carlson, Def., Wenatchee; J.D. Chapman, Att., Woodinville; Sam Chapman, Def., Sammamish; Eric Conner, Att., North County; Loren Danielson, G, Snohomish; Forest Dayton, Att., San Juan; Michael Erickson, Def., Lake Washington; Dylan Evans, MF, Blanchet; J.T. Farmer, MF, Sammamish; Peter Funston, Def., Whatcom; Cameron Girgus, Att., Lynnwood; Brian Headland, Att., Sammamish; Daniel Hernandez, MF, Whatcom; Nick Hund, Att., Snohomish; Trey Knowles, MF, Lynnwood; Greg Lucas, Def., Snohomish; Luke Morris, Def., Providence Christian; Ryan Morris, MF, Providence Christian; Peter Mueller, Def., Snohomish; Tyler Paris, MF, Woodinville; T.J. Pulkrabek, MF, South Kitsap; Andy Schock, Def., Wenatchee; Clement Signoretty, Def., Redmond; Chas Stringfellow, MF, Silver Lake; Oliver Thomas, MF, Providence Christian; Alex Tindall, MF, Lynnwood; Jon Williams, LSM, Lynnwood; Nathan Wirtz, MF, Snohomish.

Preseason Top 10: 1. Lynnwood, 2. Snohomish, 3. Sammamish, 4. Lake Washington, 5. Woodinville, 6. Blanchet, 7. Roosevelt, 8. San Juan, 9. Whatcom, 10. Klahowya.

Notes: There will be 29 teams in Division II this season, one more than in 2009. Making up for the seven programs that were promoted to Division I will be relegated Garfield, as well as newbies Gig Harbor, Lake Washington, Liberty, Mount Si, Providence Christian, Silver Lake and Woodinville. Division II will be divided into six conferences this season, two more than in 2009. Conferences will have as many as six teams and as few as three. The Cascade Conference: Lynnwood, Providence Christian, Silver Lake, Snohomish and Woodinville. The Eastern Conference: Selah, Three Rivers and Wenatchee. The Evergreen Conference: Lake Washington, Liberty, Mount Si, Redmond and Sammamish. The Metro Conference: Blanchet, Franklin, Garfield, Highline, Nathan Hale and Roosevelt. The Olympic Conference: Gig Harbor, Klahowya, North Kitsap, Port Angeles and South Kitsap. The Skagit Conference: North County, San Juan, Skagit County, Stanwood, Whatcom....Semifinalist Redmond has been decimated by graduation and the new Lake Washington program. The Mustangs bring back just two starters, a defenseman and a goalie. Senior defenseman Clement Signoretty is the man who is left to lead the rebuilding project....Whatcom graduated seven seniors and brings back half its starting lineup. Senior attackman Dan Hernandez and senior defenseman Peter Funston are Whatcom’s top two players....One new varsity program that is flying under the radar but could make some waves is Providence Christian. The Highlanders graduated three seniors off last year’s JV team, and the team has several experienced players who grew up participating in the Lynnwood Highlanders youth system. Junior middies Ryan Morris and Oliver Thomas will each give the opposition fits....After graduating just one senior, and with 10 returning starters, Wenatchee is yet another team that could very well surprise some people. Wenatchee has two returning All-Conference players in senior defenseman Andy Schock and junior goalie Thomas Bass, and look for junior defenseman Quinn Carlson, senior middie Connor Tidd, sophomore middie Mitchell Parks and junior attackman Rawley Holmberg to also contribute.