MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Boys Lacrosse Rankings

The inaugural Long Island-Baltimore Challenge Saturday at St. Paul's School (Md.) was clearly a success – just ask Manhasset coach Bill Cherry.

"This is one of the greatest games I have ever been a part of," he said after his No. 20 Bulls dropped a heartbreaking 6-5 overtime decision to No. 2 Calvert Hall. "Aside from (state) championship games, you have the No. 2 team in the country and a program like ours.

"This is what it's about. I told the team right before overtime it doesn't get any better than this."

The event featured two matchups between four perennial powerhouses. In the opener, No. 2 Calvert Hall rallied from a 5-1 second-half deficit and earned the victory when Patrick Kelly (three goals) scored in overtime.

Ryan Brown added two goals for the Cardinals and Quinn Moroney scored twice for Manhasset.

In the nightcap, No. 11 Garden City won for the first time ever against the host Crusaders, 9-6.

"We have had some hard-fought games against them," said Garden City coach Steve Finnell. "Every year seems to be a one- or two-goal game."

The Trojans (4-0) used a five-goal run between the third and fourth quarters to come out victorious against St. Paul's (2-5). Duke-bound Justin Guterding had two goals and assist and Devin Dwyer had one goal and three assists, while Patric Berkery scored twice for Garden City.

St. Paul's was led by Spencer Parks (one goal, two assists.).

This week's Games to Watch

No. 1 Conestoga at No. 25 Boys' Latin, Tuesday
No. 16 La Salle at No. 4 Gilman, Tuesday
No. 3 St. Anthony's at No. 8 Chaminade, Thursday
No. 4 Gilman at No. 7 Haverford School, Thursday
No. 25 Boys' Latin at No. 18 Gonzaga, Thursday

MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Boys Lacrosse Rankings

1. (No. 1 last week) Conestoga (Berwyn, Pa.), 4-0
The Pioneers edged Malvern Prep, 6-5, Saturday when Bradlee Lord scored with 4 seconds to play. Connor Frisina had four goals in the game to lead the Conestoga offense. The Pioneers face a stern test Tuesday when they play at No. 25 Boys' Latin (Md.).

2. (2) Calvert Hall (Baltimore), 5-1
The Cardinals rallied for the thrilling 6-5 overtime win over Manhasset in the Long Island-Baltimore Challenge. They host Hill School (Pa.) Thursday.

3. (3) St. Anthony's (Melville, N.Y.), 1-0
The Friars opened last week with a 9-2 Catholic League win over Holy Trinity as Brian Sherlock scored four goals. They host St. John Baptist (N.Y.) Tuesday and gear for the first showdown with league rival and No. 8 Chaminade (N.Y.) Thursday on the road.

4. (4) Gilman (Baltimore), 3-0
The Greyhounds had a great week, edging Georgetown Prep, 7-6, on a double overtime goal by Gordie Koerber and handling Landon School, 10-4, as Koerber scored four. It doesn't get any easier this week for Gilman as it hosts No. 16 La Salle Tuesday and travels to No. 7 Haverford School on Thursday.

5. (5) Deerfield Academy (Mass.), 1-0
The Big Green opened their season in style Saturday as they rallied past Brunswick (Conn.), 7-6 in overtime, coming back from an early 3-0 deficit and a 5-4 deficit in the fourth period. Deerfield hosts Berkshire School (Mass.) on Wednesday.

6. (7) Haverford School (Pa.), 4-1
The Fords rebounded from their first loss since late in 2010 by handling St. Joseph's Prep (Pa.), 13-6, as Henry Blynn had three goals and two assists and Sam Rohr added three goals and an assist while Will Gural won 18 of 22 face-offs. Haverford opens Inter-Ac League play at Penn Charter (Pa.) on Tuesday and then hosts No. 4 Gilman School Thursday.

7. (6) Salisbury School (Conn.), 0-0
The Crimson Knights, last year's New England West runners-up, open Friday at Berkshire School (Sheffield, Mass.).

8. (9) Chaminade (Mineola, N.Y.), 3-0
The Flyers passed a big test when Matthew Graham scored with 13 seconds left to lift the Flyers past West Islip, 7-6, the second one-goal win this year over a Long Island power (they beat Massapequa, 10-9). Now, the stakes are higher as the Flyers host No. 3 St. Anthony's Thursday.

9. (8) Jamesville-DeWitt (DeWitt, N.Y.), 0-0
The Rams - who have the nation's longest winning streak at 44 – open Thursday at Chittenango (N.Y.).

10. (10) Duxbury (Mass.), 1-0
The Green Dragons routed Quincy (Mass.), 16-0 in their opener. They play Thursday at North Quincy.

11. (11) Garden City (N.Y.), 4-0
The Trojans have little time to enjoy their win over St. Paul's (Md.) at the Long Island-Baltimore Challenge. They host two 4-0 Section 8 teams this week, Elmont (today) and Long Beach (Thursday).

12. (14) Loyola Blakefield (Towson, Md.), 7-1
The Dons won three games last week, over Cherry Creek (Co.), 8-3, Lakeland-Panas (N.Y.), 12-5, and Trinity-Pawling (Conn), 9-3. They play at Middletown (Md.) Wednesday.

13. (13) Lawrenceville School (N.J.), 3-0
The Big Red toppled Choate (Conn.), 10-6, as Mark Leonhard collected three goals and three assists. They play at Peddie School (N.J.) Wednesday and host Princeton High (N.J.) Thursday.

14. (15) Smithtown West (N.Y.), 4-0
The Bulls won three games last week, including a 16-10 win over Bay Shore (N.Y.) as Ryan Keenan scored four goals. They play Tuesday at Sachem East (N.Y.).

15. (17) Bridgewater-Raritan (Bridgewater, N.J.), 1-0
Ryan Hollingsworth had four goals and an assist as the Panthers opened defense of their Tournament of Champions crown by disposing of Watchung Hills (N.J.), 15-6. The Panthers host Cherry Hill East Tuesday and Ridge (N.J.) Wednesday.

16. (23) La Salle College (Wyndmoor, Pa.), 3-0
The Explorers got three goals from Matt Rambo and strong team defense in toppling Episcopal Academy (Pa.), 7-5, on Friday. They face their biggest challenge Tuesday at No. 4 Gilman.

17. (18) Darien (Conn.), 0-0
The Blue Wave opens Wednesday at home vs. Fairfield-Ludlowe (Conn.).

18. (19) Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), 7-1
The Purple Eagles bounced back from a 6-5 loss to McDonogh in a big way as Patrick Myers scored two man-up goals in the fourth quarter and goalie Timmy Farrell made 13 saves to key a 4-3 victory over Georgetown Prep. Gonzaga plays at St. Joseph's Prep (Pa.) today and hosts No. 25 Boys' Latin (Md.) Thursday.

19. (12) Georgetown Prep (North Bethesda, Md.), 6-2
The Hoyas went through heartbreak twice last week in the 7-6 double overtime loss to Gilman and the 4-3 defeat to Gonzaga. They hope to bounce back Tuesday at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (Va.).

20. (21) Manhasset (N.Y.), 1-1
The Indians nearly pulled off the upset Saturday before falling to No. 2 Calvert Hall (N.Y.), 6-5, in the Long Island-Baltimore Challenge. They play today at Roslyn (N.Y.) and host Cold Spring Harbor (N.Y.) Wednesday.

21. (16) Landon (Bethesda, Md.), 3-3
The Bears hope to bounce back from a 10-4 loss to Gilman today when they play at St. Mary's (Md.).

22. (20) Episcopal Academy (Newtown Square, Pa.), 5-1
The Churchmen dropped a 7-5 decision to La Salle (Pa.) despite two goals each from Morgan Westby and Trupert Ortlieb. They open Inter-Ac League play Tuesday at Germantown Academy (Pa.).

23. (25) Irondequoit (Rochester, N.Y.), 3-0
The Eagles have won three games by a combined score of 41-10. They play at Webster-Thomas (N.Y.) Thursday and at No. 10 Duxbury Saturday.

24. (22) West Islip (N.Y.), 2-1
The Lions dropped the tough 7-6 defeat to No. 8 Chaminade, and hope to rebound Tuesday at Half Hollow Hills East.

25. (NR) Boys Latin (Baltimore), 7-1
The Lakers won a key 10-9 decision over Culver Academy (Ind.) as Michael Lynch, Tal Bruno and Colin Heacock each had two goals. Boys' Latin hosts No. 1 Conestoga Tuesday.

Dropped out: Augustine Prep (Richland, N.J.), 0-1

Chris Goldberg, editor and owner of Lacrosse Media, operates Phillylacrosse.com, LILacrosseNews.com and BaltimoreLacrosseNews.com, as well as the new national gear site, LaxGearZone.com. He may be reached at golax@phillylacrosse.com.