MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Boys Lacrosse Rankings

Calvert Hall entered the season as the No. 1 team in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Boys Lacrosse Rankings. The Cardinals won't end the year at No. 1, but they did finish the year in a most impressive fashion.

The third-ranked Cardinals (16-2) dominated from start to finish and blitzed Loyola Blakefield (Md.) Friday to win the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship at Towson University, 17-3.

The crown is Calvert Hall's first in the MIAA since 2003. The Cards fell in the 2009 and 2011 finals.

"It's special, I have been a part of one national championship and one other MIAA championship and I'll be honest with you - the MIAA championships are more significant," said Calvert Hall head coach Bryan Kelly. "It's about the kids, it's not about anything else. You have to be happy for your players because they work really hard."

The Calvert Hall attack was balanced and lethal. Carter Brown and Ryan Brown (no relation) each scored four goals while Jordan Germershausen had three and Patrick Kelly added two goals and three assists. Patrick Carotenuto also scored twice.

“It feels great after losing last year,” said Ryan Brown, whose Cards fell to Gilman in last year’s final. “We all worked really hard during this offseason and to come out and put a good showing in and win against a tough team, it just feels amazing.”

The Calvert Hall defense also excelled – led by seniors Evan Connell, Tyler Mayes and Garrett Epple - completely shutting down a team that routed defending champion Gilman in the semifinals, 13-7.

"We just had to focus again, we had to reiterate it and go over it again," Connell said. "We watched a lot of film and just had to be focused and ready to come out and play."

Gonzaga wins WCAC title
The Purple Eagles capped a 20-1 season by blitzing DeMatha, 10-3, for their third-straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship. Alex Corboy had four goals and an assist, and Max Planning added a pair of goals.

"I am very proud of the effort and hard work this group put in with the schedule we had," said Gonzaga coach Casey O'Neill. "It was a long grind and well worth the finish! I am going to miss these 12 seniors dearly, but I am really pumped about the juniors and young fellas stepping in. Hard work pays off."

MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Boys Lacrosse Rankings

1. (No. 1 last week) Garden City (N.Y.), 16-0
The top-seeded Trojans toppled South Side 15-8 Friday in the Nassau County Class B quarterfinals, as Devin Dwyer had four goals and four assists. They meet Long Beach in the semifinals Wednesday at Hofstra University at 8 p.m.

2. (2) Haverford School (Pa.), 20-1
The top-seeded Fords toppled ninth-seeded Shipley School, 11-3, in the Inter-Ac Invitational quarterfinals and play rival Malvern Prep Monday at 5 p.m. in the semifinals at Cabrini College. The three-time defending champions are aiming to reach the finals Thursday at Cabrini.

3. (4) Calvert Hall (Baltimore), 16-2
The Cardinals made a statement victory over Loyola Blakefield, 17-3, in the MIAA A Conference championship game. It was their first MIAA crown since 2003.

4. (5) Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), 20-1
The Purple Eagles claimed their third-straight WCAC championship with the 10-3 win over DeMatha. Gonzaga closed the year with 14 straight wins.
5. (6) West Islip (N.Y.), 15-1
The Lions closed the season with 13 straight wins and earned the top seed in Class A for Section 11 (Suffolk County). They received a first-round bye and open at home vs. Northport on Tuesday.

6. (7) Bridgewater-Raritan (Bridgewater, N.J.), 15-0
The Panthers routed Ridge, 16-3, to claim the Somerset County championship as Scott Bieda had five goals and two assist and Ryan Hollingsworth added four goals and four assists. BR now hopes to defend its Group IV and Tournament of Champions titles and open playoff action Tuesday at home vs. Washington Township (N.J.).

7. (8) Chaminade (Mineola, N.Y.), 16-1
The Flyers face rival St. Anthony's for the Long Island and CHSAA state Class AAA championship on Thursday at Hofstra University at 4:45 p.m. They have won both prior meetings this year, 6-5 and 11-8. The Flyers closed their regular season Saturday with a 5-3 triumph over Delbarton as Paul Urbank and Brendan Caputo each scored two goals.

8. (9) Smithtown West (N.Y.), 15-1
The Bulls closed their regular season with seven straight wins and earned the No. 2 seed for the Section 11 Class A playoffs. They had a first-round bye and host Half Hollow Hills East on Tuesday.

9. (10) Conestoga (Berwyn, Pa.), 17-3
The top-seeded Pioneers advanced to the semifinals of the District 1 tournament Saturday by downing Central League rival Radnor, 13-6, behind four goals from Tyler Brooke. They play Great Valley, the 20th seed, in the semifinals Tuesday at Radnor High at 6 p.m.

10. (13) Fairport (N.Y.), 16-0
The Red Raiders bolted to a 6-1 halftime lead and downed Irondequoit (N.Y.), 8-5. Brian Martin had three goals and an assist and Andrew Brennan scored twice while Blaze Riorden made 16 saves. The Raiders will be a favorite in the Class A tournament.

11. (3) Salisbury School (Conn.), 11-1
The Crimson Knights suffered their first loss of the year, 10-9, at Deerfield Academy (Mass.) on Wednesday and then bounced back to topple Avon Old Farms (Conn.), 8-7 in double overtime, on Saturday.

12. (14) Darien (Conn.), 16-1
The top-seeded Blue Wave rolled past Norwalk (Conn), 18-3, in the FCIAC quarterfinals and face fourth-seeded Ridgefield (17-3) in the semifinals on Tuesday. Darien defeated Ridgefield, 14-11, on May 8.

13. (16) Duxbury (Mass.), 18-2
The Dragons, who have won 11 straight, close their regular season Wednesday when they play New Hampshire power Bishop Guertin.

14. (15) Loyola Blakefield (Towson, Md.), 16-4
A 17-3 loss to Calvert Hall in the MIAA A Conference championship game does not spoil a standout season for the Dons. Loyola Blakefield doubled its win total after going 8-10 last year and also had an impressive 13-7 victory over defending champion Gilman in the MIAA semifinals.

15. (18) St. Anthony's (Melville, N.Y.), 15-3
The Friars will meet Chaminade for the Long Island and state Class AAA CHSAA championship at Hofstra on Thursday. They tuned up with a big 13-11 victory over Fairfield Prep (Conn.) as Sean McDonogh had four goals and an assist and Dylon Molloy had three goals and two assists.
16. (19) Niskayuna (N.Y.), 15-1
The Silver Warriors gained the top seed in Class A for Section 2 and host Bethlehem Monday in the first round of the tourney following a bye.

17. (21) West Genesee (Camillus, N.Y.), 15-1
The Wildcats earned the top seed in the Class A playoffs in Section III. They will be chasing their 11th-consecutive sectional crown when they begin postseason play in the quarterfinal round Thursday against Central Square.

18. (20) Dublin Jerome (Ohio), 18-0
The Celtics, champions of the Midwest Tournament, posted a 17-1 victory over St. John's Jesuit (Toledo, Ohio) in the first round of the state tourney.

19. (22) Governor's Academy (Byfield, Mass.), 15-0
The Red Dogs downed Noble & Greenough (Mass.), 11-6, and Thayer Academy (Mass.), 7-5. Their key game is Wednesday at home vs. 12-1 Middlesex (Mass.).

20. (23) La Salle College (Wyndmoor, Pa.), 14-4
The Explorers enter the Catholic League playoffs as the No. 1 seed and play a semifinal game on Monday vs. Archbishop Wood at Plymouth Whitemarsh High at 4 p.m

21. (24) Ithaca (N.Y.), 15-1
The top-seeded Little Red will host Binghamton – an 8-4 upset winner over Corning - in the Section 4 Class A championship game on Wednesday at 7 p.m. They already defeated Binghamton twice, 12-3 and 13-3.

22. (25) Landon (Bethesda, Md.), 13-6
The Bears capped a brilliant stretch of 10 wins in 11 games as they downed Bullis School (Md.), 7-4, to win the Interstate Athletic Conference championship for the 28th time. Landon is the only school to defeat No. 2 Haverford School this year.

23 (NR) Arapahoe (Centennial, Colo.), 19-0
The Warriors claimed their second  CHSAA title in four years with an 8-4 victory over Cherry Creek. Bryce Parietti led the Warriors with three goals.

24. (11) Gilman (Baltimore), 12-4
The Greyhounds were eliminated in the semifinals of the MIAA A Conference tournament by Loyola Blakefield (Md.), 13-7. They still boasted wins over No. 21 La Salle and No. 23 Landon School.

25. (NR) Deerfield Academy (Mass.), 14-2
The Big Green get back into the rankings after two huge wins, an 11-10 overtime victory over previously undefeated Salisbury and a 6-5 double overtime triumph over Phillips Exeter (N.H.).

Dropped out:
Summit (N.J.) 15-1, Irondequoit (Rochester, N.Y.), 14-2

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.