MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Boys Lacrosse Rankings

After 32 years of coaching at Bridgewater-Raritan (N.J.), Chuck Apel has won most every honor.

He was the 2009 National Federation of High Schools Lacrosse Coach of the Year and last year was named an assistant general manager for the USA U-19 national team. Last June, his Panthers won their first Tournament of Champions title and two weekends ago he claimed his 400th career victory at Bridgewater-Raritan when his Panthers blanked Immaculata (N.J.), 14-0.

This year Bridgewater-Raritan is off to a 10-0 start and ranked No. 7 in the Xcellent 25. Apel, who joined Mountain Lakes' Tim Flynn and Delbarton's Chuck Ruebling as the three active New Jersey head coaches with 400 victories, said much has changed since he began coaching.

"It's great, but I'm sure I will think about it more when it's over," he said of reaching 400 wins (now 402). "It's been a great run and I think I am fortunate. I came in at a time when there wasn't much lacrosse.

"There were only 26 teams in New Jersey in 1980 when I started. Not a lot of people knew much about the sport back then and I didn't get a lot of help from the stands. Now, everyone's an expert."

The growth of youth lacrosse has had a major impact on the sport at the high school level, especially at Bridgewater-Raritan.

"Our recent success is a product of a youth program that has really stepped up in the last eight or nine years," he said. "We are fortunate to have real good people there. It's been kind of a process; these kids I have now have been playing together since second grade. They are good athletes and good lacrosse players."

What are his goals for this season? Is another state championship within reach?

"There is always pressure to repeat," he said. "I think the kids that are back embraced the challenge. They know everybody has us circled on the calendar when we play them. We have done a nice job sharing the ball. The defense has been very good and they have played very well together. I have not talked about that (a state championship), but that's ultimately the goal.

"Right now the goal is to win the next game. To get to that last game is definitely in the back of our minds, but we can't look that far ahead. There is a lot of parity in the state. You have to have a little luck and you have to stay healthy and be playing you best lacrosse at the end of the year."

Games to Watch
No. 5 St. Anthony's (N.Y.) at No. 17 Darien (Conn.), Saturday
No. 9 Niskayuna (N.Y.) at No. 19 Duxbury (Mass.), Saturday
No. 24 La Salle (Pa.) at No. 13 Conestoga (Pa.), Saturday

MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Boys Lacrosse Rankings

1. (No. 1 last week) Garden City (N.Y.), 11-0
The Trojans easily handled yet another challenge, this time defeating Shoreham-Wading River, 13-4, at the Lax Out Cancer Day, as Devin Dwyer had three goals and three assists. The Trojans host Manhasset (N.Y.) on Saturday.

2. (2) Chaminade (Mineola, N.Y.), 9-0
The Flyers picked up easy wins over Long Island rivals St. John Baptist (14-4) and Manhasset (13-5). They play Saturday at Fairfield Prep (Conn.), with a May 10 date at St. Anthony's looming.

3. (3) Haverford School (Pa.) 15-1
Henry Blynn had a career day by collecting seven goals and two assists as the Fords toppled Conestoga (Pa.), 13-8, in the Katie Samson Festival. They can clinch a fourth-straight Inter-Ac league championship Saturday with a win against Malvern Prep.

4. (4) Salisbury School (Conn.), 7-0
The Crimson Knights edged Hotchkiss (Conn.), 11-10, on Saturday after downing Millbrook School (N.Y.), 14-9. It should be clear sailing until May 16 when they play at Deerfield Academy.

5. (5) St. Anthony's (Melville, N.Y.), 10-1
The Friars routed Somers (N.Y.) 12-2 on Saturday and gear for a date at No. 17 Darien (Conn.) on Saturday.

6. (7) Calvert Hall (Baltimore), 11-2
Ryan Brown scored 41 seconds into overtime to lift the Cardinals past Severn (Md.) Friday in the MIAA. Calvert Hall takes over first place in the A Division with a 5-1 mark. Their three remaining MIAA games are against teams at the bottom of the standings.

7. (9) Bridgewater-Raritan (Bridgewater, N.J.), 10-0
The Panthers routed Hillsborough (N.J.), 14-5, as Mike Serrante had three goals and two assists and Scott Bieda had two goals and four assists. They host Shawnee (N.J.) on Saturday.

8. (10) Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), 15-1
The Purple Eagles have dominated the DC WCAC this year and are a favorite to repeat as league champions. But the next business is a date Friday at 10-5 Landon School (Md.).

9. (11) Niskayuna (N.Y.), 9-0
Coach Mike Vorgang and the Silver Warriors face their biggest test Saturday when they play at No. 19 Duxbury.

10. (14) West Islip (N.Y.), 11-1
Tom Moore scored two of his three goals in the fourth quarter as the Lions rallied from a 5-2 deficit by scoring six unanswered goals in the final period to down Ward Melville, 8-5. They play Friday at Northport (N.Y.).

11. (15) Smithtown West (N.Y.), 10-1
The Bulls got six goals from Matt Schultz while Craig Madaresz won 17 of 20 faceoffs and scooped 10 groundballs in an 18-5 rout of Sachem North (N.Y.).

12. (16) Summit (N.J.), 11-0
The Hilltoppers ripped previously undefeated Mount Olive (N.J.), 17-3, as Nick Kilkowski had six goals and an assist and Ryan Bringewatt added four goals and an assist. They play Wednesday at Delbarton (N.J.).

13. (8) Conestoga (Berwyn, Pa.), 11-3
The Pioneers fell behind 8-1 in their 13-8 loss to No. 3 Haverford School Saturday and never quite recovered. They host No. 24 La Salle (Pa.) on Saturday in a game matching up teams that met in the state finals in 2009 (La Salle win) and 2010 (Conestoga win).

14. (12) Gilman (Baltimore), 8-3
Gordie Koerber had three goals to lead the Greyhounds to a 13-3 win over St. Paul's. They are tied with three other teams for second place in the MIAA and have key league games this week at St. Mary's (Tuesday) and Boys' Latin (Friday).

15. (17) Deerfield Academy (Mass.), 8-1
The Big Green defeated Phillips Andover (Mass.), 12-9 on Saturday. They meet Lawrenceville (N.J.) on Wednesday and host Hotchkiss (Conn.) on Saturday.

16. (NR) Fairport (N.Y.), 9-0
The Section 5 Red Raiders toppled Section 3 power Jamesville-DeWitt (N.Y.), 11-10. They earlier defeated Section 4 heavyweight Ithaca. They play Tuesday at Penfield.

17. (6) Darien (Conn.), 9-1
The Blue Wave suffered an 11-9 loss to Yorktown (N.Y.). They host St. Anthony's on Saturday.

18. (18) Irondequoit (Rochester, N.Y.), 8-1
The Eagles edged Penfield (N.Y.), 9-7. They host Victory on Tuesday.

19. (21) Duxbury (Mass.), 10-2
The Dragons edged Lincoln-Sudbury (Mass.) 10-9, and toppled Needham (Mass.) 11-7. They host 9-1 Hingham (Mass.) on Tuesday and No. 7 Niskayuna on Saturday.

20. (23) Dublin Jerome (Dublin, Ohio), 13-0
The Celtics edged Upper Arlington (Ohio) 7-6 and routed Pickerington North (Ohio), 14-4. They host Dublin Coffman on Saturday.

21. (13) Loyola Blakefield (Towson, Md.), 12-3
The Dons dropped an 11-8 decision to St. Mary's (Md.) on Saturday, moving them down to a tie for second place in the MIAA with three other teams. They need to bounce back Tuesday at Severn School (Md.).

22. (NR) Yorktown (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), 8-2
The Cornhuskers enter the rankings after scoring a big 11-9 win over previously undefeated Darien (Conn.). They have two big Section 1 games this week, Tuesday vs. Mahopac and Friday at Lakeland-Panas.

23. (25) West Genesee (Camillus, N.Y.), 10-1
The Wilcats had two easy wins, 6-1 over Cicero-North Syracuse (N.Y.) and 22-1 over Henninger (N.Y.). They play Tuesday at 9-1 Fayetteville-Manlius.

24. (NR) La Salle College (Wyndmoor, Pa.), 10-3
The Explorers are happy to have junior midfielder Sean Coleman back from a football-related injury. They edged Downingtown East (Pa.), 11-10, at the Katie Samson Festival Saturday and have all but wrapped up the top seed in the Catholic League playoffs. They play at No. 13 Conestoga Saturday in a game some feel could be a preview for the state finals.

25. (20) Episcopal Academy (Newtown Square, Pa.), 13-3
The Churchmen dominated Springfield-Delco (Pa.), 12-3, as Tyler Odell tallied five goals and upped his total this year to 49. They host Malvern Prep Tuesday in a big Inter-Ac League game.

Dropped out: Manhasset (N.Y.), 8-3; Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), 9-1; Ward Melville (East Setauket, N.Y.), 9-3.

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.