The high school boys lacrosse world will turn its eyes to Long Island this week. Given the number of talented players and tradition-rich programs that reside there, that's nothing new, of course.
But this week's volume of marquee matchups is unusually high, even by Long Island standards.
It's highlighted by the granddaddy of them all when it comes to high school rivalries – the 120th edition of the Woodstick Classic.
The rivalry between the neighboring Nassau County communities of Garden City and Manhasset has been renewed at least once, often twice, annually since 1935, making it the nation's longest-running, uninterrupted boys lacrosse rivalry in the country.
This year's game is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Manhasset.
Garden City coach Steve Finnell and the Trojans face Manhasset Saturday.
Photo by Jim Stout
Also on Saturday is our second No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the span on two weeks. On April 16, No. 1 Haverford beat then No. 2 Darien, 11-5. On Saturday, the Fords will take on Pennsylvania rival Conestoga, which has been No. 2 the last two weeks in the MaxPreps Xcellent 20 National Boys Lacrosse Rankings.
The Haverford-Conestoga showdown is set for 1:30 p.m. at Radnor (Pa.) High School.
Back on Long Island, the 2011 Woodstick Classic meeting will be magnified in importance because Manhasset, the two-time defending Class C state champion, has moved up to Class B, meaning either the Indians or Garden City, 2010 Class B state finalists, won't get out of Nassau County (Section 8) in the NYSPHSAA playoffs.
"It has been a very big rivalry game in the past," said Penn State-bound senior defenseman
J.P. Burnside of Garden City. "Now that they (Manhasset) are in our class, it should be even more competitive and fun."
Last year's 7-6 Manhasset win vs. Garden City was the Indians' only one-goal game in a 20-0 state championship season.
"We always look forward to playing them," Johns Hopkins-bound junior midfielder
Ryan Matthews of Manhasset said. "They have a bunch of good players and are well-coached."
Ward Melville's Will Mazzone.
Photo by Ray Nelson
Prior to the Woodstick Classic, the spotlight will shine on Long Island's Suffolk County on Wednesday, when Ward Melville hosts West Islip in a 6:30 p.m. showdown of nationally ranked unbeatens. As if the No. 1 vs. No. 2 encounter isn't enough for this week, this one pits No. 3 (Ward Melville) vs. No. 4 (West Islip).
West Islip has won four state titles in the last five years, but lost several stars from last year's team, most notably University of North Carolina freshman and 2010 MaxPreps National Player of the Year Nick Galasso, the all-time leading scorer in Long Island boys' lacrosse history.
Who will prevail when the teams square off in what could be a preview of the Section 11 Class A title game?
"Stats, past achievements and standings mean nothing in this league," said Army-bound senior attackman
Will Mazzone of Ward Melville. "The team that comes out with the highest intensity, and plays with the most consistentcy each game will be the most effective in this race."
MAXPREPS XCELLENT 20 NATIONAL BOYS LACROSSE RANKINGS1. Haverford School (Pa.), 14-0: Brendan McGrath had three goals and
Connor Kelly made 12 saves in the Fords' most recent win, a 13-7 victory against La Salle (Pa.). (Last week's ranking: No. 1)
2. Conestoga (Berwyn, Pa.), 10-0: An 8-7 loss to Haverford last year was one of just two losses for the Pioneers, who beat Haverford 10-4 in 2009. (Last week's ranking: No. 2)
3. Ward Melville (East Setauket, N.Y.), 8-0: The Patriots will have eight full days to prepare for the showdown against West Islip on Wednesday. (Last week's ranking: No. 4)
4. West Islip (N.Y.), 9-0: The Lions' defense shined in an 8-2 win over a strong Ridgewood (N.J.) squad. (Last week's ranking: No. 5)
5. Darien (Conn.), 4-1: The Blue Wave pulled out a 9-6 win against New York Section 1 rival Yorktown (N.Y.) (Last week's ranking: No. 6)
6. Deerfield Academy (Mass.), 6-0: The Big Green came up big on both offense and defense in a 14-6 win at the Taft School (Conn.). (Last week's ranking: No. 7)
7. Manhasset (N.Y.), 7-0: Last year's 7-6 Manhasset win against Garden City was the Indians' only one-goal game in a 20-0 state championship season. (Last week's ranking: No. 8)
8. Chaminade (Mineola, N.Y.), 6-1: Sean Mahon won 10 of 12 faceoffs and also scored three goals in a 16-9 win over Fordham Prep. (Last week's ranking: No. 9)
9. Jamesville-DeWitt (DeWitt, N.Y.), 8-0: The Red Rams' defense was stellar in a huge 5-3 win against previously unbeaten West Genesee. (Last week's ranking: No. 10)
10. St. Anthony's (Melville, N.Y.), 4-1: Matthew Chanenchuk and
Sean McDonagh each had four goals. (Last week's ranking: No. 11)
11. Garden City (N.Y.), 7-2: The Trojans had won three straight vs. Manhasset prior to losing to the Indians each of the last two years. (Last week's ranking: No. 14)
12. McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.), 9-2: The Eagles, who are coming off an 11-7 win over then-No. 3 Calvert Hall, have climbed in each week's rankings. (Last week's ranking: No. 15)
13. Summit (N.J.), 10-0: It's 54 in a row now following wins over New Canaan (Conn.) and Mendham. The Hilltoppers' win streak, though, could be in jeopardy when they face a strong squad from Chatham (N.J.) on Tuesday. (Last week's ranking: No. 17)
14. Calvert Hall (Baltimore), 11-1: The Cardinals have lost just twice in their last 15 games, with both setbacks coming against McDonogh (Md.). (Last week's ranking: No. 3)
15. St. Andrew's (Boca Raton, Fla.), 14-1 : The Scots end the regular season on Tuesday against Barron Collier. (Last week's ranking: No. 16)
16. Germantown Academy (Fort Washington, Pa.), 10-1: Six straight wins have earned the Patriots, whose lone loss was to No. 1 Haverford (Pa.), a spot in the rankings. (Last week's ranking: Not ranked)
17. Brunswick (Greenwich, Conn.), 7-3: A Tuesday game against Lawrenceville (N.J.), which is 8-1, highlights the Bruins' week. (Last week's ranking: No. 18)
18. Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.), 13-1: The Bruins, who have won seven straight, face a Regis Jesuit (Colo.) team that was ranked 13th last week before losing to Kent Denver (Colo.). (Last week's ranking: No. 19)
19. Sachem North (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.), 7-1: The Flaming Arrows, whose lone loss was against No. 4 West Islip, are back at No. 19. (Last week's ranking: Not ranked)
20. St. Mark's (Dallas), 16-1: The Lions' 14-game win streak ended last week in a 7-6 overtime loss to Coppell (Texas). (Last week's ranking: No. 20)
Dropped out: St. Paul's (Md.), No. 12; Regis Jesuit (Colo.), No. 13.
Joe Lombardi writes the "Lax with Joe" blog at LaxLessons.com and is an analyst for the MSG Varsity Television Network. He is also the primary author of the new edition of "Lacrosse for Dummies," which was released last year. He may be reached at joe@laxlessons.com.
