Independence (Va.), New York Trio Into USA Lacrosse Public High School Boys' Rankings

A full slate of New York semifinals today could reshape the rankings behind a Summit (N.J.) squad that rallied by Chatham (N.J.) to stay atop this week's USA Lacrosse Public High School Boys’ National Top 25, presented by CWENCH Hydration. 

Facing one of its toughest challenges of the season, Summit put together an impressive comeback for an 8-6 win over Chatham in the North Jersey Group 3 final in a top-five national matchup that lived up to the hype. Chatham built a 6-2 lead midway through the third quarter, but the Hilltoppers held them scoreless for almost 15 minutes while scoring the game’s final six goals to advance to the Group 3 state final against Shawnee (N.J.).

The semifinals in New York are on tap for today. The East Semifinals will feature Yorktown (N.Y.) vs. Manhasset (N.Y.) in Class B, Rye (N.Y.) vs. Wantagh (N.Y.) in Class C, Bronxville (N.Y.) vs. Cold Spring Harbor (N.Y.) in Class D and Mamaroneck (N.Y.) vs. Massapequa (N.Y.) in Class A. 

The West Semifinals will see Victor (N.Y.) take on Niskayuna (N.Y.) in Class B, Jamesville-DeWitt (N.Y.) play Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (N.Y.) in Class C, Marcellus (N.Y.) face Schuylerville (N.Y.) in Class D and West Genesee (N.Y.) play Shaker (N.Y.) in Class A.

There are four newcomers to the Top 25. Three of them are in the New York semifinals. West Genesee has won nine straight to earn a spot in the Top 25 heading into their semifinal against Shaker. West Genesee defeated Penfield (N.Y.) 14-10 in the regional final. Liam Kelly scored four goals and had three assists and Jeffrey Mercer scored a hat trick.

Independence (Va.) is 20-0 and have outscored opponents, 329-78, this season. Independence will face James Madison (Va.) in the Class 6 state championship Saturday after advancing with a 17-9 win over Cosby (Va.). Madison knocked off previously ranked Robinson (Va.).

Rye dominated Highland (N.Y.) 19-3 in their regional final. They shut out Highland in the second half. Rye is on a six-game winning streak heading into their semifinal showdown with Wantagh. 

Yorktown will try to play spoiler to Manhasset’s title run. The Cornhuskers come off convincing wins of 13-7 over Horace Greeley (N.Y.) and 18-5 over Cornwall (N.Y.). 

Other notable developments:

—  Cold Spring Harbor got six goals from Dylan Reilly in a 17-12 win over Bayport-Blue Point (N.Y.) in the Long Island Class D final. It’s their 15th straight win with Reilly back in the lineup after an early injury.

—  Manhasset needed 15 saves from Andrew Limberg to hold off Smithtown East (N.Y.) for the Nassau County B championship. Manhasset has won eight straight games since losing three straight midseason.

—  Springfield-Delco (Pa.) was eliminated from the Pennsylvania AAA state tournament with a 12-4 loss to private La Salle (Pa.). Luke Valerio had a goal and two assists in the loss.

—  La Salle will play Radnor (Pa.) on Saturday at Penn State in the state championship. Radnor is playing in its sixth straight state final after a 16-3 win over Manheim Township (Pa.) in the semifinals. Finn Petrone scored twice and dished out six assists and Teddy Curry made 12 saves. Radnor lost to La Salle, 7-3, in the regular season.

 —  Grey Wildman scored 14 seconds into overtime to give New Canaan (Conn.) a 9-8 win over Staples (Conn.) in the Class LL semifinals. The win avenges their one-goal loss to Staples in the FCIAC championship and lands them in their first state final since 2017. They’ll face Darien (Conn.), who will play in their third straight state final after a 5-4 win over Fairfield Prep (Conn.). The championship is Sunday.

—  Ridgewood (N.J.) advanced to the Group 4 state final against Southern (N.J.) with a 10-6 win over Westfield (N.J.) in the North Jersey 4 title game. AJ LoSauro scored five goals and had an assist for Ridgewood, which also won their regular-season meeting with Westfield. 

— Nolan Wieczorek had a monster game with four goals and five assists to lead Massapequa to a 19-6 win over Sachem North (N.Y.) in the Long Island Class A championship. Now they’ll face a Mamaroneck (N.Y.) team that beat them 16-10 in the regular season.

— Wantagh brings a 10-game winning streak into the state semifinal matchup with Rye. Wantagh held off Sayville (N.Y.) 12-11 in the Long Island title game. Devin Paccione scored twice and had four assists, Joe Nicholson had four goals and an assist and Gianni Passaro made 10 saves.

— Victor pulled away from Horseheads (N.Y.) 18-4 for the Class B regional title. Jackson Mead had six goals and Eli Ricci had a hat trick. They face Niskayuna (N.Y.) in the state semifinals today.

— In the regional rankings, Victor is new in the Northeast Region after rising with back-to-back meaningful wins. Independence is the lone newcomer in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The Midwest is unchanged with Upper Arlington (Ohio) leading the way. The South and West Regions completed their seasons.

By focusing exclusively on public school programs, these USA Lacrosse National Top 25 and Regional Top 10 lists (also found here in our rankings hub) highlight the best teams that have built powerhouse rosters through local development and strong grassroots efforts.

Compiled by USA Lacrosse writers with input from coaches around the country, rankings and records reflect results as of previous Tuesday.

National Top 25

1. Summit (N.J.), 19-1 (1) 
2. Cold Spring Harbor (N.Y.), 16-3 (2)  
3. Urbana (Md.), 17-1 (3)
4. Manhasset (N.Y.), 16-4 (5) 
5. Chatham (N.J.), 17-4 (4)
6. Garden City (N.Y.), 17-2 (6) 
7. Severna Park (Md.), 18-2 (8) 
8. Springfield-Delco (Pa.), 21-3 (7) 
9. Radnor (Pa.), 20-5 (9) 
10. Ridgewood (N.J.), 17-5 (11) 
11. Massapequa (N.Y.), 16-3 (12)
12. New Canaan (Conn.), 16-4 (13)
13. Ponte Vedra (Fla.), 21-2 (14)
14. Mamaroneck (N.Y.), 17-3 (15) 
15. Highland Park (Texas), 18-2 (16) 
16. Darien (Conn.), 14-7 (17) 
17. Wantagh (N.Y.), 16-3 (18)
18. Staples (Conn.), 17-5 (10) 
19. Shawnee (N.J.), 16-4 (22)  
20. Broadneck (Md.), 15-5 (23)
21. Victor (N.Y.), 18-2 (24) 
22. West Genesee (N.Y.), 16-4 (NR)
23. Independence (Va.), 20-0 (NR)
24. Rye (N.Y.), 15-5 (NR)
25. Yorktown (N.Y.), 16-4 (NR) 

Also considered (alphabetical order): Bayard Rustin (Pa.), Bridgewater-Raritan (N.J.), Broadneck (Md.), Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (N.Y.), Cape Henlopen (Del.), Carmel (Ind.), Cherry Creek (Colo.), Downingtown West (Pa.), Fallston (Md.), Garnet Valley (Pa.), Huntingtown (Md.), Kent Island (Md.), Kingsway (N.J.), Lincoln-Sudbury (Mass.), Linganore (Md.), James Madison (Va.), Lincoln-Sudbury (Mass.), Manheim Township (Pa.), Marcellus (N.Y.), Penfield (N.Y.), Pittsford (N.Y.), Port Washington (N.Y.), Ridley (Pa.), Roswell (Ga.), Sachem North (N.Y.), Scotch Plains-Fanwood (N.J.), Stephen Decatur (Md.), Syosset (N.Y.), Torrey Pines (Calif.), Towson (Md.), Twin Valley (Pa.), Upper Arlington (Ohio), Westfield (N.J.), Wilson (Pa.), Wilton (Conn.)

Northeast Top 10

1. Cold Spring Harbor (N.Y.), 16-3 (1) 
2. Manhasset (N.Y.), 16-4 (2)
3. Garden City (N.Y.), 17-2 (3)  
4. Massapequa (N.Y.), 16-3 (5) 
5. New Canaan (Conn.), 16-4 (6)
6. Mamaroneck (N.Y.), 17-3 (7)
7. Darien (Conn.), 14-7 (8)
8. Wantagh (N.Y.), 16-3 (9)
9. Staples (Conn.), 17-5 (4) 
10. Victor (N.Y.), 19-2 (NR)

Mid-Atlantic Top 10

1. Summit (N.J.), 19-1 (1) 
2. Urbana (Md.), 17-1 (2) 
3. Chatham (N.J.), 17-4 (3) 
4. Severna Park (Md.), 18-2 (5) 
5. Springfield-Delco (Pa.), 21-3 (4)
6. Radnor (Pa.), 20-5 (6) 
7. Ridgewood (N.J.), 17-5 (7) 
8. Shawnee (N.J.), 16-4 (9) 
9. Broadneck (Md.), 15-5 (10)
10. Independence (Va.), 20-0 (NR)

South Top 10

1. Ponte Vedra (Fla.), 21-2 (1) 
2. Highland Park (Texas), 18-2 (2)
3. Roswell (Ga.), 21-1 (3) 
4. The Woodlands (Texas), 18-4 (4) 
5. Jupiter (Fla.), 16-4 (5)
6. Lambert (Ga.), 19-2 (6)
7. Lucy Beckham (S.C.), 15-3 (7)
8. Middle Creek (N.C.), 25-4 (8)
9. Lassiter (Ga.), 16-4 (9) 
10. Hough (N.C.), 18-4 (10)

Midwest Top 10

1. Upper Arlington (Ohio), 19-4 (1) 
2. Carmel (Ind.), 17-2 (2)
3. Stillwater (Minn.), 17-0 (3)
4. Shawnee Mission East (Kan.), 10-4 (4)
5. New Albany (Ohio), 17-5 (5)
6. Hudson (Ohio), 16-4 (6)
7. Worthington Kilbourne (Ohio), 16-5 (7) 
8. Farmington (Minn.), 17-0 (8)
9. Hudsonville (Mich.), 21-2 (9)
10. Rockford (Mich.), 14-3 (10)

West Top 10

1. Torrey Pines (Calif.), 15-3 (1)
2. Cherry Creek (Colo.), 16-3 (2)
3. Park City (Utah), 18-3 (3) 
4. Arapahoe (Colo.), 15-3 (4) 
5. La Costa Canyon (Calif.), 12-7 (5)
6. Foothill-Santa Ana (Calif.), 13-7 (6)
7. Mount Si (Wash.), 17-4 (7) 
8. Lakeridge (Ore.), 15-3 (8)
9. Lakewood (Colo.), 15-2 (9)
10. Eastlake (Wash.), 16-3 (10)