Lachlan Moffatt Named USA Lacrosse High School Boys' Midwest Player of the Year

Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) was one of the stories of the season, winning its first 23 games before falling in overtime of the state championship game.

And Lachlan Moffatt was one of the great stories of the Shamrocks, coming up clutch against one top opponent after another to earn USA Lacrosse High School Boys’ Midwest Player of the Year.

The Michigan High School Lacrosse Coaches Association Player of the Year, Moffatt finished the season with 91 goals and 45 assists. His big performances included three goals and two assists against Indiana state champ Hamilton Southeastern and three goals and four assists versus Illinois state champ Lake Forest.

Moffatt was brilliant against a number of top Ohio teams, including four goals apiece against Olentangy Liberty and Mason. He also tallied eight goals and four assists in three games against leading in-state rival Brother Rice.

For coach Dave Wilson, Moffatt stands out for his “bag of tricks” attacking style, not just relying on the same move but developing “a few different things that set him apart as a high-scoring attackman.” Moffatt also stood out for his work ethic from the moment he entered the program.

“He's been the whole package. Stick work, diet and weights, speed training (one of the fastest in the school), lacrosse IQ — he's just been amazing,” Wilson said. “When you combine all that with his all-state academic honor, you really see he's the complete package. Phenomenal kid, he forces others to raise their game because he's doing the work, and the younger kids want to be like him.”

Moffatt, a senior, will play collegiately at Villanova.

Players of the year, all-region teams and rankings are compiled by USA Lacrosse Magazine writers with input from coaches around the country.

This content is produced independently of the official USA Lacrosse High School Awards program that includes All-American and All-Academic honorees.

Our Midwest rankings cover Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

All-MIDWEST Team

A Cole Fisher Worthington Kilbourne (Ohio) 
A Lachlan Moffatt Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) 
A Luke Sprong St. Xavier (Ohio) 
M Sean Grogan Culver Academy (Ind.) 
M Danny Holt Brother Rice (Mich.) 
M Jake Struck Olentangy Liberty (Ohio) 
SSDM Luke Jaeger Western Reserve (Ohio) 
SSDM Dean Mason Upper Arlington (Ohio) 
LSM Andrew Gryzenia Detroit Country Day (Mich.) 
FO Tay Rodriguez Culver Academy (Ind.) 
D Gavin Gall Culver Academy (Ind.) 
D Parker Sorenson Culver Academy (Ind.) 
D Daniel Van Camp Lake Forest (Ill.) 
G Trent Yelton St. Xavier (Ohio)

MIDWEST TOP 10
(FINAL)

1. Culver Academy (Ind.), 15-2

The Eagles had another remarkable season, including a Midwest Scholastic Lacrosse Association Championship and National Prep Lacrosse Championship. They beat top competition on their trips to Texas and Washington D.C., along with big-time wins over Hill Academy (Ont.), IMG Academy (Fla.) and Western Reserve Academy (Ohio). Their only losses came in overtime at St. Xavier (Ohio) and by two goals at St. Anthony’s (N.Y.), both state champs.

2. Western Reserve Academy (Ohio), 15-6

The Pioneers clearly established themselves as one of the Midwest’s top teams, highlighted by a win over nationally ranked St. Paul’s (Md.), along with victories over two of the best teams in the Buckeye State: St. Xavier and Upper Arlington. Oh, and four of WRA’s six losses came against teams in the national top 25. Luke Jaeger was a yearlong highlight for the Pioneers with his stout work in the midfield.

3. St. Xavier (Ohio), 19-2

The Bombers didn’t just impress with a state championship. They impressed with the way they overcame a season-ending injury to Ohio State commit Khalif Hocker. DJ Wojciechowski, who had three goals and two assists in the state title game; Johnnie Guttman, who had seven goals in a 12-11 regional title game win over Mason; and Luke Sprong, who had four goals and three assists in the regional semis, came up clutch for St. Xavier. Oh, and the Bombers were the first Midwest public school team to top Culver Academy in recent memory.  

4. Brother Rice (Mich.), 19-5

After a pair of one-goal losses to Detroit Catholic Central earlier this season, the Warriors got the last laugh with an overtime victory over the Shamrocks in the state championship game. Vassar commit Danny Holt impressed all season, winning 77 percent of his faceoff attempts, while attackers Hansen Polonkey (Lehigh) and Theo Ley (VMI) also played starring roles.

5. Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), 23-1

While the Shamrocks’ season ended in a heartbreaker, falling in overtime of the state title game, they had a remarkable year, topping state champs Hamilton Southeastern (Ind.) and Lake Forest (Ill.), not to mention Brother Rice (twice). Villanova commit Lachlan Moffatt earned Michigan Player of the Year honors after notching 91 goals and 45 assists, including huge games against the Scouts and Warriors as well as Mason and Liberty.

6. Lake Forest (Ill.), 24-2

Make it two straight state titles for the Scouts, as they topped New Trier 8-5 in the championship game. Lake Forest thus completed an impressive tournament run that included beating St. Viator, which topped the Scouts 15-3 in the regular season. Yielding just five goals per game, Lake Forest’s only other loss came to Michigan runner-up Detroit Catholic Central.

7. Worthington Kilbourne (Ohio), 19-4

The Wolves picked up an incredibly impressive win when they topped Upper Arlington in the Region 3 finals. St. Xavier, the eventual state champs, ended Kilbourne’s run in the state semifinals, but it was a heck of a season for the Wolves, whose only losses came to top-three teams in Ohio as well as a top-10 New York squad (West Genesee). Oh, and among the many highlights for Kilbourne, Cole Fisher became the state's all-time points leader.

8. Upper Arlington (Ohio), 14-8

Despite finishing one game shy of state, the Golden Bears’ resume is one of the Midwest’s most impressive. Few teams played a harder schedule and few teams had higher-quality wins than UA, which beat Michigan state champ Brother Rice and Kentucky state champ Trinity Louisville to name a couple.

9. Edina (Minn.), 18-1

The Hornets’ first state championship didn’t come easy but they managed to edge Stillwater, 9-7, for the title. Edina won the championship game (and all season) thanks to a stingy defense that yielded 5.4 goals per game. The Hornets also boasted a balanced offense with Cooper Anderson (who had a hat trick in the title game), Eli Busse, Luke Seaman and Drew Stocco all finishing the season with at least 50 points.

10. Hamilton Southeastern (Ind.), 16-5

The Royals won five of their last six, capped by a state championship. Loyola University Maryland commit David Gould (64 goals, 56 assists, 120 points) finished his remarkable season with a five-goal performance against Carmel in the state title game while Bellarmine commit Dillon O’Rourke (117 ground balls, 36 takeaways) earned Hoosier State Player of the Year honors.