St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) handed Haverford School (Pa.) its first loss to generate some movement toward the top of the latest USA Lacrosse High School Boys’ National Top 25.
Malvern Prep (Pa.) also handed Salesianum (Del.) a loss to swap spots and move back into the top five. There’s a triangle now with St. Anthony’s, which won 10-7 over Haverford, which has defeated Malvern twice, and Malvern, which owns a win over St. Anthony’s from earlier in the year. St. Anthony’s gets the nod after beating Haverford in the same week that the Fords beat Malvern.
The other result to cause significant movement is the climb of newcomer Archbishop Spalding (Md.). The Cavaliers defeated Calvert Hall (Md.) to demonstrate both how tough the MIAA is and to show how much they have developed since a rocky start to the season. Spalding lost four of its first 10 games but hasn’t lost since then.
Chaminade (N.Y.), too, has responded well after a difficult start to the year and is playing its best heading into a key rematch with St. Anthony’s.
Losses dropped Gilman (Md.), Bayport-Blue Point (N.Y.) and St. John’s Prep (Mass.) below teams on the rise, though they will have ample opportunities left to move higher.
The only newcomer besides Spalding is St. John’s College High (D.C.). The Cadets were highly regarded coming into the year, and a difficult schedule to start saw them lose four games early, three to teams ranked in the top 10 nationally. Finally, given the chance to play another ranked team, they were convincing victors over Gonzaga (D.C.) for a ninth win in a row.
ABOUT OUR RANKINGS
High school rankings are compiled by USA Lacrosse Magazine writers with input from coaches around the country. Teams with post-graduate players are not eligible, nor are those from outside the United States. These rankings are not affiliated with the official USA Lacrosse High School Awards program overseen by area chairs.
