High School Girls' South Top 10: American Heritage (Fla.) Strengthens Case for No. 1

The USA Lacrosse High School Girls' South Top 10 rankings did not change in their first update since the preseason. Only one team lost a game in the week, and it came in a top-10 showdown, so someone had to lose.

The matchup was a big one, especially for the returning players from American Heritage-Delray (Fla.), who certainly didn't forget their loss in the state championship to Lake Highland (Fla.) last year. The Stallions won the battle of the powers by a goal over Lake Highland to keep their top ranking. Lake Highland remained at No. 5 thanks to a couple of other quality wins.

American Heritage-Delray isn't resting on that win. The Stallions face another top-10 challenge from No. 6 IMG Academy (Fla.) this week. IMG won its only game thus far by two goals.

No. 3 Milton (Ga.) and No. 4 Cambridge (Ga.) have each picked up where they left off last year. They are a combined 7-0, and their wins have been dominant start to finish. 

Cardinal Gibbons (N.C.) is the only ranked team in the region yet to open its season. It jumps right into it with a pair of Mid-Atlantic Region foes that will be a quick test of the Crusaders' strength. 

Presented by CWENCH Hydration, our South rankings cover the region from North Carolina south to Florida and west to Texas. They are compiled by USA Lacrosse writers with input from coaches.

Rankings and records reflect results as of previous Sunday. 

1. American Heritage-Delray (Fla.), 6-0

The Stallions are off to an unbeaten start with five of those six contests being blowouts. American Heritage-Delay survived one scare last week, outlasting Lake Highland (Fla.) 7-6. The game was a rematch of last year’s state championship, where Lake Highland upset American Heritage-Delray. Previous: 1

2. Milton (Ga.), 3-0

The Eagles’ defense continues to show its grit, allowing just 10 goals in their first three games of the season. Milton picked up wins over Creekview (Ga.), Blessed Trinity (Ga.) and Johns Creek (Ga.). Milton readies for a game this week against Lassiter (Ga.). Previous: 2

3. Cambridge (Ga.), 4-0

The Bears have gotten consistent scoring from Linden Donner and Kasey Dwyer for wins over Roswell (Ga.), East Forsyth (Ga.), Centennial (Ga.) and Alpharetta (Ga.). Donner has already posted six-goal games against Roswell and East Forsyth. Dwyer had five goals against East Forsyth. Previous: 3

4. Hockaday (Texas), 2-0

The Daisies started the year with wins over St. Andrew’s (Texas) and St. Stephen’s (Texas). Hockaday has contests this week against Frisco (Texas), Greenhill (Texas) and Westlake (Texas). Previous: 4

5. Lake Highland (Fla.), 4-1

The Highlanders have faced tough competition to start the 2026 season. In a rematch of last year’s state championship match, Lake Highland fell by a single goal to American-Heritage Delray. The Highlanders picked up notable wins over Lake Mary (Fla.) and Ponte Vedra (Fla.). Katherine D'Avanzo led the Highlanders in scoring through the first four games with 11 tallies. Previous: 5

6. IMG Academy (Fla.), 1-0

The Ascenders began their season Feb. 20 with an 11-9 win over Lake Mary (Fla.). IMG will face arguably its toughest challenge of the year on Friday against American Heritage-Delray (Fla.). Previous: 6

7. West Forsyth (Ga.), 1-0

The Wolverines began their season with a 25-0 win over Forsyth Central (Ga.). Avery Jones had a three-goal, seven-assist effort, while Bryce Birkholz scored five times. Previous: 7

8. Cardinal Gibbons (N.C.), 0-0

The Crusaders’ season gets underway on Friday, taking on Potomac School (Va.), followed by a matchup against Episcopal Academy (Pa.). Previous: 8

9. St. Andrew’s (Fla.), 6-0

The Scots began the season with several noteworthy wins, including over Benjamin (Fla.) and Vero Beach (Fla.). Bella Virtue and Olivia Meehan are both off to solid starts, as they had hat tricks against Vero Beach. The upcoming week includes a matchup against St. Edward’s (Fla.). Previous: 9

10. Anderson (Texas), 3-0

The Trojans began the season unbeaten, thanks to Jillian Murphy’s impressive 13-goal, seven-assist start to the year. She had six goals against Round Rock Wedgewood (Texas). Anderson next faces St. Andrew’s (Texas). Previous: 10