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S.J. Boys' lacrosse top 10

The Inquirer

The Inquirer

TOP 10

PRESEASON BOYS' LACROSSE

With last year's record in parentheses.

 1. St. Augustine (19-3). St. Augustine lost a strong group of seniors but returns five starters and a roster filled with Division I talent, including brothers Nikko Pontrello (Loyola) and Steve Pontrello (North Carolina) and Tommy O'Neill (Penn State). Junior goalie Joe Gigantiello, who will move on to play for the University of Denver, will lead the Hermits' young defense.

2. Moorestown (9-8). The Quakers' eight senior starters make up the strongest senior class in South Jersey. Moorestown did not lose a single starter from the team that reached the Group 3 quarterfinals last season.

3. Shawnee (17-4). A year after its run to the Group 3 quarterfinals, Shawnee returns a strong team led by attackman Owen Demmerly.

4. Kingsway (12-4). Seniors Mike Moran (attack) and Frank Magazu (midfield) lead a team that returns nine starters. Moran and Magazu are first-team all-Olympic Conference players who will play for Virginia Wesleyan next season.

5. Lenape (13-4). Despite graduating 12 seniors from last year's Olympic Conference American Division championship team, the Indians return a young, talented team led by junior midfielder James O'Donnell.

6. Eastern (12-6). Graduation hurt perennially strong Eastern. But the Vikings should be in the mix to match last year's trip to the Group 4 semifinals.

7. Haddonfield (16-3). The graduation of first-team all-Inquirer midfielder Phil Bhaya leaves a big void, but Haddonfield should still be the top Group 1 team in South Jersey.

8. Seneca (9-10). Seneca returns nine starters, including five players with four years of varsity experience. Senior Mike Southwick, one of those four-year starters, should be one of the top offensive players in South Jersey.

9. Bishop Eustace (8-10). Senior Joel McGowan, who netted 36 goals last season, leads a solid team.

10. Holy Cross (10-8). Holy Cross is led by a solid senior class, including attackmen Hunter Steel and Andrew Buckley and midfielder Trevor Alspach.

- Chris Melchiorre