Southeastern Pennsylvania Boys' Lacrosse Guide

Southeastern Pa. Boys' Lacrosse Guide

StartText

Players to Watch

Jake Landman, Jr., goalie, Haverford. Landman steps up in goal for the departed Conor Kelly, now at Notre Dame. Kelly posted a 6.08 goals-against average last year for a team that won the Inter-Ac League title and was ranked No. 1 in the nation from wire to wire. Haverford is loaded, but Landman is a bit of an unknown. His play in net is something to monitor for a team with uncapped expectations. He missed the season opener because of a concussion, but has returned.

Anthony Marini, Jr., attack, St. Joseph's Prep. A junior with two years' varsity experience, Marini already has committed to Notre Dame. Marini, who scored 13 goals with 12 assists last year, isn't exactly flying under the radar, but with the Hawks gutted by graduation, his offensive production is critical. Look for his scoring totals to leap quite a bit in what could be a breakout season.

Steve Brodeur, Jr., goalie, Strath Haven. A first-team all-Central League and 2011 U.S. Lacrosse All-American netminder, Brodeur - appropriately named for a goalie - will backstop a team that hopes to improve on its sub-.500 record from a season ago.

Connor Frisina, Sr., attack, Conestoga. A Delaware recruit, Frisina led the state-champion Pioneers in points as a junior, totaling 53 goals and 25 assists in 26 games. He'll be an offensive force again this season.

Bradlee Lord, Sr., attack, Conestoga. Frisina's tag-team partner on the Conestoga front line, Lord was voted the Pioneers' offensive MVP as a junior. He is a Maryland recruit and a returning Central League first-teamer. He'll look to exceed his 27-goal total from last year.

Matt Rambo, Jr., attack, La Salle. A deadly scorer, Rambo led the Explorers to the Catholic League finals a year ago and committed in September to play at Maryland. As a sophomore, he scored 58 goals, which, if you can believe it, was a significant dropoff from his 78-goal freshman campaign for Abington.

Ryan Ambler, Sr. attack, Abington. Ambler, headed to Princeton, leads a Ghosts squad that has gone 50-0 in the Suburban One League National Conference over the past five seasons. He was the conference's Player of the Year as a junior, totaling 38 goals and 53 assists. His task is to get Abington into the state tournament.

Eric Rankel, Sr., midfield, Downingtown West. Rankel helped the Whippets earn a share of their first Ches-Mont League crown and a 21-3 record last season. He'll join his brother Tyler at Robert Morris next fall, but first hopes to lead West beyond the PIAA first round, in which it lost last year. He totaled 48 assists as a junior.

Teams to Watch

Haverford School. Not many programs, in any sport, can lose 12 Division I recruits and still remain elite. The Fords make it look easy. With nine D-I recruits still on the roster, and ranked No. 2 in the nation by ESPNHS, Haverford will seek another Inter-Ac title with a swarm of upper-echelon talent. Georgetown signees Connor and Warner Bailey anchor the defense. Virginia-bound Will McNamara is a versatile midfielder, and Zach Rego, also a future Hoya, is one of the better attackmen in the state. The Fords went 23-0 last season, including a win over PIAA champion Conestoga. They won 30 straight games, going back two seasons, before beginning this year 3-1.

Malvern Prep. After falling just short of an Inter-Ac title last year, the Friars eye redemption this season. Malvern's strength will be its defense, which includes eight Division I prospects spread across several grades. Virginia recruit Matt Barrett, a junior, is in goal. One hole the Friars must fill is in face-offs, where last season, Drew Kennedy, now at Johns Hopkins, was so vital. It has been a rough start to the season, though: The Friars opened 0-2.

Conestoga. The two-time defending PIAA champion eyes its fourth straight trip to the state finals, and with it a three-peat. The Pioneers went 25-1 last year - with their only loss coming to Haverford School. Winner of the last three District 1 championships, Conestoga, ranked No. 2 nationally, has stacked its nonleague schedule, looking for new challenges at every turn. The Pioneers opened the year with a head-turning comeback win, 11-10, over top-ranked Calvert Hall (Md.).

St. Joseph's Prep. The defending Catholic League champ and PIAA state runner-up lost 16 seniors to graduation and are flying a bit under the radar. All-American Jeff Heath (Delaware) is the most glaring subtraction, but the Hawks still tout a bevy of college-bound players. Look for Marquette recruits Blaine Fleming and Matt Smith, plus budding star Anthony Marini (Notre Dame recruit), to be catalysts.

La Salle. The Explorers, who won the inaugural PIAA title in 2009, are the favorites to unseat the Prep as champs of the Catholic League, which they won each year from 2004-10. Junior attackman Matt Rambo, a prolific scorer who has averaged 68 goals in his first two years of high school, leads the way. Midfielder Sean Coleman (Harvard) is another key returning player, as is defenseman Casey Eidenshink (Lehigh).

- Evan Burgos

EndText