Brandon Fortier, former standout player for Eastside lacrosse club and Whittier College and current HS coach, writes the popular Weekly HS Beat for Boys HS lacrosse during the season.

Early Season Surprises

Week 1: March 24- March 29

SCOREBOARD

PICTURE of the WEEK

 Mike Travers makes an incredible save as the Panthers squared off against Mercer Island in Cascade League action (3/24).

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NOTES & REVIEW

Division I

�          Two more wins for Bainbridge.  Average score in 3 games has been 18-2.  It will be a very tough task for anyone to test the Spartan machine.

�          Even in a 0-2 start, you could feel the Panthers belonged in Division 1.  Sure enough, this week, the Panthers went 2-0 and now sit in the middle of the pack. 

�          Coming off a tough loss a week ago, Lakeside responded in a big way by knocking off Mercer Island 12-10.

�          Maple Valley got into the win column with an 18-6 thrashing of Nathan Hale.

�          After Bainbridge, spots 2-4 seem wide open.  Every team except Port Angeles has a win and the season is shaping up much like last year!

Division II

�          Top dogs Eastside and Curtis went toe to toe and the Vikings came out on top.  On paper, this certainly looked to be Curtis� toughest test of the year.  Vikings now have a great shot to go undefeated.

�          The Roughriders are proving they are for real.  Forget playoffs, they�re pushing for a Metro Conference title.  They started the week with a huge overtime win over Bainbridge and then decided to work overtime again in beating Franklin.  The two wins have them at 3-0 and atop the Metro Conference.  In 3 games, the Roughriders defense has only allowed 7 goals!  Kudos to Rick Martell-Scott, Kurt Preuss, Tony Maack and the rest of the defense.

�          The team that will look to push Curtis in the Olympic Conference is Vashon.  After a tough 2002 campaign, Vashon is off to a 3-0 start and playing well.  A great early season story�Due to injury, it was unclear whether or not Ben Sommers would be able to play at all in 2003.  He has made it back and scored 3 goals, 2 assists in Vashon 12-3 win over Klahowya. 

�          Garfield also shares the Metro Conference lead at 3-0.  The Bulldogs continue to impress as they knocked off Bainbridge this week. 

NOTE: For statistical purposes, Division II standings have all teams listed together through sportability.com.  Realize that Division II is in fact split into 3 conferences and playoffs will be determined based on standings within these conferences.   Here are the conference standings:

 Cascade League

�          Preseason predictions for the Cascade League were almost right on based on current standings.  One notable difference is the surprising play of Port Angeles.  Despite a loss to Maple Valley, the Riders knocked off Bellevue 9-8 and currently sit in 3^rd place.

TOP PERFORMERS

David VanderHoek-Sophomore, Attack, Bainbridge

After 3 games, the young superstar has already recorded 11 assists.  Everybody wants to score goals and in fact there are several attackmen in this league who have proven they can do just that.  However, VanderHoek has showed the complete package, knowing when to shoot and when to pass.  His great start was highlighted with a huge 6 goal, 5 assist performance in a victory over Bellevue.

Andrew Paretti-Freshman, Attack/Midfield, Panthers

Only a freshman, A.P. (as he is known to many) sits in 2^nd place in the Division 1 scoring ranks with 15 goals and 2 assists.  This week he notched 5 goals, 2 assists in leading the Panthers to a big win over Maple Valley.  The performance is even more impressive when you consider he spent much of the game going against one of the league�s better defenseman, Maple Valley senior Dan Aas.  Paretti followed up his big day with a  4 goal effort in an 11-10 win over Bellevue.

Kyle Lane-Senior, Attack, Lakeside

Needing a big win, Lane stepped up and scored 6 goals and 1 assist in a mild upset of Mercer Island.  The Lions hope for more of the same from the senior attackman in attempt to get back to the playoffs this year.

Tony Maack- Senior, Goal, Roughriders

Maack has stood tall between the pipes as the quarterback of a stellar Roughrider defense.  Tony has allowed only 6 goals in 3 games, while recording 24 saves.  He currently holds an outstanding .800 save percentage.  In an upset of Bainbridge this week, Maack recorded 11 saves and allowed only 2 goals.

Derek Mills- Senior, Midfield, Roughriders

Mills had the game-winning goal in the Roughriders 3-2 win over Bainbridge.  He followed it up with a 3-goal night in a victory over Franklin.  Let�s forget the scoring for a moment and think about this�In an overtime game, possessions are huge.  The Roughriders played two overtime games this week and Mills had 26 groundball possessions in these two games!

Grant Shaver- Attack, Maple Valley B

Shaver�s week included 7 goals and 1 assist in leading the Vandals to two Cascade League victories.

GAMES TO WATCH (March 31-April 5)

4/1 Overlake @ Eastside�Battle for first place in Inland-North Conference.  The two teams should know each other well, they practice right next to each other.

4/3 Garfield @ Roughriders�The two early surprises of 2003 square off for 1^st place in the Metro Conference.

4/4 Maple Valley @ Mercer Island�Vandals coming off a double-digit victory, Islanders coming off a tough loss.

Checkout LaxPower Power Ratings for Washington State High School Boy�s Division I and II.

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