Nike/US Lacrosse: West Region Top 10
Game of the week: No. 1 Arapahoe (Colo.) at No. 2 Regis Jesuit (Colo.), April 5th. The two Colorado powers could enter the game undefeated and gather some further momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Arapahoe is the defending state champion, but Regis Jesuit has been especially impressive this season. Story by Todd Karpovich at Lacrosse Magazine.
1. Arapahoe (Colo.), 7-0
The Warriors take over the top spot as they continue to pile up impressive wins, including an 18-7 victory over Milton Academy (Mass.). The Warriors have a big showdown looming April 5 against Regis Jesuit to decide early season supremacy in Colorado.
2. Regis Jesuit (Colo.) 7-0
The Raiders launched into the poll this week with a 9-8 double overtime victory over California power St. Ignatius. Chase Konkel had the game-winner and Brett Quartuccio was exceptional with 10 saves. Regis Jesuit followed that up by handing Bellarmine Prep (Calif.) its first defeat of the season.
3. Mercer Island (Wash.), 7-0
The Islanders enter the poll this week as the dominant team in the Pacific Northwest. Mercer Island has dominated teams defensively and has not allowed more than eight goals in a game. A road trip to Connecticut in early April will provide a solid test for the program.
4. Bellevue (Wash.), 5-1
The Wolverines picked up an 11-3 win over Eastlake (Wash.). Bellevue was led by Hank Bethke (Ohio State), who had four goals and four assists, and Cole Cansler, who finished with four saves. The Wolverines lost their first game of the season in the NW Invitation to British Columbia's Claremont School, 9-8.
5. J Serra Catholic, (Calif), 9-0
The Lions remain unbeaten and picked up an impressive 7-6 victory over former No. 1 Torrey Pines (Calif.). J Serra Catholic has a big showdown with Mater Dei (8-1) on April 4.
6. Cherry Creek (Colo.), 5-1
The Bruins dropped a 12-5 decision to a battle-tested Loyola Blakefield (Md.). Cherry Creek wraps up the trip against another Maryland power, Severn.
8. St. Margaret's Episcopal (Calif.), 5-0
The Tartans cruised the early portion of their schedule, which included a signature victory over Mount St. Joseph of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association. Their biggest test will come April 3 against No. 9 St. Ignatius.
9. Corona del Mar (Calif.), 5-0
The Sea Kings continued to roll and have been stellar defensively, having not allowed more than six goals in a game this season. Corona del Mar has three straight road games before hosting J Serra Catholic.
10. The Bishop's School (Calif.), 2-1
After opening the season with a loss to No. 5 J Serra Catholic, the Knights have rebounded nicely. The Bishop's School beat Tesoro (Calif.), 13-12, and then had another 13-12 victory over Colorado Academy (Colo.), which was coming off a big win over Torrey Pines. The Knights face a tough match-up April 9 against undefeated Pacific Ridge.
Notes
The coaches and player for Desert Vista in Arizona could not wait to get back on the field this season. The Thunder lost 6-5 to regional power Brophy Prep in the state finals last season and are looking to make another deep run.
Desert Vista has won seven games to open the season and have been dominant on the defensive end, posting three shutouts. Coach Dan Lannon has put together a deep program with Division I-level talent, including attackman Anthony Abbadessa (Colgate), who could finish this season as the all-time leading scorer in the state's history.
"We lost in the state finals last year by one goal, so we have been preparing all year for this season to make improvements on some areas that we lacked last year," Lannon said. "We returned our starting defense and our two leading scorers from last year and had a few transfers that helped bolster our midfield."
Desert Vista's other top players include junior attackmen Stephen Votto (Bellermine), junior defenseman, Cade Van Raaphorst (Duke), senior defenseman Chris Schaffer, and long-stick middie Lance Pavlina.
The Thunder will likely face its biggest competition once again from Brophy Prep, which is off to a 7-1 start. That showdown happens on April 1.
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Mercer Island picked up a big win for its home state in the NW Invitational action with a 19-5 victory over Sunset (Ore.), the 2013 Oregon state championship finalist. Devlin Conway led Mercer Island by winning 13-of-15 faceoffs. Peter Mahony scored three goals and had four assists for the Islanders. Jeff Bieber, Tillman Gallagher, and Drew Gamroth had goals for Sunset.








































































































