It’s that time of year… as spring rolls in, so does the excitement of lacrosse season! We will delve deeper into the Division II scene next week, but this week, we turn our focus to Division I.

Eastside Catholic finished 2014 with an impressive 16-0 regular season record – the only team in the whole state to do so, but once again it was Bellevue battling through a tough conference, and an even tougher playoff bracket to take home their 3rd consecutive State Championship. Additionally, we saw numerous former WHSBLA preps continue their lacrosse careers at the collegiate level!

Who will be the breakout player of the year? What ‘Dark Horse’ team has a good chance at a deep playoff run? Let’s get to it!

Division I Preview:

(Previews are listed in alphabetical order within each conference.)

KINGCO CONFERENCE

Bellevue -

The Wolverines enter the 2015 season having graduated 12 players off their 2014 State Champion squad, including both of their goalies, Cole Cansler and Bradley Medeiros. In one of the toughest conferences in the state, Bellevue boasted a strong defense that allowed just 83 goals - the second least in the KingCo conference last season. Juniors, Michael Medzegian and Jack Albrecht (LSM) return from this unit. On the offensive side, they’ll look to attackman, Joe Bethke to lead the Wolverines’ high-powered offense that put up 232 goals in 19 games just a season ago. With a 17-2 overall record last season, Bellevue will look to continue their success and a fourth consecutive state title.

Bothell -

Bothell/Inglemoor finished the 2014 season with a solid 6-6 KingCo Conference record, a conference that may arguably be the toughest in the state. In 2015, the Inglemoor half of the team is now on their own so the team will rely heavily on junior keeper, Nash Cogan as he looks to step in for Rilyn Gherardini; 1 of just 4 players the team lost to graduation. On offense, Bothell will turn to their gunslingers, All-KingCo, Honorable Mention Sean Hanrahan, and senior Dale Goong who combined for 75 goals last season. Having lost 1st Team All-Conference LSM, Jacob Cartwright (Berry College), the team will look to young poles to provide support for their always solid defensive unit.

Eastlake -

The Wolves graduated 5 players from last season’s squad, 2 of which – Chase Barlow and Alex Prather, were 2nd Team All-Conference honorees. In net, junior Abe Escarda will look to hold a majority of the minutes as he bolstered a solid 53% save percentage last season. Offensively, attackman Cullen Payne put 21 goals as a freshmen, and he must lead the way for Eastlake in 2015. The offense will be bolstered by junior midfielder, Chandler Tolliver, whom transferred from Eastside Catholic.

Issaquah -

After an impressive 17-3 overall record last season, an 8-0 loss in the State Championship is not what the Eagles had in mind heading into Memorial Day Weekend. Luckily for Issaquah, they return 2nd Team All-Conference goalie, Jordan Dondoyano who boasted a 63% save percentage, and the 2014 team’s third leading scorer and Georgetown commit, Mikey Giannopulos (21g, 9a). After holding their opponents to just 74 goals last season, the Eagles look to continue defensive dominance led by sophomore pole, Nate Holbrook; a 2014 All-Conference Honorable Mention.

Mercer Island -

The Islanders enter 2015 season off an outstanding 18-2 overall record a season ago. While M.I. led the entire state in goals (302), the team comes into the new season having graduated 12 off of their 2014 playoff squad. They’ll rely on senior attackman, Brett Bottomley (27g, 33a), and senior midfielder, Evan Condon (19g, 8a) to head the offense. In net, the Islander’s must find a keeper to step in for 2014 1st Team All-Conference goalie, Benji Rothenberg (Gettysburg College). Cornell commit, senior, Kiernan Coles anchors the defense. With another strong team slated to take the field this season, Mercer Island aims to continue its success on the East Coast when they head out to New York for three games in April.

Mount Si –

Playing in a conference with some of the state’s best made for rough go in 2014. 2015 doesn’t get any easier, but the team will turn to senior, Blake Picchena (16g), and sophomore, Eric Virta (5g, 3a) to help the Wildcats make a little splash in conference this season.

Newport –

Coming off a 5-15 overall record in 2014, Newport graduated just 5 players, though one was 2nd Team All-Conference midfielder, Cooper Horton. Additionally, senior Justin Lau will not be on the field this spring. So, the Kinghts expect a good showing out of midfielder, Bryce Hausmann (9g, 5a), and attackman, Weston Heuker (9g, 1a). Junior, Zach Trimble leads an experienced group of poles.

Skyline -

Coming into the 2015 season, Skyline has extreme potential for a deep playoff push. After finishing 4th in the KingCo Conference last season with a 9-3 record, the Spartans return all three of their top scorers; 2nd Team All-Conference attackman, Charlie Kurtenbach, attackman Tyler Johnston, and attackman Conner Hoke, as well as All-Conference Honorable Mention, senior midfielder Andy Hutchings. The team did lose star Spencer Noonan (Fairfield University) on the defensive side, but will look to their experienced group of poles to hold down the fort.

Woodinville –

Woodinville graduated just 4 players from their 2014 team that finished 6-9. Former coach, Gavin Molitor has moved on so the Falcons will fly under new leadership. Top-scorer Ethan Vastbinder (20g, 6a) graduated while brother Taylor Vastbinder (11g, 3a) has transferred back to Tahoma. They do return #2 and #3 scorers, sophomores TJ Hirai (16g, 4a) and Alex Blue (13g, 12a). You can expect to see Alex Irizarry in cage for the Falcons – a junior who logged a 5-4 record a season ago.

Metro Conference -

Bainbridge –

Bainbridge wrapped up their 2014 campaign with an 8-1 Metro Conference record, with their sole loss coming to 9-0 Eastside Catholic. The Spartans will be fielding a particularly veteran team this season, graduating only 5 this past off-season. In addition, the team returns 3 of their 4 top scorers; 1st Team All-Conference attackman and midfielder Max Wickline (24g, 21a) & Ben LaRoche (15g, 7a) respectively, and 2nd Team All-Conference attackman Jack Frickleton (10g, 9a). The Spartan’s will look to sophomore star and Honorable Mention All-Conference pole, Lucas Pederson to lead the D in 2015.

Ballard –

The Beavers come into the 2015 season having graduated their 3 top scorers from 2014, so they’ll be turning to their younger players to step up and provide some offense for the team. Senior, Hunter Garcia (47% save) will return in net for the squad, logging a grand total of 537 minutes in cage last season.

Blanchet –

After a 3-6 intra-conference record in 2014, Blanchet will turn to 2nd Team All-Conference defenseman Drew Higgens and the teams’ other experienced poles to lock down on D, thus opening up opportunities on the offensive side of the ball. Senior midfielder and Concordia University commit, Jeremy Facer (6g, 3a), will look to carry the load on O for the Braves in 2015.

Eastside Catholic –

The Crusaders ended their once flawless season with an 8-7 loss to eventual State Champions, Bellevue, in the State Semifinals. Eastside Catholic fielded a team that saw 5 players on the 1st Team All-Conference, and allowed just 45 goals all season - the least amount of goals allowed in the state. Having two NCAA, Division I commits in net (Josh Matte (Denver) and Cameron Cronk (NJIT)) will go a long way to a repeat performance in that statistical category. The team also returns star d-pole, and Tufts University commit, Arend Broekmate – an All-Conference honoree, and tons of firepower on the offensive side of the ball, including junior attackman, Bryce Atwater

Kennedy Catholic –

After graduating just 4 players, the Lancers return all three of their top scorers, including sophomore and 2nd Team All-Metro Conference attackman, Dar Sleeper (22g, 10a). In addition, Kennedy boasts a sturdy defense that features senior pole, and team captain Liam Dahlke. Fomer Mercer Island grads, Brett Bowker and Jon Schwartz take the reigns as Co-Head Coaches for a team with a chance to make a little noise in the Metro Conference.

Lakeside –

The Lions put up a mere 65 goals in 2014, the least in the Metro Conference. Fortunately for Lakeside, they return their two top scorers, Matt Bell (4g, 5a) and Michael Drucker (8g, 6a), and Haverford Commit, long-pole Jake Ephron. After losing keeper Lewis Page to graduation, we can expect to see junior Isaac Kleisle-Murphy (58% save) take the majority of the minutes in cage in 2015.

O’Dea -

O’Dea steps up to Division I this year after a good showing in their inaugural season a year ago. The Fighting Irish have HUGE potential coming into 2015 as they graduated a grand total of ZERO players from last years’ squad. Junior attackman Jack Van Zile (7g, 3a) will look to carry the load on offense, while senior keeper Seamus Courtney (40% save) will hold down the cage.

Roosevelt –

The Roughriders come into 2015 having graduated 10 players, including their top three scorers from last season’s squad. Roosevelt will have a particularly young team this season, but if they can get some production out of senior attackman Taylor Johnson (4g, 1a), and junior attackman Sam Skalbania (5g, 2a), they may see some success when it comes game-time.

Seattle Academy –

Last season’s Division II State Champion, Seattle Academy, will enter the 2015 season with not only 5 of their top 6 scorers from a season ago, but 1st Team All-Metro Conference goalie Andrew McCall (59% save) as well. Allowing just 68 goals in 2014, including the return of 2nd Team All-Conference defenseman Zeke Robinson, Seattle Academy will look to continue their defensive dominance in 2015. Aidan Lawry (20g), David Funes (19g, 12a), Parker Woo (15g, 9a) Charlie Phelps (10g, 6a) and a healthy Riley Johnson lead a Cardinal team will tremendous potential to succeed in the Division I ranks.

Seattle Prep –

Seattle Prep finished with a 9-6 overall record, including a playoff appearance in 2014. With the return of all three of their top scorers, Joe Chamberlin (13g, 6a), Connor Gossman (10g, 4a), and Navy commit Sam Kopf (30g, 10a), the Panthers expect to put up some major goals in 2015. After losing keeper Dylan Moorleghen to graduation, Sophomore Ben Lingg will take the reigns in cage this season for Seattle Prep.

Narrows Conference -

Bellarmine Prep –

Although the Lions are coming off an off-season where they saw 8 players leave to graduation, Bellarmine Prep returns all 4 of their top scorers, including talented junior attackman David Vanderwall (19g, 7a). In addition, the team returns junior goalie Paul Gicewicz (52% save). Gicewicz will look to quarterback a young, but potential-filled Lions’ D in 2015.

Gig Harbor –

Gig Harbor put up just 107 goals in 2014, the least goals scored in the Narrows Conference, but that didn’t stop the team from winning 5 games in a very competitive schedule. They return top-scorers Nelson Snook (20g, 9a) and Hunter Olsen (20g, 7a), and in cage, Ashton Sidebottom (53% save) – a keeper that has been turning the heads of college coaches lately.

Stadium –

Brendan Raschke (18g, 10a) will headline Stadium’s offense this season - the teams’ third-leading scorer just a year ago. Finishing 5-7 in 2014, Stadium will look to it’s younger players to help provide scoring as the Tigers have a prime chance to sit pretty in conference play in 2015.

SPSL Conference –

Curtis –

The Vikings finished their 2014 campaign with a successful 9-3 conference record, allowing just 108 goals in 14 total games – the third least among conference opponents. After graduating 10 players in 2014, Curtis will turn to senior attackman Daniel Tishman (18g, 8a), and 2nd Team All-Conference keeper Connor Jackson (61% save) to lead the team in 2015.

Emerald Ridge –

Putting up 187 goals in 2014, the team has potential for major firepower again in 2015. Emerald Ridge returns 2 of their top 3 scorers from a season ago, as well as speedy 2nd Team All-Conference Defenseman, Kyle Benning. With a particularly young squad, the team is in solid position to make a run at the conference title.

Tahoma –

After an undefeated conference campaign in 2014, the Bears reached the State Semifinals and put a scare into Issaquah before falling 9-8. The team returns both of their top scorers - Hudson Taylor (48g, 15a) and Nate Gowdey (35g, 13a), and again will be fielding one of the most aggressive defenses in the state. Brody Sullivan and Dakoda Barger are extremely athletic, physical midfielders that finished #4 and #5 in team scoring last season. Graduating just 5 from 2014, Tahoma is a good bet to repeat as conference champions and make another deep venture into the playoffs.

Wesco/NW Conference –

Everett -

Everett finished the 2014 season with an impressive 15-3 overall record, and 209 total goals to show for it – the most in the Wesco-Northwest Conference. The team returns their top 2 scorers, 1st Team All-Conference attackman Justin Beretta (35g, 13a) and senior attackman Nathan Hanold (26g, 15a), and a long-pole in Kain Davis that is one of the most skilled in the state. Everett finished just 2 games behind Bellingham a season ago, but with a fairly experienced squad in 2015, the team will look to become the #1 team in the conference.

Kamiak –

The return of 1st Team & 2nd Team All-Conference attackmen Alex Indelicato (35g, 21a) and Miles Craggs (23g, 22a) respectively means that Kamiak did not lose a step in its offensive power. Putting up 188 goals in 2014 put Kamiak at 9-4 on the season, and third in the Wesco-Northwest. On the other end, the team will look to 2nd Team All-Conference junior pole Cole Montgomery to head the D in 2015.

Sehome-Bellingham –

It’s safe to say Sehome-Bellingham had a successful 2014 season. Finishing undefeated in conference play, and 10-2 overall on the season, the team allowed just 74 goals in 12 games – the least in the Wesco-Northwest. Bellingham returns attackman Mark Gannon (29g, 11a) and midfielder Zachary Lorenz (23g, 11a), and on defense, 1st Team All-Conference pole Garrett Sorenson. Lorenz is a talent most in the state are unaware of. With an experienced team returning in 2015, Sehome-Bellingham can expect to see more success in the new season.

Shorecrest -

Shorecrest will enter the season with junior midfielder Briggan Weaver (29g, 11a) and senior keeper Payten Brooks-Neal (54% save) leading an experienced squad. Finishing 6-4 and #1 in the Wesco-Northwest DII conference a season ago, Shorecrest has a great opportunity to make waves in Division I in 2015.

Snohomish –

The fact that Snohomish finished 7-3, yet tied in last in Wesco DI shows just how competitive of a conference it was. Fortunately for Snohomish, they return their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers, Scotty Newsom (20g, 2a) and Miles Russon (20g, 9a), meaning that their opportunity for a potent offense is there. Snohomish is in good position for a playoff push in 2015.

Stanwood -

Stanwood returns 1st Team All-Conference attackman Jack Delich (28g, 28a). Shifty pole Connor Kunzman, also returns to a young, but potential filled squad. In a Wesco Conference that is always difficult, the Spartans have their work cut out for them, but will be competitive.

2015 Division I Preseason All-State Teams

First Team

A – Charlie Kurtenbach – SR - Skyline

A – Sean Hanrahan – SR - Bothell

A – Max Wickline – SR - Bainbridge

M - Mikey Giannopulos – SR - Issaquah

M - Sam Kopf – SR - Seattle Prep

M – Evan Condon – SR - Mercer Island

M – Ben Laroche – SR - Bainbridge

LSM - Jake Ephron – Lakeside

D - Arend Broekmate – SR - Eastside Catholic

D – Kiernan Coles – SR – Mercer Island

D - Kain Davis – SR - Everett

G - Jordan Dondoyano – JR - Issaquah

Second Team

A – Brett Bottomley – SR – Mercer Island

A – Joe Bethke – JR - Bellevue

A – Hudson Taylor – SR - Tahoma

M – Brody Sullivan – SR - Tahoma

M - Briggan Weaver – JR - Shorecrest

M - Zachary Lorenz – JR - Sehome-Bellingham

M – Miles Russon – SR - Snohomish

LSM – Armando Hodges – SR - Eastlake

D - Garrett Sorenson – SO - Sehome-Bellingham

D – Michael Medzegian – JR - Bellevue

D - Macen Granlund – JR - Tahoma

G – Connor Jackson – JR - Curtis

Third Team

A – Bryce Atwater – JR – Eastside Catholic

A – David Funes – SR - Seattle Academy

A - Jack Frickleton – JR - Bainbridge

M – Ashton Pieris – SR - Kennedy Catholic

M – Dakoda Barger – SR - Tahoma

M – Parker Woo – SR - Seattle Academy

M – Riley Johnson – SR - Seattle Academy

LSM – Jack Albrecht – JR - Bellevue

D - Nate Holbrook – SO - Issaquah

D - Kyle Benning – JR - Emerald Ridge

D – Zeke Robinson – SR - Seattle Academy

G – Andrew McCall – SR - Seattle Academy

Other Players to Watch

A – Joe Hawley – Klahowya

A – Jack Delich – Stanwood

A – Dale Goong - Bothell

A – Justin Beretta – Everett

A - Alex Indelicato – Kamiak

A – Miles Craggs – Kamiak

A - Hassan Mackey – Emerald Ridge

A - Nate Gowdey – Tahoma

A – Dar Sleeper – Kennedy Catholic

A - Aidan Lawry – Seattle Academy

M – Andrew Hutchings - Skyline

M – Joe Chamberlin – Seattle Prep

M – Sebastian Ferraro – Kennedy Catholic

D - Drew Higgens – Blanchet

D - Liam Dahlke – Kennedy Catholic

D - Lucas Pederson – Bainbridge

D - Cole Montgomery – Kamiak

D - Connor Kunzman – Stanwood

D - Marcus Osborne – Shorecrest

D - Coleman Grayson - Kamiak

G - Dustin Hendrix – Tahoma

G - Kyle Kuberski – Skyline

There you have it! With so many potential-filled teams, you can expect to see a lot of upsets and thrillers in 2015! We’ll be back next week with a look at the D.II scene!