Each week during the season we will post our Weekly Top Ten Coach’s Poll. We poll our esteemed panel of experts at the end of every week to see who moved up, down, and out of our weekly poll. Our panel represents all geographic regions of Florida and various club programs.  They are all proven fans of the game and great friends of FloridaLacrosseNews.com.  Please feel free to disagree with them and leave your own comments. You can read about our panel here. 1. St. Andrew’s – As Maclay’s Mike Jones said, “St. Andrews proved they are still #1 with a 4th quarter barrage of Lake Highland Prep.” St. Andrew’s takes on 0-4 American Heritage-Boca and then they have three huge games in a row against national powerhouse programs.  They take on St. Anne’s -Belfield, McDonogh, and Boy’s Latin. 2. Jupiter – held onto the number two spot this week.  They play Jensen Beach and then another big game on Friday as they travel to Boca.  Playing Boca on the road will be a great chance for Jupiter to solidify their ranking.

3. St. Thomas Aquinas muscled Lake Highland Prep out of the number three spot with a big 21-10 thumping of Pine Crest.  This could be a tough spot to hold onto with no power house teams on the schedule this week.  LHP has a chance to move back up. 4. Lake Highland Prep – LHP dropped a spot for the second week in a row.  As Mike Jones put it, “Lake Highland is a great team, but now lost two games in critical moments (4th quarter and OT).”  The have a huge opportunity to get back on track this week.  They rolled over a previoulsy unbeaten Boone HS team last night and will take on Boys Latin on Saturday. 5. Benjamin – Benjamin holds onto the number five position.  They outlasted a very good Boca team last week and have already delivered the second straight loss to Pine Crest last night.  Their only loss so far is to the number one St. Andrew’s team.  Benjamin should be around this list for a while. 6. Ponte Vedra  moved from number 8 to number 6 this week.  That jump was made on the strenght of a shellacking of Bartram Trail.  BT had been consistently getting votes in our top ten poll and looked to be making a run this season.  That will need to wait as PV established the fact that they are still team to be in North Florida.  The final answer should come this Friday as Creekside hosts the Sharks.  Setting up the biggest regular season North Florida game of the year.

7. Lake Brantley moves down to the number seven spot this week.  They keep winning but have yet to play a true powerhouse team.  They have beaten some good teams like Bishop Moore and Oviedo.  But the Lake Brantley schedule is loaded down the stretch.  We’ll have to wait and see how good this team really is. We suspect they are pretty darn good. 8. Hagerty – They Huskies continue to gain some believers, moving up two spots.   They rolled over Winter Park, Timber Creek and West Orange.  They still have Lake Mary, Lake Brantley, Creekside, Ponte Vedra, and Lake Highland on the schedule.  But 6-0 is a great way to start! 9. Creekside moved back into the top ten this week.  They got past a very good Lake Mary team last week.  But last night’s loss to Bartram Trail will certainly take some of the shine off of that.  They face Ponte Vedra on Friday.  If they don’t pull the upset they will have a tough time finding their way back onto this list. 10.  Boca dropped to number ten after the loss to Benjamin.  They have Jupiter on Friday.  A great chance to make a huge statement. What are some of the games our panelist’s are looking forward to this week? LaxPower.com’s Jimmy Oliver like the Ransom vs. Gulliver- District rematch.  “…one of the oldest Lacrosse rivalries in FLO lax. Big implications.”  The other game his is watching is the long awaited North Florida match up.  “Ponte Vedra @ Creekside.  The talent that Creekside has this year at all areas of the field makes them very difficult to beat. Ponte Vedra replacing a ton due to graduation. That, and last seasons district final game makes this Friday night a must see.” Mike Jones (Maclay) – “Barron-Collier vs. St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Thomas crushed Pine Crest, and won convincingly over Columbus, but Barron-Collier has a few horses of their own. BC is one of those programs that may be on the cusp of becoming an elite team, but they really need a signature win. Time to show what they have.”  He is also looking forward to some of Florida’s games of national interest. “Lake Highland vs. Boy’s Latin OR St. Andrew’s vs. McDonough. Two of the best teams in the nation versus two of the best in the Southeast.” West Orange High School’s Bill Baker. “Saint Andrew’s vs. St. Anne’s from Virginia. The Scots will once again be the torch bearer for Florida lacrosse in a couple out-of-state match ups against top competition from Virginia and Maryland.”  Bishop Moore’s Gary Hendrzak agrees, “Florida vs. The MIAA – Lake Highland vs. Boy’s Latin and St. Andrew’s vs. McDonough. How will the best from Florida stack up with teams from arguably the best HS conference in the country.” Ron Miller, like Mike Jones, is looking forward to seeing if BC is for real. “Barron Collier vs St. Thomas Aquinas – Can the unbeaten Cougars young team (6 Sophs start) handle the pressure of playing a perennial power?” Tampa Jesuit’s John Matzke. “Here are the games I am watching this week, but the best is going to be Lake Highland Prep against Pre-Season #1 Boys Latin. Huge opportunity for Lake Highland. Tuesday – Benjamin School versus Pine Crest.  Friday – Boca Raton vs. Jupiter, Creekside vs. Ponte Vedra, and St Thomas Aquinas vs. Barron Collier.  Saturday Night – Lake Highland Prepvs. Boys’ Latin (MD) and McDonogh (MD)vs. Saint Andrew’s.