High School: Perennial Boys' Lacrosse Powers in California

Whether you call them "Perennial Powers" or "Programs," those few teams which, year-after-year, are vying for the top spot in California Boy's Lacrosse constitute less than a handful. In fact, there are only two! But, San Ramon Valley and De La Salle are very close!

In each of the last seven years, either St. Ignatius or La Costa Canyon has been top dog in the Golden State. I'll contend these two are the only California teams to deserve the label "Perennial Power." How do I come to this conclusion?

In a period when California has been inexorably (though irregularly) rising in LaxPower's National rankings, one or the other of these two programs has been top dog in the State, using LaxPower as the data source. Here's the matrix:

Top Programs in California's Recent Boy's Lacrosse History

Year	Top team	Nat’l Rank	Power Rating	#2 Team	Nat’l Rank
2013	SI	16th	99.28	DLS	32nd
2012	LCC	24th	99.20	SI	25th
2011	LCC	32nd	98.85	SI	33rd
2010	LCC	16th	99.40	SI	21st
2009	SI	26th	98.85	COR	30th
2008	SI	27th	98.85	LCC	71th
2007	SI	22nd	98.85	FH Santa Ana	76th

In summary: For 4 of the last seven years SI has been the top dog in the State. In the other three years, LLC has been the top team. In the four years in which SI was top dog, LCC, Coronado, DLS, and Foothill-Santa Ana were the Bridesmaids. In the three years for which LCC was King of the Hill, SI was ALWAYS second! So, no team has been more consistent than SI, and no team has more #1 finishes. Still, as they say in the Mutual Fund business, "Past Performance is no guarantee of future results."

Here are two other indicators of similarity. These two teams both faced – and lost by a goal to – top Long Island teams in their finest years. In 2010, LCC lost 7-6 to #9 in the nation St. Anthony's, one of two Catholic powers in NY. In 2013, SI lost 5-4 to national #2 ranked Chaminade – the other Catholic power in NY. In those years, both LCC and SI were ranked #16 in the nation. For LCC it was #16 out of 3,095 teams, while SI is #16 out of 3,112 teams.

For SI, there has been incredible coaching stability. In every one of the seven years covered in this analysis, Chris Packard has been either an Assistant Coach or Head Coach.It is a great treat to play for a "program." There are a number of other schools who have aspirations to become "programs." Time will tell, but great coaches have a way of setting up paths which, sooner or later, become programs.