LaxPower's combined Coaches & Computer ranking year-end results are in. I've long believed that this combined ranking is the gold standard of ranking systems. St. Ignatius, with its 21-1 record, ranked 12th in the nation for 2013. Congratulations to the Wildcats!
Ranking 12th in the nation, out of 3,484 teams is exceptional. It also happens to be the highest ranking ever achieved by a Western High School Lacrosse team since LaxPower began keeping the combined rankings in 2005. Here is a compilation of the top Western Boys' High School lacrosse teams from 2005-2013:
Year Rank Team
2005 27th La Costa Canyon CA
2006 37th Monte Vista Danville CA
2007 27th St. Ignatius CA
2008 13th Kent Denver CO
2009 20th Highland Park TX
2010 15th La Costa Canyon CA
2011 21st Regis Jesuit CO
2012 19th Arapahoe CO
2013 12th St. Ignatius CA
Factoids:
Only two schools have been the top Western team more than once: La Costa Canyon in 2005 and 2010, and St. Ignatius in 2007 and 2013. California has been home to the top Western team 5 times, Colorado three times, and Texas once. Even better, li'l ole NorCal, all by its lonesome, has as many top Western rankings as the whole State of Colorado!
I have been lucky enough to see six of the nine top teams play during the season in which they ranked Best in the West. I missed seeing Highland Park, Regis Jesuit and Arapahoe play during their top-ranked seasons.
Slowly but surely, the West is taking a prominent place in Boys' High School Lacrosse. And the trend looks like it will keep going. In the recently completed US Lacrosse U-15 National Championships, 3D Select (a mixed team from Colorado and California) won the National Championship for that age group!
Showing posts with label La Costa Canyon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label La Costa Canyon. Show all posts
Friday, August 02, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
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
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.
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
|
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.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
SI 14 Foothill OC 8
SI overwhelmed the Foothill - Orange County Knights last evening, despite sloppy play (on both O and D) by the 'Cats. LaxPower had SI favored by 2 in this Intersectional contest, but a couple of runs – one in the first half, one in the second – kept the Foothill Knights at bay. The contest took place at Oak Park High School, in the LA suburbs, where an earlier game between two local teams (Oak Park and Calabassas) provided extra spectators at the main event.
Multiple goal scorers in last night's contest included: Joe Lang, Peter Doyle, Chad Cohan, Matt Emery, and JW McGovern, and these five scored all of SI's goals. In other words, the usual suspects performed well. Will McKee, SI's lauded FO Middie, encountered a terrific young Freshman Knight and roughly split the match at the FO X. Cullen Vincelette continued to impress when asked to perform as "the human clear." Excellent in his role this year as a D middie!
I have come to be a big fan of the SI poles. They gave up eight goals last night – more than any game this season. I attribute this, in part, to a rare sloppy night in clearing and, in part, to the high-speed offensive play of the Knights in unsettled situations.
St. Ignatius is now 18-0 on the season, with only two regular season games and, likely, two conference playoff games remaining. At this point in the season, with this team's record, every game is a big game. This afternoon's game against Torrey Pines is no exception. Torrey Pines comes into the contest with an 11-3 record, with only a single in-state loss (7-9 to traditional defensive juggernaut La Costa Canyon) and two out-of-state losses to big-time east Coast programs, Deerfield Academy and Darien, CT High School. Only LCC was able to hold Torrey Pines high-octane offense to a single digit goal performance. Best of luck to the 'Cats the rest of this season!
In recent memory, the only SI lax team to have an 18-0 record was the magnificent 2007 squad and they played only eighteen games that season. I'm sure the 2007 'Cats are rooting for you!
Multiple goal scorers in last night's contest included: Joe Lang, Peter Doyle, Chad Cohan, Matt Emery, and JW McGovern, and these five scored all of SI's goals. In other words, the usual suspects performed well. Will McKee, SI's lauded FO Middie, encountered a terrific young Freshman Knight and roughly split the match at the FO X. Cullen Vincelette continued to impress when asked to perform as "the human clear." Excellent in his role this year as a D middie!
I have come to be a big fan of the SI poles. They gave up eight goals last night – more than any game this season. I attribute this, in part, to a rare sloppy night in clearing and, in part, to the high-speed offensive play of the Knights in unsettled situations.
St. Ignatius is now 18-0 on the season, with only two regular season games and, likely, two conference playoff games remaining. At this point in the season, with this team's record, every game is a big game. This afternoon's game against Torrey Pines is no exception. Torrey Pines comes into the contest with an 11-3 record, with only a single in-state loss (7-9 to traditional defensive juggernaut La Costa Canyon) and two out-of-state losses to big-time east Coast programs, Deerfield Academy and Darien, CT High School. Only LCC was able to hold Torrey Pines high-octane offense to a single digit goal performance. Best of luck to the 'Cats the rest of this season!
In recent memory, the only SI lax team to have an 18-0 record was the magnificent 2007 squad and they played only eighteen games that season. I'm sure the 2007 'Cats are rooting for you!
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