The final rankings for the 2023 High School Rankings by USA Lacrosse Magazine have been revealed. Torrey finished #1 in San Diego, and #4 in the West.
WEST TOP 10
1. St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.), 22-4
The Wildcats repeated as CIF Central Coast Section champions with an 11-4 win over Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.) in a rematch of last year’s final. Jack Porter and Max Ripple led the attack, as St. Ignatius Prep completed a three-game season sweep of the Gators. St. Ignatius had just one in-region loss, a 6-5 defeat at the hands of Corona del Mar (Calif.), and the three other ones were against Mid-Atlantic powers. Previous: 1
2. Mountain Vista (Colo.), 16-3
The fifth-seeded Golden Eagles avenged a regular-season loss to former No. 2 Valor Christian (Colo.) to claim their second state title in three years. Mountain Vista had dropped a 10-4 loss to Valor on April 28 and got off to a slow start in the Class 5A final May 22, but the Golden Eagles rallied for a 10-8 win behind Joel Palasz’s five goals. Vista took its first lead of the game in the third quarter while goalie Brant Ward held Valor off the board that period as part of a scoreless stretch that lasted almost 25 minutes. Mountain Vista had lost to Arapahoe in last year’s final but won the 2021 championship, also against Valor Christian. Previous: 8
3. Valor Christian (Colo.), 17-2
The Eagles’ remarkable season ended in a disappointing 10-8 loss to Mountain Vista in the Class 5A final, after they had gotten through with just one narrow loss to Cherry Creek back in March. Harry Luong won 16 of 21 faceoffs and had eight ground balls but Mountain Vista couldn’t take enough advantage of the possession advantage even while freshman Blake Ham finished with three goals and one assist. Valor had three out-of-state wins, including a notable 11-6 victory over Foothill-Santa Ana (Calif.). Previous: 2
4. Torrey Pines (Calif.), 17-4
Just a few weeks after dropping a one-goal loss to La Costa Canyon (Calif.), the Falcons got another chance against the Mavericks and this time came out on top to advance to the CIF San Diego Open final. Following a 10-9 win over LCC in the semifinals, Torrey Pines went on to win its fifth straight title with a 9-7 victory over Cathedral Catholic (Calif.) in the championship. Torrey Pines had notable wins over Texas state champion Highland Park and perennial power Dallas Jesuit, as well as Arapahoe (Colo.) right after a three-game losing streak that included a triple-overtime defeat against St. Ignatius Prep. All of its losses were by two goals or less. Previous: 10
5. De La Salle (Calif.), 21-3
The Spartans repeated as CIF North Coast champions, beating Redwood (Calif.), 13-10, in the final May 11 after topping Vista del Lago (Calif.) in the semifinals. Hudson Lee scored four goals and Ben Kangas added three goals to lead the attack in the championship game. De La Salle had notable wins over Foothill-Santa Ana (Calif.) and Sacred Heart Prep, and its lone on-field losses were against St. Ignatius and Mater Dei (Calif.), in overtime. Previous: 4
6. Foothill-Santa Ana (Calif.), 18-6
The Knights avenged their April 26 loss to Corona del Mar (Calif.) in a CIF Southern Section semifinal, then went on to win the title by edging Loyola-Los Angeles (Calif.), 9-8, in the final. Bode Jellerson scored the go-ahead goal with about two minutes left and finished with three goals, while Luke Fox scored four goals. Foothill had lost in the championship game last year against CdM. This time when those two teams met in the semifinals, the Knights came out on top, 10-5. Previous: 5
6. Loyola-Los Angeles (Calif.), 18-6
The Cubs fell short in the CIF Southern Section championship, ending a seven-game winning streak that began with a notable overtime win over Corona del Mar and a 12-2 win over Santa Margarita Catholic (Calif.) in the semifinals. Trent Turner scored a hat trick and had an assist in the championship game. All of Loyola’s losses were by four goals or less, including three by one goal. Previous: 6
8. Regis Jesuit (Colo.), 15-3
The Raiders beat Kent Denver (Colo.) 7-4 in the quarterfinals of the CHSAA Class 5A tournament on May 17 but came up short against Valor Christian for a second time this season. Their only other loss was against Denver South (Colo.) in the opener. Regis had a notable win over Corona del Mar (Calif.) in mid-March and also had beaten fellow semifinalist Cherry Creek (Colo.) and Mountain Christian. Previous: 3
9. Jesuit Portland (Ore.), 16-3
The Crusaders cruised through the first two rounds of the OHSLA state tournament, beating Central Catholic (Ore.) 21-1 and Newberg (Ore.) 21-4. They now meet Grant, a team they beat 18-3 on April 18, in the semifinals May 31. Previous: 9
10. Mater Dei (Calif.), 18-3
Another strong season ended early when the Monarchs fell to Foothill in the CIF Southern Section quarterfinals. The Monarchs’ other losses were to previously-ranked Legend (Colo.) and unranked Santa Margarita Catholic (Calif.), but they had previously beaten Foothill during the regular season and also had wins over CdM and De La Salle. Previous: 7
