1. Kent Denver (Colo.), 4-0 The Sun Devils are getting ready to tackle the toughest portion of their schedule with one of the most talented teams in the history of their program. Matt Florence (Virginia, U.S U19 team) continues to lead the offense and had two goals in a 12-2 victory over rival Denver East.
2. St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.), 12-0 The Wildcats have continued to pile up wins with a starting lineup filled with NCAA Division I talent. Joe Lang had six goals and JW McGovern (Yale) scored five in a 17-6 victory over Rancho Bernardo, before knocking off rival De La Salle, 14-5, on Thursday.
3. Palos Verdes (Calif.), 10-1 The Sea Kings remain undefeated against all West Coast competition. Coach Jimmy Borell recently took the team on a trip to his native Virginia, where he starred at Lake Braddock High. Palos Verdes was a goal short in games against Westfield and Langley.
4. Issaquah (Wash.), 7-0 The Eagles have managed to stay unbeaten despite missing up to six players for various reasons. However, coach Brandon Fortier said the recent impressive run — three quality wins over Mercer Island, Bellevue and Skyline — has been due to three factors: finally having everyone healthy and eligible has allowed the team to be at full strength and gel; great senior leadership from Ben Director, Kole Lindor and Austin Richert; and, the team’s conditioning.
5. Arapahoe (Colo.), 5-0 The Warriors have served notice as being not only one of the teams to beat in Colorado, but in the entire West Coast. Coach Guy Cerasoli has his team fully-prepared for each game and he thinks his team’s experience will keep them ready for the brunt of a tough league schedule. “Overall, this senior class and the level of competition across all schools in Colorado is among the best over the years,” Cerasoli said. “However it all shakes out, it will be truly entertaining to watch.”
6. La Costa Canyon (Calif.), 10-0 The Mavericks put themselves in the driver’s seat for a CIF San Diego Section title with a huge 9-7 victory over archrival Torrey Pines — a team that beat them in last year’s semifinals. That loss ended La Costa Canyon’s eight-year streak of reaching the conference championship. Sophomore Cameron Ziegler delivered the decisive goal in the final seconds, but the two teams will likely meet again in the post-season.
7. Torrey Pines (Calif.), 9-1 The Falcons opened the season with nine victories before losing to La Costa Canyon in a rivalry game. Torrey Pines will continue to be a force in the post-season as long as Sean Doyle (Cornell) and Lucas Gradinger (Maryland) continue to dominate on offense.
8. Cherry Creek (Colo.), 7-2 The Bruins had an impressive trip to Baltimore to take on some of the top teams in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A conference. Cherry Creek fell to powerhouse Loyola, 8-3, lost to Severn, 5-3, but then knocked off St. Paul’s, 8-7, in overtime. Coach Bryan Perry said prior to the St. Paul’s game the biggest challenge facing his team was to find some extra scoring punch and his players responded.
9. San Ramon Valley (Calif.), 7-1 The Wolves have endured a tough stretch of their schedule while battling some injuries, including one to one of their top attackman, Patrick Worstell, who is headed to Syracuse. Michael Tagliaferri (US U19 team) has been dominant with several multi-goal games to keep San Ramon Valley in the hunt for a conference title.
10. Corona del Mar (Calif.), 10-0 The Sea Kings won their seventh consecutive “Battle of the Bay” with a 10-4 victory over Newport Harbor. Corona del Mar will have a serious challenge with upcoming games against Menlo, Marin Catholic and Bellarmine Prep. “We have a string of five big games in a row,” coach G.W. Mix said.
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