Welcome to the first weekly briefing of GHSA lacrosse for the 2019 season. The latest AJC rankings, which were released Thursday, have Lambert in 6A-7A and Lovett in A-5A as the No. 1 teams on the boys' side while Milton (6A-7A) and Blessed Trinity (A-5A) are the top-ranked teams on the girls' side.
With this being the first brief, let’s take a look at the teams currently ranked No. 1:
Lambert Longhorns (9-0)
Upcoming matches: vs. No. 3 Blessed Trinity (6-3) on Saturday; No. 10 Milton (6-3) on Tuesday.
Notes: The three-time defending champion Longhorns are off to a perfect start, to no one's surprise. What's different this year is they're currently the nation's No. 1 team according to the Maxpreps rankings, having beat nationally-ranked No. 4 Ponte Vedra (Fla.) 11-6 on March 8. Ponte Vedra is ranked No. 2 in Florida. The Longhorns also beat Middle Creek 6-5, ranked No. 35 nationally and No. 4 in North Carolina. They have eight games remaining, all of which are against Peach State teams, and unless something drastic changes, it would appear they're in a class of their own with the strong likelihood of finishing as undefeated champions.
Lovett Lions (7-1)
Upcoming games: 6A-7A's No. 6 Roswell (8-1) on Saturday; at Riverwood (6-3) on Monday; 6-A-7A's No. 2 Lassiter (8-0) on Thursday.
Notes: The Lions are ranked No. 13 nationally and are coming off their first loss of the season, 13-12 in overtime to 6A-7A's No. 4 Centennial, which came on Tuesday. Notable wins thus far include 20-10 over No. 10 Marist, 8-7 over Florida's No. 16 team Lake Highland (Orlando), Florida's No. 9 team Bishop Moore (Orlando) and 8-6 over No. 4 Woodward Academy. They have a very challenging schedule over the next seven days with two teams ranked from the high class. The Lions are in line for their fourth state title in program history (2005, 2008-09).
Milton Lady Eagles (7-0)
Upcoming games: Hutchison (Memphis, Tenn.) (5-0) on Friday; Lake Oswego (Ore.) (NR) and Bishop Ireton (Alexandria, Va.) (2-0) on Saturday; Lakeside (0-6) on Saturday.
Notes: The Lady Eagles host their annual Legacy Cup on Friday and Saturday, beginning with Hutchison, the No. 2 team in Tennessee and No. 45 nationally. There is no data for Lake Oswego on Maxpreps and it's unclear if Bishop Ireton's full record is posted there. Milton is the No. 1 team in the nation according to Maxpreps, meaning that site boasts the nation's top teams on both the boys' and girls' sides. Quite a remarkable feet for Peach State lacrosse. Notable wins for the Lady Eagles include 21-7 over No. 5 Walton, 23-9 over Ponte Vedra (Fla.), which is the nation's No. 6 team and No. 2 team in Florida, 21-4 over No. 6 Alpharetta and 18-7 over Texas' No. 5 team, Kincaid. All of their wins to date have been by double digits — we could be witnessing one of the most dominant seasons in the history of high school lacrosse. The Lady Eagles are also enjoying one of the most dominant lacrosse dynasties in high school history, having been crowned state champions eight of the past nine seasons, including the last two.
Blessed Trinity Lady Titans (8-0-1)
Upcoming games: 6A-7A's No. 5 Walton (5-3-2) on Tuesday; 6A-7A's No. 8 Cambridge (6-2) on Thursday.
Notes: The Lady Titans are ranked No. 11 nationally, with their only non-win a 10-10 tie to 6A-7A's No. 4 West Forsyth on March 8. Notable wins include 19-11 over No. 9 Wesleyan, 17-4 over 6A-7A's No. 9 Centennial, 15-12 over 6A-7A's No. 7 John's Creek and 10-9 over Texas' No. 5 team Kincaid. Senior Kaley Attaway leads the team with 32 goals and 21 assists, followed by junior Kelly Scott (29 goals, 12 assists). The Lady Titans are seeking their fourth consecutive state title.
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