Lacrosse in brief: Week 4

ajc.com

Each week, we’ll take a look at four of the state’s top teams — two from the boys’ side, and two from the girls’ —  and see how they’re doing at this point in the season.

Click here for the latest AJC rankings. Below are the four featured teams for this week.

Walton Raiders (12-1)

Upcoming matches: Sprayberry (3-9) on April 11

Notes: The No. 3 Raiders of 6A-7A play one game over the next week, their first since beating No. 10 Allatoona 8-5 on March 28. Notable wins this season include No. 6 North Gwinnett (12-7), No. 9 Milton (9-6) and Florida's MaxPreps No. 31 Lake Mary (11-1). The only blemish on their record is a 7-6 loss to Westminster, the No. 1 team in A-5A. The Raiders last won a title in 2011.

Blessed Trinity Titans (9-4)

Upcoming matches: A-5A's No. 1 Westminster (10-1) on April 10

Notes: The Titans, ranked No. 3 in A-5A, have just one game next week but it's top-five showdown against the top-ranked Wildcats. Notable wins this season include Tennessee's MaxPreps No. 17 Pope John Paul II (16-3) and No. 28 Father Ryan (17-0), 6A-7A's No. 8 Etowah and No. 8 GAC (10-8). All four of their losses came to ranked teams. They are the defending state champs in A-5A.

Mill Creek Lady Hawks (5-4-1)

Upcoming matches: Meadowcreek on April 9; at Dacula on April 11

Notes: The Lady Hawks are No. 3 in 6A-7A and will play a pair of unranked teams to ease back into action after a two-week layoff for spring break. They're 0-4-1 against ranked teams, but played competitively in losses against No. Lassiter (13-10), Florida's MaxPreps No. 2 Bishop Moore (15-14), Virginia's MaxPreps No. 19 Potomac School (12-10), and they tied No. 7 Walton at 12. All five of their wins have been double-digit blowouts against lesser opponents. They're a long shot to win their first-ever state title.

Starr’s Mill Lady Panthers (9-3)

Upcoming matches: Northview (2-9) on April 11

Notes: The Lady Panthers, ranked No. 2 in A-5A, return next Friday after a 10-day layoff for their only game of the week. Notable wins include 6A-7A's No. 6 West Forsyth (10-9), South Carolina's MaxPreps No. 1 Bishop England (10-9 OT) and South Carolina's MaxPreps No. 4 Wando (14-6). The Lady Panthers are led by junior Ryanne King (23 goals), senior Ansley Wallace (16 goals), junior Anna Beardsley (11 goals, senior Caroline Andrews (14 assists, eight goals) and senior Alyssa Angelo (10 assists). The Lady Panthers have never won a state title.