Week 5 lacrosse rankings

In Class 6A-7A, top-ranked Lambert’s 8-1 start to the season encases a 7-0 record against instate opponents.  The Longhorns’ perfect 7-0 start boasts a whopping 17.1 goals per game average and an average margin of victory of 13.4 goals per game. Lambert’s most recent victory came in a 17-3 blowout against Walton on Saturday. Lambert is listed as the No. 3 team in USLacrosse Magazine’s South Top 10. The only other Georgia team currently represented on this top 10 is Centennial, which Lambert defeated on the road 20-11 on Feb. 28.

While Lambert strengthened its uninterrupted grasp on No. 1, a surprising new No. 2 in Class 6A-7A emerged. The Mill Creek Hawks have risen to No. 2 by using a 10-0 start that includes signature victories over ranked opponents. Mill Creek has defeated South Forsyth (13-2) and Johns Creek (10-9) this season, but the victory over Johns Creek holds the most influence in the Hawks’ rise to No. 2.  Johns Creek defeated Pope 11-9 on Saturday and would be undefeated other than the one-goal loss to Mill Creek on March 3. Pope, which was also in the running for No. 2 last week, has now suffered an 11-10 overtime loss to Centennial and a 11-9 loss to Johns Creek in back-to-back weeks to help open the door for the Hawks. Centennial’s only loss this season was to No. 1 Lambert and its win over Pope was enough to push the Knights into the top 4. Last week’s No. 2 Lassiter was replaced by Mill Creek for No. 2 after the Trojans fell to Westminster 7-6 on Saturday. Unlike Lassiter, Pope defeated Westminster on the road in an 8-6 battle on Feb. 25. Pope’s back-to-back losses dropped the Greyhounds in the poll, and the result was Lassiter’s loss to Westminster failing to stack up to Mill Creek’s 10-0 start.

In Class A-5A, Westminster scored a 7-6 victory over Lassiter to protect its spot at No. 1. No. 2 Lovett defeated Buford 18-5 and No. 3 Marist extended its winning streak to five games with a 7-4 win over Chattahoochee Wednesday night.