Maybe a loss to John’s Creek was just what the Centennial boys lacrosse team needed. Since falling to the top-ranked Gladiators, 16-6, on March 6, Centennial has won five consecutive games, including three over ranked opponents.
The Knights (9-1, No. 3 Class AAAAAA) gained some confidence with a 15-14 victory against Lovett (No. 2 Class A-AAAAA) on March 21, then followed that with two victories against ranked opponents in Area 3 play last week, knocking off second-ranked Lambert 13-10 on Saturday.
“We were able to play great defense and get the win against Lovett,” Centennial coach Bryan Wallace said. “That maybe tipped our hand a little bit with the zone defense we’ve been working on for the last month and a half, but we’ve been playing well. We’ve got a great senior goalkeeper in Austin Skorb and a lot of young guys on the defensive end who are stepping up to help us out.”
Offense hasn’t been a problem for the Knights. Led by Syracuse commit Nathan Solomon, one of the top players in the state, Centennial is averaging 17.7 goals per game and has scored more than 20 in half of its 10 games.
Centennial’s next four games come out-of-state competition. The Knights have just one area contest remaining (South Forsyth on April 30). The games that likely will decide the Area 3-AAAAAA championship will involve Johns Creek. The Gladiators are alone on top of the region at 5-0, but still must face No. 6 Northview and No. 2 Lambert.
Top girls vs. top competition : Top-10 girls teams from Georgia played nine games against out-of-state opponents last week, winning five. Milton (7-2), No. 1 in AAAAAA and No. 9 in the nation in the LaxMagazine.com poll, rallied for an 11-10 victory against nationally ranked Suffern (N.Y.) on Friday. But the Lady Eagles couldn't repeat the following day and lost 9-8 to Radnor (Pa.) after falling behind 5-0. Westminster (9-1, No. 2 A-AAAAA) took its first loss of the season Saturday, falling 11-8 to Hutchinson (Tenn.), after defeating Upper Arlington (Ohio), 10-9, on Friday.
Lassiter stays spotless: The Lassiter girls (9-0) finished a 3-0 week Saturday with a 13-11 victory against Bartram Trail (Fla.). The Lady Trojans, who are ranked No. 2 in AAAAAA, will play the bulk of their remaining schedule against out-of-state competition, but two crucial Area 2 games still loom in late April. Lassiter will play at fourth-ranked Walton on April 22 before finishing the season April 28 by hosting No. 1 Milton.
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