coach at Johns Hopkins when Sydney joined brothers Matthew and Marcus in the family’s fi rst passion.
SOUTH NIKE/US LACROSSE GIRLS’ TOP 10 VERO BEACH (FLA.) MILTON (GA.) ST. JOHN’S (TEXAS) BARRON COLLIER (FLA.) LASSITER (GA.) WINTER SPRINGS (FLA.) HOCKADAY (TEXAS) WESTMINSTER (GA.) GREEN HOPE (N.C.)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
The Falcons return nearly everyone from a team went 21-0 and won its third state title. Among them are All-Americans Katherine Smith, Maggie Auslander (North Carolina) and Julie Hagan. There will be a new coaching staff, however.
HUTCHISON SCHOOL (TENN.) The two-time state champ’s only loss last year was to St.
Stephen’s & St Agnes (Va.). Hutchison, which must rebuild on defense, can prove itself this season against Milton and Lassiter. — L.P
46 LACROSSE MAGAZINE March 2013 >> Find updates at
LaxMagazine.com/HSGS . A Publication of US Lacrosse
The three-time defending Georgia 4A-A champ Wildcats will be younger but more athletic. Several talented freshmen and sophomores will fi ll signifi cant roles on a team that went 20-2 last year with losses only to Lassiter and Victor (N.Y.).
Hockaday edged St. John’s in overtime to win its third state title in fi ve years, but lost its lone All-American with in Maggie Fobare, who scored 306 goals in her high school career and now plays at Northwestern.
Despite a stunning playoff loss to Bishop Moore and losing South Region Player of the Year Kris Coppolino, Winter Springs looks solid with attacker Anne L’Heureux (Louisville) and her sister Sarah L’Heureux, who will return from a knee injury.
The Trojans added depth and speed, which will allow coach Faith Harmeyer the fl exibility to adjust her lineup and provide opponents with different looks. Lassiter, led by All-American senior midfi elder Johnna Fusco, went 14-5 in 2012.
The Cougars are on the rise in Florida. They were 18-2 last year but ran into Vero Beach in the fi rst round of state playoffs. Sophomore midfi elder Olivia Ferrucci, who committed to North Carolina last year, is the top returner.
ANNIE RULAND Milton (Ga.)
Despite losing seven starters to graduation, Georgia’s top team is in good hands with its USC-bound attacker.
The Mavericks went 17-4 and beat all the best teams in
Texas — except one, falling short against Hockaday in overtime of the state fi nal. Seven starters, including midfi elders Amanda Leavell (Princeton) and Robby Rybarczyk (Northwestern), return.
Milton remains the top team in Georgia with nine players going D-I and a ton of team speed. Coming off their seventh state title in eight years, the Eagles boast All-American attackers Lydia Cassada (Northwestern) and Annie Ruland (USC).
Though just six starters return, the seven-time state champs have reloaded with an even stronger group of fi eld players, starting with junior Katy Pridemore (Florida) and seniors Allie Modica (Connecticut) and Meredith Baker (Cornell).
The Holmans moved from Baltimore when Brian was hired as Joe Breschi’s assistant at North Carolina. “I was defi nitely shocked,” Sydney said. “I knew it was going to be different. I was warned by multiple people.”
Holman was a star at East Chapel Hill
from the fi rst day. “She’s the best player I’ve ever coached, even in New York,” said Wildcats coach Michelle Michaels, who came to North Carolina six years ago. “She was a leader on the fi eld even as a freshman.”
Being forced into that role has helped Holman grow differently than she may have had she stayed in Baltimore. “She’s had to have a lot of patience and all these great qualities she’s learned maybe wouldn’t have been there in a Baltimore environment,” Levy said. “They’ve made her a stronger player. She’s added a toughness factor.”
Holman had her pick of colleges, but she didn’t need long to decide to stay close to her new home. “If I still would have lived in Baltimore, I would have 100-percent chosen UNC,” she said. “It’s a bonus I live fi ve minutes away. I’ll come home once a week for a nice home-cooked meal and do my laundry. Other than that, I’ll stay away from my parents as long as I can.”
There hasn’t been much competition at the high school level for Auslander or Holman, who both play out of position in the center midfi eld.
Auslander has practiced defensive footwork while playing basketball. She lifts regularly and is more physically imposing than some college players. She played the fi nal two-thirds of last season with a cast on her broken wrist. Holman’s club commitment shows that
there’s room to grow in North Carolina. She has trained at times with the Fever, but she chose to remain with her TLC club team out of Baltimore.
Still, Holman said, “Moving down here has made me appreciate the game so much more.” LM
HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW
SOUTH
©JOHN STROHSACKER
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