By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/11/11

Avon Grove made a major statement Saturday by defeating former No. 5 Garnet Valley, 8-4, and moving the Devils up four spots to No. 5. St. Joseph’s Prep held its position at No. 4 after taking No. 1 Haverford School to overtime.

This week is a big one for major games; Haverford School is at No. 3 Malvern Prep (3:45 p.m.) on Tuesday; La Salle and St. Joseph’s Prep meet Wednesday at Plymouth Whitemarsh (6:30 p.m.) and Saturday the 3rd Annual “Checking for Cancer” Invitational will feature 12 teams – seven from Philly – at Haverford School. That tourney will feature the host Fords (ranked No. 1 in both major polls) playing Darien (Ct.),which is currently No. 2 in the Under Armour/Inside Lacrosse rankings in an 11 a.m. start.

The Here is the year’s fourth Phillylacrosse.com Boys’ Rankings:

1. Haverford School (8-0) – The Fords rallied for a dramatic 9-8 overtime win over St. Joseph’s Prep on Saturday. The Fords now seem revenge Tuesday at Malvern Prep after falling twice to the Friars last year. Prev: No. 1

2. Conestoga (6-0) – The Pioneers rolled to three easy wins last week. They host Springfield-Delco – a scary team this year that came in as a total unknown – and play Greenwich (Ct.) in the “Checking for Cancer” invite Saturday at 1 p.m. Prev: No. 2.

3. Malvern Prep (6-1) – The Friars who swept Haverford School last year – get their first shot at the Fords Tuesday at home. They host Archbishop Carroll (4 p.m.) Saturday as the close to the annual Evanfest lacrosse festival to benefit families that have a child with a life-threatening disease. Prev: No. 3

4. St. Joseph’s Prep (4-2) – The Hawks looked as good as a team could look in a losing effort when they fell to Haverford School Saturday. But ultimately they will be judged on how they fare Wednesday against La Salle; a team it has lost to 13 straight times. Prev: No. 4

5, Avon Grove (7-0) – The Devils made a lot of noise with Saturday night’s 8-4 triumph over Garnet Valley. Just how good is this team? pretty good. Prev: No. 9

6. Garnet Valley (5-1) – The Jaguars hit a roadblock Saturday in the 8-4 loss to Avon Grove. They look to rebound Tuesday at Penncrest. Prev: No. 5

7. Germantown Academy (5-1) – The Patriots looked impressive in beating Inter-Ac League foe Penn Charter, 20-10. The next big test is Thursday at home against No. 3 Malvern Prep. Prev: No. 7.

8. Downingtown West (6-0) – The Whippets keep rolling and gear for a key Ches-Mont league game Tuesday at home against Great Valley. Prev: No. 8

9. La Salle (3-3) – The Explorers played their best game of the year Friday in a 9-4 victory over DeMatha (Md.) at the Travis Manion-Brendan Looney Memorial Game at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. They’ll see where they stand Wednesday vs. St. Joseph’s Prep and then meet Connecticut power Wilton in the “Checking for Cancer” Invite at 3 p.m. Prev: No. 10

10. Ridley (6-0) – The Green Raiders enter the rankings for the first time. They have allowed only 16 goals all year. They host Radnor Thursday. Prev: NR

Under Consideration: Abington (2-2), Allentown Central Catholic (4-0), Bishop Shanahan (3-0), Central Bucks East (6-1), Downingtown East (5-1), Great Valley (3-3), Penn Charter (5-4), Springfield-Delco (4-1), Spring-Ford (5-1).