By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/31/09
The Phillylacrosse.com Boys’ Rankings welcomes a new team this week – West Chester East. Here is Week 3
1. Conestoga (4-0) – The Pioneers continue to do everything right, earning solid wins over Emmaus (8-6) and Downingtown East (8-4) as well as Sewickley Academy (11-4). They have two tough Central League games coming up – today against Garnet Valley and Thursday at Penncrest, and then they host No. 2 Haverford School on Saturday.
2. Haverford School (4-2) – The Fords rebounded from a tough 8-1 loss to Baltimore power McDonogh by edging Ohio’s Western Reserve Academy, 6-5. They have a brutal week of games that include Lawrenceville (Wednesday), Brunswick School (Thursday) and No. 1 Conestoga (Saturday).
3. La Salle (1-3) – The Explorers can’t catch a break. They had both Gilman and Calvert Hall beaten, but made key mistakes in the last seconds of each game to cause them to go into OT. Still, they are playing quite well and now set their sights on today’s home game with the team they beat to win the final Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association championship, Malvern Prep.
4. Springfield-Delco (3-0) – The Cougars continue to look strong. They face a major Central League test today when they host Lower Merion and Saturday they meet New Jersey power Ridgewood at 9 a.m. as the prelude to the Big City Classic at the Meadowlands.
5. Malvern Prep (1-2) – The Friars are struggling to find a consistent attack against the top teams in the nation. It won’t get any easier today at La Salle, but a team with this talent won’t stay down for long.
6. St. Joseph’s Prep (0-0) – If you’ve forgotten about this team because it hasn’t played yet, beware. The Hawks have plenty of ability. They plat Penn Charter Wednesday and at Loyola Blakefield Friday?
7. West Chester East (3-0) – How did this team fly under the radar for so long? The Vikings handled Lower Merion, 12-5, and rallied to defeat a solid Pennsbury, 8-6. No Division I signees, but the Vikings play together. They are at Cardinal O’Hara today and host Downingtown West Thursday in their first big Ches-Mont League challenge.
8. Episcopal Academy (4-1) – The Churchmen had three easy wins last week. They host Bishop Shanahan today and gear for their Inter-Ac League opener Friday at home against Malvern Prep.
9. Radnor (2-1) – The Red Raiders earned their first two wins, over Great Valley and Archbishop Wood, and host Penncrest today in a Central League battle.
10. Downingtown East (4-1) – The Cougars responded from their loss to Conestoga with an 11-9 victory over stubborn Central Bucks East. They are at Bayard Rustin Thursday and host Council Rock South Friday.
Teams to watch (in alphabetical order): Abington, Archbishop Wood, Central Bucks East, Emmaus, Garnet Valley, Germantown Academy, Hatboro-Horsham, Holy Ghost Prep, Lower Merion, Penn Charter, Penncrest, Pennsbury Ridley, Strath Haven, Unionville.
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