ESPN Boston's boys lacrosse Top 25

Updated: May 26, 2013, 11:16 PM ET
ESPNBoston.com Staff

Top 25 MIAA boys lacrosse poll, as selected by our panel of staff writers, correspondents and area coaches (updated 5/26).

Team Name Record Last week's
ranking 		Notes
1. Needham (16-2) 1 The Rockets close out the season at No. 1 in our poll, and with the No. 2 seed in the Division 1 tournament await the winner of Masconomet and Braintree.
2. Duxbury (16-5) 2 The Dragons earned the No. 3 seed in Division 1 and will face either No. 24 BC High or Peabody as they begin another venture toward Harvard Stadium.
3. Lincoln-Sudbury (15-2) 4 The Warriors took the top overall seed in Division 1, meaning there could be a duel with the Warriors and either Needham or Duxbury down the line.
4. Longmeadow (20-0) 6 Congratulations to Lancers first-year head coach Ryan Liebel and his team for closing out an undefeated campaign and a certain No. 1 seeding coming up in Division 2 West.
5. St. John's (Shrewsbury) (14-3) 7 The Pioneers claimed the top seed in Div. 2 Central and will open with No. 17 seed Leominster in a first-round game.
6. HIngham (17-3) 7 The Harbormen drew the No. 1 seed in the upcoming EMass Div. 2 tournament, and open with No. 23 seed Saugus in a preliminary round game.
7. Acton-Boxborough (16-4) 5 Not the way the Colonials wanted to close out the regular season, with an overtime loss to the aforementioned Pioneers.
8. Medfield (17-3) 9 Warriors racked up the postseason honorifics in the Tri-Valley League, what with Matt Crowell earning Offensive MVP honors and Ben Cox being named Defensive MVP.
9. St. John's Prep (12-6) 3 Certainly not an easy stretch of games (L-S, Duxbury and Medfield), but the Eagles will enter the postseason on a three-game losing skid.
10. Concord-Carlisle (12-6) 8 The Patriots open up the Div. 2 Eastern tournament in the middle of the pack, but maybe not such a bad thing for the defending state champs, who enter the playoffs with a nice, little four-game winning streak.
11. Wellesley (14-4) 13 Speaking of those Patriots, if both Wellesley and C-C hold serve in their preliminary-round games, the two teams would meet in a rematch of last year's battle at Harvard Stadium. Tough draw for both, but would make for great theater.
12. Wayland (17-3) 20 The Warriors make their highest-ever showing in the poll after grabbing the No. 4 seed in the Div. 2 EMass. They host No. 29 Southeastern Regional in the prelims.
13. Reading (16-2) 16 The Rockets were done in by a slow start against No. 9 Concord-Carlisle last week, but hold the No. 3 seed in the upcoming EMass Div. 2 sectional.
14. Dover-Sherborn (14-4) 17 The Raiders couldn't close out the TVL title outright, instead settling for a share with rival Medfield. Goaltender Ryan Goodall was spectacular with 19 saves.
15. Xaverian (12-6) 14 Hard to know what to make of the Hawks' results last week, having beaten Billerica, but then splitting their season series with BC High in a loss. They'll face the winner of Westford Academy and Medford in the first round.
16. Billerica (14-6) 19 Indians captured the Merrimack Valley Conference crown in a 6-4 win over ranked Andover. They open the Div. 1 tournament with Revere on Wednesday.
17. Andover (13-5) 11 The Golden Warriors fell short of the MVC crown, but will have to refocus for the Div. 1 tournament, with a potential first-round matchup against St. John's Prep on the horizon.
18. Westford Academy (12-8) 15 He's might be a little off last year's pace, but attack Jay Drapeau will get a long, hard look for Mr. Lacrosse this year.
19. Marblehead (15-3) 22 The Magicians make their highest-ever appearance in the poll, coming off their win over Newton North. They open the Div. 2 EMass tournament with Dartmouth.
20. Cohasset (13-3) 21 The Skippers closed the regular season with an 8-7 win over BC HIgh, gaining some momentum headed into the Div. 3 tournament.
21. Grafton (16-3) 23 The Indians earned the No. 2 seed in Div. 2 Central Mass and will open against Marlborough on Wednesday.
22. Newton North (12-5) 18 The 12th-seeded Tigers face No. 21 seed Salem in a preliminary round game of the Div. 1 tournament on Wednesday.
23. Austin Prep (16-2) NR The Cougars make their season Top 25 debut after clinching the Catholic Central title last week and hold the No. 2 seed in the Div. 3 tournament.
24. Algonquin (14-6) NR The Tomahawks jump back into the poll as they prepare to play Shepherd HIll in the first round of the Central Mass Div. 2 tourney.
25. BC High (9-9) NR The Eagles are back in the Top 25 after falling out for a couple weeks and making yet another second-half charge toward the tournament. Now, we'll see if the No. 14 seed can make some noise in the Div. 1 tourney.
Last 10 Out: Beverly (16-4), Bridgewater-Raynham (15-3), Westfield (13-5), Catholic Memorial (10-9-1), Foxborough (12-7), Framingham (12-5-1), Marshfield (17-4), Newburyport (12-3), North Andover (14-6), Shrewsbury (15-5).

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