LVLA Power Rankings: Tight Race At The Top

With spring break going on in Las Vegas, I figured it would be a good time to release my first edition of LVLA Power Rankings. Every team is 3 or 4 games in (besides the Pirates) and there have already been a few thrillers.   I will try and update these power rankings every couple of weeks the rest of the season.   1. Palo Verde Panthers (2-1) Palo Verde is currently first in my power rankings. They have collected a couple of conference play wins against Coronado and Faith Lutheran in their first 3 games. Their offense has produced 34 goals, which puts them at an average of 11.33 goals per game. Which is good for first in the LVLA at the moment. Ben Carvalho, Slater Salinas, Luke Rava, Langston Goodwin, and Seth Salinas have all been finding the back of the net. 7th grader, Mason Robinson, has also been a valuable contributor for them. On defense, I watched Jojo Aragon make some impressive saves against Coronado and their long poles are able to clear the ball fairly well. Especially, Chris Whitman who can turn on the jets. In order for them to stay #1, they will need to continue play at a high level and win their next LVLA league game against Centennial.   2. Coronado Cougars Lacrosse (2-1) Coronado claims the second spot in the power rankings. Their win over Faith Lutheran has a lot to do with it, as they went into that game as underdogs in my opinion. They have been led by Jason Koa Hernandez, Scott Lennox, Andrew Viloria, and on the offensive end. Josh Wall has also been solid at the X for them. The Cougars defense hasn't been to shabby either, as they have more than a few guys who can cause turnovers. Including Liam Hunsaker and Bo Pippenger. Next up for the Cougars Lacrosse, are the Pirates (3/28) and Bishop Gorman (4/1). They will need to take care of business, and I believe that they will. As long as Logan Bleiberg is back in the lineup and [player_tooltip player_id='125048' first='AJ' last='Landy'] (goalie) plays well.   3. Faith Lutheran Crusaders (2-2) The Crusaders has two losses this season, however they were both one goal games. From what I have seen, they are a fairly young team. Two of their starting attackmen, Weston Schultz (2027) and Joey Marmor (2028) are both underclassmen. Then they also have a few underclassmen midfielders, Liam Schulz, [player_tooltip player_id='125267' first='Hudson' last='Pavicich'], who are receiving a good amount of PT. Their seniors have also been reliable thus far, and I've liked what I've seen from Milo Anderson, Wyatt Carroll, and RJ Jones. Although I'm sure they'd prefer to be 4-0, I believe they'll grow from their losses and be a stronger team for it. They have Bishop Gorman again in 4 days (3/25) and then their game after that is against the Pirates (4/8).   4. Bishop Gorman Gaels(2-1) I've seen Bishop Gorman play a few times this year now. They are a well-rounded team overall and then they also have Manhattan commit, Aden Anderson, at goalie. I have also been a fan of Tyler Balsbaugh (M), Merek Mastrov (LSM), Ben Urso (A), and Beau Lavoie (D). Each of them have been competing with tenacity and they've been play makers for the Gaels as well. Unfortunately one of their other major contributors, Diesel Riiber, left the Faith Lutheran game with a lower body injury. If he is forced to miss extended time for them, they will definitely need others to step up. The Gaels are set to play the Crusaders once again on 3/25 and Centennial on 3/28.   5. Centennial Bulldogs (0-3) Centennial is currently winless and they have two more tough tests on the way. They'll face off against Palo Verde on 3/25 and Bishop Gorman on 3/28. The Bulldogs have lost to Bishop Gorman already, but they are yet to play the Panthers. Guys like Tanner Goddard, [player_tooltip player_id='125067' first='Tyson' last='Vickers'], and Tyler Smith will need to rally the team to turn things around. Now that they're also about to be seeing teams a second time, I also expect that the coaching staff will make some adjustments to their strategy.   6. Pirates Lacrosse (0-0) The Pirates are yet to play a varsity conference game, as they are also playing a JV schedule this season. I was able to make it to their first JV game though, and they had some impressive play from their stars. Both Mason McClay, Cooper Lichty, and Anderson Kelmanson. Then they also had stout goalie play from freshman, Ryland Peterson. Time will tell how they do against the tougher competition, as they will play the Cougars in just a few days now. A few things will have to go right for them to keep it close. Which includes, possessing the ball and taking care of it when they have it. Clearing will be incredibly important too, since the Cougars have athletes who can cause havoc during rides.

With spring break going on in Las Vegas, I figured it would be a good time to release my first edition of LVLA Power Rankings. Every team is 3 or 4 games in (besides the Pirates) and there have already been a few thrillers.