Final High School Rankings: Making a Case For No. 1

<p>Soon, a year-end No. 1 — the mythical national champion, if you will — will be decided, and not since 2019 has there been this much debate over which team is most deserving to finish atop the rankings. Loomis Chaffee and Calvert Hall have the best case, while Lawrenceville and St. Anthony's also have several Top 10 wins. Before the rankings are eventually unveiled, read up on these four recent champions and how they've put themselves in this position. <br></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Calvert Hall (Md.)</h2>   <p>Ranked 17th nationally to start the year, the Cardinals entered the season with modest external expectations. But that quickly changed with back-to-back overtime wins over No. 1 Malvern Prep (Pa.) and No. 2 Lawrenceville (N.J.) in March. Those victories catapulted Calvert Hall to the No. 1 spot for a few weeks, until a narrow 10-9 loss to McDonogh (Md.) and a subsequent 11-6 defeat to Spalding (Md.) dropped them to No. 9 by Week 7.</p>   <p>Fast forward a few weeks, and the Cardinals are not only MIAA champions but make a compelling case to finish the season back at No. 1. They've avenged both losses from earlier in the year and claimed the first overtime victory in MIAA championship history last Friday night.</p>   <p>Calvert Hall boasts seven wins over teams ranked in the Top 20 of LaxNumbers' computer ratings: No. 1 Lawrenceville, No. 2 Spalding, No. 9 McDonogh, No. 10 Malvern Prep, No. 16 Boys' Latin, No. 17 Loyola Blakefield, and No. 20 St. Anne's Belfield.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lawrenceville (N.J.)</h2>   <p>Coming into the year as back-to-back national champions and ranked No. 2 nationally, the Big Red dropped their opener to Calvert Hall, then bounced back with seven straight wins — a stretch that included five teams that spent multiple weeks in Prep Lacrosse's Top 25. They stumbled at Brunswick, then again in a surprising six-goal defeat at St. Anthony's. Sandwiched between those two losses was a signature 8-6 road win over a then-No. 1 Salisbury squad.</p>   <p>Lawrenceville steadied in May and closed the season with a dominant run to yet another Prep Nationals title, rolling past Deerfield 14-9 in the semifinals before overwhelming Salisbury 12-4 in Sunday's final.</p>   <p>Despite three losses, Lawrenceville's résumé is among the nation's best. They fell to teams ranked No. 6 (Calvert Hall), No. 7 (Brunswick), and No. 8 (St. Anthony's), but earned wins over No. 10 Malvern Prep, No. 11 Salisbury (twice), No. 16 Boys' Latin, and No. 26 Deerfield — plus four more victories against Top 40 teams. Their No. 1 computer rating (99.99) reinforces their strength, even if those losses might keep them just outside the top three.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Loomis Chaffee (Conn.)</h2>   <p>Though relatively new to the national spotlight, preseason No. 3 Loomis Chaffee entered 2025 as loaded on paper as any team outside of Malvern Prep, thanks to a standout class of postgrads added to an already talented roster.</p>   <p>Bill Ball's Pelicans made an early-season statement with a dominant 12-4 win over a Malvern squad playing its fourth game in seven days — arguably the biggest national result of March and a clear signal that Loomis belonged in the conversation.</p>   <p>They stumbled shortly after in an 8-5 loss to Salisbury, struggling with turnovers, but quickly rebounded with a crucial 14-11 win over Brunswick — the second of 15 straight victories to close the year. Beyond the wins over Malvern and Brunswick, Loomis also notched a pair of victories against No. 21 Choate (including a one-goal win in the Founders League final) and a win over No. 26 Deerfield, but lacked additional Top 50 wins.</p>   <p>Playing a Founders League and New England West I slate, Loomis had limited opportunities to boost its non-conference résumé like other national contenders. Still, the Pelicans consistently passed the eye test with flying colors when at full strength, overcoming key injuries to top offensive recruits and ultimately claiming the championship over a talented Choate team on Wednesday in a hard-fought contest. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">St. Anthony's (N.Y.)</h2>   <p>The Friars will finish the season ranked anywhere from No. 3 to No. 5, but I felt inclined to include them since they picked up a dominant six-goal win over Lawrenceville relatively late in the season among its three Top 10 wins. More importantly, St. Anthony's roared back in the second half of the CHSAA championship to knock off rival Chaminade, which was all but guaranteed to finish in the top five due to an outstanding body of work. <br><br>In addition to its pair of aforementioned top-five wins, St. Anthony's also earned victories over No. 10 Malvern Prep and No. 23 Seton Hall Prep and suffering losses to No. 2 Spalding, No. 5 Chaminade, No. 12 Haverford, and No. 22 Delbarton. Boasting an outstanding rising senior class, the Friars will almost certainly be ranked inside the preseason top three heading into 2026. <br><br></p>   <p><br><br><br><br></p>

Soon, a year-end No. 1 — the mythical national champion, if you will — will be decided, and not since 2019 has there been this much debate over which team is most deserving to finish atop the rankings. Loomis Chaffee and Calvert Hall have the best case, while Lawrenceville and St. Anthony's also have several Top 10 wins. Before the rankings are eventually unveiled, read up on these four recent champions and how they've put themselves in this position.