2026 Preseason High School Rankings: Who Leads the Pack?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By this time next week, a handful of the nation's best high school programs will have officially gotten their seasons underway, so with that being said, it's time to start unveiling our preseason rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Long Island powerhouse St. Anthony's starts the 2026 season in the top spot, with the Friars followed closely by Lawrenceville (N.J.), Calvert Hall (Md.), Chaminade (N.Y.), and Brunswick (Conn.) — check back on Friday for more capsules on top-ranked teams. We'll also have additional team and player rankings roll-outs over the next two weeks, including updated Class of 2026 rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#1 St. Anthony's (N.Y.) </strong>| 2025 Season: 13-4, No. 4 | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DTavPiBkebF/">2026 Schedule</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As strong as the Friars were in 2025, Keith Wieczorek's group has the potential to be even better in 2026, despite graduating a pair of current Carolina freshmen and several complementary pieces. As always, the seniors set the tone, and St. Anthony's boasts one of the top '26 classes in the country, with most returning starters sharing built-in chemistry from LI Express. Leading the way are future Terps [player_tooltip player_id='17165' first='Ethan' last='Bramoff'], [player_tooltip player_id='45399' first='Danny' last='Rooney'], and [player_tooltip player_id='17521' first='Dylan' last='Harrigan'], along with Hopkins signee [player_tooltip player_id='17446' first='Jacob' last='Johnston'], one of the better two-way midfield prospects in recent memory. While 23 seniors are committed to play at the next level, the junior class remains relatively inexperienced, making early contributions from the '27s—and promising sophomore midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='166380' first='Aidan' last='Dale']—critical for depth. Specialists should also be an area of strength, returning a healthier [player_tooltip player_id='45368' first='Robbie' last='Johnson'] (UNC) at the face-off X and senior goalie [player_tooltip player_id='21434' first='Dylan' last='Rappaport'] (Loyola), who split time last year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#2 Lawrenceville (N.J.) </strong>| 2025 Season: 17-3, No. 5 | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DS97YA1gGTK/">2026 Schedule</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A national top-five mainstay for much of the past five seasons, Lawrenceville continues to stockpile elite talent from both sides of the border. Winners of three straight Prep Nationals titles, the Big Red will once again enter the season as favorites, hardened by one of the country's most demanding schedules. The offense is anchored by senior attackmen [player_tooltip player_id='37497' first='Colby' last='Rossettie'] (47g, 12a in 2025), a California native bound for Johns Hopkins, and [player_tooltip player_id='16729' first='Jake' last='Sturtevant'], a Michigan commit who led the team with 83 points (46g, 37a) last spring. The midfield is jam-packed with uber-talented Canadians like [player_tooltip player_id='16726' first='Adam' last='Ponting'] (Princeton), [player_tooltip player_id='126348' first='Matt' last='Souter'] (Johns Hopkins), and Prep Lacrosse's No. 7 junior [player_tooltip player_id='143260' first='Ayden' last='Matthews'] (Penn State), a lefty who is coming off a 20-goal, 10-assist sophomore campaign. Defensively, Carolina commit [player_tooltip player_id='16730' first='Jett' last='Stake'] will backstop a defense that will also feature two fellow Top 50 recruits in Michigan-bound senior LSM [player_tooltip player_id='16777' first='Wyatt' last='Stamnes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='121315' first='Luke' last='St. Pierre'] (North Carolina), with several other defenders poised to step into increased roles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#3 Calvert Hall (Md.)</strong> | 2025 Season: 16-2, No. 1 | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DRNH8o6jehB/">2026 Schedule</a><br><br>Ranked 17th entering last spring, the Cardinals surged in March with a dominant run against Top 10 non-conference opponents. That momentum carried them to a No. 1 finish and a storybook ending in the form of an overtime victory against Spalding in the MIAA championship game. Although much of the starting lineup has since graduated, summer and fall results made one thing clear: Calvert Hall won't be going away anytime soon. The Cardinals' strength lies in the collective rather than individual star power—though they have plenty of that, too. Yale recruit [player_tooltip player_id='17443' first='Jack' last='Williams'] will step into an increased role on offense, as will sophomore linemate [player_tooltip player_id='166405' first='Caleb' last='Kelly']. At midfield, [player_tooltip player_id='24318' first='Matthew' last='Schoonmaker'] (Richmond) and [player_tooltip player_id='23841' first='Michael' last='Steer'] (Virginia) could be a formidable duo, while junior lockdown artist [player_tooltip player_id='123635' first='Micha' last='Morozov'] (Navy) and [player_tooltip player_id='123733' first='Cole' last='Hottle'] (Drexel) are coming off breakout years at SSDM and close defense, respectively. Expect big senior seasons as well from the Towson-bound Tanton twins, goalie Greyson Enrique (Drexel), attack/middie [player_tooltip player_id='123739' first='Ben' last='Hanover'] (Hofstra), and SSDM [player_tooltip player_id='82302' first='Jaxson' last='Snelbaker'] (Drexel), too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#4 Chaminade (N.Y.)</strong> | 2025 Season: 14-2, No. 6 | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DTLwrgekWh4/">2026 Schedule</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A new era is set to begin in Mineola after legendary head coach Jack Moran retired this offseason after winning 21 league titles in 45 years at the helm. Longtime assistant Greg Kay takes over the Flyers' program and inherits a roster that is loaded on paper. A trio of five-stars leads the way: towering netminder [player_tooltip player_id='72103' first='Kieran' last='Walsh'] (Notre Dame) returns in goal, while [player_tooltip player_id='16504' first='James' last='Gillis'] (Duke) and [player_tooltip player_id='16388' first='John' last='Balsamo'] (Virginia) form arguably the nation's top attack tandem. At the face-off X, Rutgers recruit [player_tooltip player_id='82285' first='George' last='Mavlios'] has big shoes to fill following the graduation of four-year starter Quinn Ball, who dominated during his time at Chaminade. The Flyers will also rely on several returners stepping into larger roles, particularly down low and at midfield. In the junior class, [player_tooltip player_id='123522' first='Sam' last='Fox'] (Michigan), [player_tooltip player_id='165193' first='Finn' last='Pizzo'] (Cornell), [player_tooltip player_id='143094' first='Brendan' last='Sim'] (Cornell), and [player_tooltip player_id='120848' first='Hayden' last='Sipress'] (Yale) could be poised to break out in 2026. As always, the Flyers' rivalry games with St. Anthony's promise to be appointment viewing. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#5 Brunswick (Conn.)</strong> | 2025 Season: 14-3, No. 9 | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUBQj57jrm_/">2026 Schedule</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After falling short in the Prep Nationals semis last May, the Bruins graduated just a handful of starters, namely Notre Dame freshman face-off specialist Aidan Diaz-Matos, along with a pair of starting defenders. Heading into the 2026 season, 'Wick has the luxury of being headlined by the No. 1 player in the country in attackman [player_tooltip player_id='16386' first='Lucas' last='Garcia'] (Virginia), who leads an absurdly talented senior class. At midfield, [player_tooltip player_id='17481' first='Rick' last='Giordano'] (UNC) is as dangerous a shooter as there is in the country, while Richmond signee [player_tooltip player_id='22652' first='Sean' last='Ryan'] and two-way horse [player_tooltip player_id='16409' first='Matt' last='Colella'] are plenty talented in their own right. Defensively, there's a strong base with dynamic LSM [player_tooltip player_id='45383' first='Ryan' last='Baxter'] (Virginia) and lockdown defender [player_tooltip player_id='20310' first='John' last='Buttafuoco'] (Notre Dame). As strong a senior class as it is, the Bruins are downright loaded in the sophomore class, which could eventually prove to be the best class in program history. After looking like anything but freshmen a year ago, count on seeing even more of Wick's 2028s: [player_tooltip player_id='124043' first='Austin' last='Tuttle'], [player_tooltip player_id='124045' first='Sawyer' last='Bligh'], [player_tooltip player_id='125307' first='Hunter' last='Hanford'], [player_tooltip player_id='125299' first='David' last='Giuriceo'], and [player_tooltip player_id='125418' first='Parker' last='Baras'], to name a few. Sophomores could also factor in at the face-off X, shortstick defensive midfield, and in goal. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->