The GHSA lacrosse season will feature a three-day state championship schedule that will be played at Denmark High School in Alpharetta starting on Thursday as the season comes to an end this weekend.
Titles will be awarded in Class A-4A, 5A-6A, and 7A for both girls and boys. On the boys side, Lambert (7A) is seeking to win its third lacrosse state championship in four years. Westminster (A-4A) is looking to become back-to-back state champions and win its eighth state championship, the most in state history.
On the girls side, Milton (7A) looks to add its 17th state championship and seventh-consecutive title on Friday night. Blessed Trinity (5A-6A) has been one of the best programs in the past decade and will look to complete its first-ever four-peat in program history. The Lady Titans are also seeking their third-consecutive 20-win season with a state championship win. An interesting thing to watch this weekend will be the Westminster and Wesleyan programs both competing for state titles in the girls and boys competitions.
A SEASON OF FIRSTS
On the boys side, Wesleyan and Buford are looking to win first-ever state championships. Wesleyan has won 11 consecutive matches on its way to the title match, scoring double-figures in every match except one during the streak. Wesleyan pulled off an incredible comeback trailing Starr’s Mill 8-5 with 4:40 left in the match before coming out with a 10-9 win. Buford has reached 20 wins for the first time in program history. On the girls side, Wesleyan, Cambridge, and West Forsyth are all seeking their first state championship in program history. Wesleyan is back in the state championship for the second-consecutive year and is looking to finish with its first title. Attacker Avery Tucker led the Lady Wolves with five goals in their semifinal victory against Starr’s Mill. West Forsyth has reached 15 or more wins in three of the past four years. Cambridge has had one of the best offenses this postseason, scoring 20 goals in three of its four postseason matches.
ELITE PLAYERS IN THE FINALS
In Class A-4A, Westminster all-state players include attacker Connor Hodgson, midfielder Mason Theis, and defender Lane Healy. Wesleyan all-state players include attackers Jameson Meyer and Broder Conley, defender Matt Blanton, and FOA Carter Fears.
In Class 5A-6A, Roswell’s all-state players include attacker Ezra Moore who hit 100 career goals this past season. Joining Moore are midfielders Kyle O’Neal and Ben Weir, face-off midfielder Blake O’Neal, defenders Carter Dowdy and Dean Maddux, goalies Luca Orelli and Blake Jeska and midfielder Austin Edler. For Centennial, attacker Sean Siracusa and LSM Mac Andrews are all-state players to watch.
In Class 7A, Lambert’s all-state players include attackers Brooks Wehman and Cole Greenfield, midfielder Charlie Goldstein, defenders Dylan Ferrer and Branson Brooks, LSM Cooper Brannon, SSDM Harrison Richards, and face-off Max Sciro. Buford all-state players include attackers Evan Leonardo and Kamden Clark, midfielders Matthew Scruggs and Drew Maloney, defender Jaydon Franklin and face-off Austin Hurd.
THE REMATCH
On the boys side, Wesleyan won the earlier matchup 10-6 against Westminster in February and has won the last two matchups. Roswell defeated Centennial 16-5 back in April and has won four-consecutive matchups against the Knights dating back to 2018-2019. Lambert won the area title this past season and had the best record in Area 4 at 9-0. The Longhorns defeated Buford 15-13 back in March in a match that ended up determining the area champion.
On the girls side, each matchup will be a rematch from this season. Milton won its earlier matchup against West Forsyth 14-5. West Forsyth vs. Milton girls will be an intriguing one especially since this will be the second-consecutive time the teams have met in the state championship and Friday will mark the fourth time in the past two seasons the teams have faced off. Milton is 3-0 against their area foes and will have to go through them again to win a state championship. Cambridge will be going into the title match with a lot of confidence, especially since the Bears handed Blessed Trinity its only loss of the season in a 14-13 contest in February. Wesleyan vs. Westminster was another thrilling match earlier this season that Wesleyan won 20-19. The last two matchups have been decided by a combined total of two goals. Wesleyan defeated Westminster in the semifinals 11-10 last season, setting up another electric matchup between the two programs.
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