Note: These are predictions from my personal witnessing of teams or reports from respected people around the state about the teams playing. None of these picks are intended for gambling or other illegal reasons nor the opinions of Florida Lacrosse & Sports. Please take my choices with a grain of salt, if I am wrong then great job by the winning teams. If I am correct, you’re welcome…Friday’s and Saturday’s Games…
Now for the predictions on the FHSAA State Semifinals games on Friday…
Saint Andrews Scots (District 10) vs. Lake Highland Prep Highlanders (District 8) @ 2:00PM
This matchup features the top private schools from the south and north facing off to move on to the FHSAA State Championship game. The Highlanders come into the game with playoff wins over Timber Creek, Bishop Moore, and Vero Beach featuring an extremely talented starting six offensive players and a goalie that has been taught by Tom Groeninger (Virginia ’91). The Scots from Boca Raton come off a dismantling of Gulliver Prep who is arguably the #2 team in the state. Saint Andrews features a lineup/bench that can beat every team in the South. The starting attack and midfield is loaded with scorers who can both dodge to feed and they can all score at will. Bernie Susskind will be in the cage after missing the prior game verse Lake Highland and the Dartmouth bound goalie will be a huge presence in the cage. The prior results from the two games the teams have already played this year was a 23-3 beating of the Highlanders on March 7th and a April 4th game that was kept close with the Scots pulling away in the 4th quarter for a 12-9 win.
The pick… Saint Andrews scores fast and early and doesn’t stop for a win over Lake Highland Prep by 13 (21-8). The Scots midfield and play in the cage is the difference maker. The Highlanders have issues at times hitting the cage and for a game against this caliber opponent they need to be hitting the cage on at least 80% of their shots and need to convert around 50% of them. Saint Andrews moves on to play the winner of Nease verse Lake Brantley in the FHSAA State Championship Game on Saturday night at 7:30PM at West Orange High School in Winter Garden.
Nease Panthers (District 3) vs. Lake Brantley Patriots (District 5) @ 5:00PM
Defense wins championships. Ask any coach at any level of play in any sport and you will hear the same motto. And the Panthers and Patriots defenses will be putting on a show. The Nease Panthers features an athletic and talented defense with the starting defense all moving on to play D1 Lacrosse and/or Football. Look for Panther goalie Nick Colon to keep up his yearlong hot streak in the cage and be a huge difference maker. The Patriots from Altamonte Springs feature an equally talented and athletic defense featuring Maryland-bound LSM Jesse Bernhardt. Bernhardt’s assignment for Friday night will be to remove Nease midfielder Brett Angerer’s presence on the field. This game looks to be an up and down the field battle that will be won in the scrums, face-offs, and transition rather than in the settled offenses.
The pick… Lake Brantley escapes in dramatic fashion over Nease by 1 in 2OT (7-6) with an assist from Jesse Bernhardt who corrals a groundball off second overtime faceoff, pushes the ball and finds an open attackman who barely sneaks it past Panther goalie Nick Colon. This game was the toughest yet to guess on (yea I said guess, this one will is too evenly matched to say outright who will win) besides the Bishop Moore-Lake Highland Prep game earlier in the playoffs and I wouldn’t put it past the Panthers from Ponte Vedra to pull off the upset. Lake Brantley moves on to play the Scots of Saint Andrews in the FHSAA State Championship Game on Saturday night at 7:30PM at West Orange High School in Winter Garden.
Now for the prediction on the FHSAA State Championship Game on Saturday at 7:30PM…
If my predictions are wrong in the semifinals for the Lake Highland Prep vs. Saint Andrews and/or Nease vs. Lake Brantley game, then I will write another blog with the updated teams…
Saint Andrews Scots (District 10) vs. Lake Brantley Patriots (District 5) @ 7:30PM
Defense wins championships. But offenses make the difference once you get to the game. Two of Florida’s top three defenses will faceoff on Saturday night featuring arguably the best goalie in the state, Saint Andrews’ Bernie Susskind (Gulliver Prep’s JP McCook and Nease’s Nick Colon are my top three), and the best defensive player in the state with Patriots’ LSM Jesse Bernhardt. Look for the Scots to let whoever Bernhardt is covering to not touch the ball and for the other Scots middies to isolate constantly against the other Lake Brantley short-stick midfielders in a very settle offense. The rematch of last years’ state championship game will be a huge test for the Patriots offense who doesn’t have the stud player presence that was found last year with Lake Brantley’s Jake Bernhardt (Maryland ’12 and yes, Jake and Jesse are brothers).
The pick… Saint Andrews wins its 17th State Championship over Lake Brantley by 7 (15-8). The Scots show why they are the #9 ranked team in the nation with phenomenal play at the faceoff X and in the cage. Lake Brantley plays a hard fought game that features their excellent athleticism and physicality, but there are far too many weapons on the Saint Andrews roster and without a gamebreaker on offense and a marquee goalie in the cage for the Patriots the Saint Andrews’ offense finds the cage more often. Great season for both Saint Andrews and Lake Brantley. Someone please have Saint Andrews spend a spring break in Baltimore or Long Island playing the top #15 rated teams in the nation, we want to see the skill of the Scots play the nation’s best and prove that Florida lacrosse is something to look out for. The Saint Andrews Scots will have won the Florida State Championships in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.
FHSAA Girls’ Lacrosse State Semifinal Games Predictions…
Vero Beach over Park Vista in the Noon game Friday at West Orange High School in Winter Garden.
Lake Brantley over Winter Springs in the 7:00PM game Friday at West Orange High School in Winter Garden.
FHSAA Girls’ Lacrosse Championship Game Prediction on Saturday at 5:00PM…
Vero Beach wins over Lake Brantley to win the FHSAA Girls’ Lacrosse State Championship.
Next updates… Championship Weekend Summary and OrlandoLacrosse.com’s All-Orlando Team…
Feel free to send me messages on www.twitter.com/OrlandoLax and let me know of any current lacrosse information for the Orlando/Greater Central Florida.
-OrlandoLax
photo above provided from Hammer Sports Photography from the Biship Moore vs Lake Highlands Prep lacrosse playoff game.
