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2023 GHSA LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Welcome to the 2023 GHSA Lacrosse State Championships! The finals are sure to be exciting as all of the schools represented are looking forward to their team achieving the title of “Champion”. However, we all know that all of our teams are outstanding and are definitely winners. This has been an outstanding season and this year’s finals will include familiar faces as well as teams that have worked hard and peaked at just the right time. Our congratulations are in order for all of the teams, coaches, administrators, students and parents who have supported the athletes throughout this year’s journey to the finals. I know you will enjoy and appreciate the state championships and all of the work leading up to this exciting event.
I would also like to thank you for your support of high school lacrosse throughout the season. Your attendance and support is integral to the success of high school athletics and for the team and individuals you are here to cheer on. Good sportsmanship is expected from our athletes and I urge you to be positive in your support of all of our teams. Let’s work together to make today’s finals a great experience for all involved.
To put on an event of this magnitude takes many volunteers who have worked tirelessly to provide a “first class” event. Many hours of work from this group will enhance the experience of our players, students and fans. The GHSA staff has been working for weeks as well to ensure a special event for all involved.
Finally, I would like to thank our corporate sponsors who make it possible to put on these championships. Their advertisements can be seen throughout this guide, and I encourage you to support them whenever possible. The GHSA wants to thank these exemplary companies for their involvement, we appreciate their support.
Thank you for your attendance and I know you are going to enjoy the best high school lacrosse anywhere!
FRIDAY, MAY 12
6 PM - 7A Girls (Milton vs. West Forsyth)
8 PM - 7A Boys (Lambert vs. West Forsyth)
SATURDAY, MAY 13
12 PM - 4A-A Girls (Wesleyan vs. Pace Academy)
2 PM - 4A-A Boys (Westminster vs. Lovett)
4 PM - 6A-5A Girls (Roswell vs. Blessed Trinity)
6 PM - 6A-5A Boys (Allatoona vs. Roswell)
Dr. Robin Hines Executive Director
MAY 12-13, 2023 WWW.GHSA.NET | 3
The 2023 Georgia High School Association Lacrosse Championship Guide is published by Score Media, a division of Score Atlanta, in conjunction with the GHSA. The guide was designed by Laura Grieve, and edited by Craig Sager II, Seth Ellerbee and Graham David. Information provided by the GHSA and photos on the cover and inside the guide are courtesy of Unforgettable Moments. For more information on Score Media, go to Scoreatl.com or call 404-246-7819.
WORD FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Watch the games Live on NFHSNetwork.com 2023 GHSA LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIPS WELCOME GHSA LACROSSE FANS /OFFICIALGHSA FOLLOW US Altama h a E MC • A micalola E MC • Ca r r oll EMC • Ce n t r al Geo rgia EMC • Coastal E lect r ic Coope r ativ e Colq u itt E MC • Co w eta-Fayette EMC • Di v erse Powe r • Excelsio r EMC • Fli n t Ene rgies • Grad y E M C G r ey S to n e P o w er • Haber sh a m E MC • Ha r t EMC • Ir w in EMC • Jac k so n E MC • J e f fe r son Ene rg y Georgia’s locally owned and operated Electric Membership Cooperatives are proud to sponsor the Georgia High School Association georgiaemc.com Middle Geo rgia EMC • Mitchell E MC • Oc mu lgee E MC • Oco n ee E MC • O kefe n o k e REM C Pla n ters E MC • Ra y le EMC • S las h P ine EMC • Snappi n g S h oals E MC • Southe r n Ri v e rs E ne rg y S u m ter E MC • T h r ee Notc h E MC • Upson EMC • Washi n gton EM C Little Ocmulgee EMC •
CHAMPIONSHIP-CALIBER TEAMS SQUARE OFF AT DENMARK
The GHSA lacrosse season will come to a close Friday and Saturday with a two-day state championship schedule that will be played at Denmark High School in Alpharetta, with titles being awarded in Class A-4A, 5A6A, and 7A for both girls and boys.
On the boys side, Lambert (7A) is seeking to win its thirdconsecutive lacrosse state championship and seventh overall. Lovett (A-4A) is looking to become back-to-back state champions and win its fifth state championship in program history. On the girls side, Milton (7A) is the winningest program in the state with 15 state championships and will be seeking its sixth-consecutive title and 16th overall come Friday night. Blessed Trinity (5A-6A) has been another staple in the state championships, winning five of the last six state titles and are seeking a third-consecutive championship.
SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS FOR BOYS & GIRLS
There are two programs where the boys and girls of each high school program will be represented in their respective classes, West Forsyth (7A) and Roswell (5A-6A). West Forsyth will be looking to make history by winning its first state title in program history for both girls and boys. The West Forsyth boys reached 20 wins for the first time in school history this season. The Roswell boys are seeking to win their first state title since 2015 and third overall, while the girls are trying to win their first-ever state title.
Westminster (5A-6A) is looking to become the winningest program in the state of Georgia in boys lacrosse state title wins. Currently, Westminster is tied with Lambert (7A) for the most titles ever in boys lacrosse at six. The Allatoona boys are seeking their first state title since 2016 and second overall in the program. The Pace Academy (A-4A)
girls are seeking their first-ever title in program history along with Roswell (5A-6A) and West Forsyth (7A).
ELITE COACHING ON THE BIG STAGE
West Forsyth’s boys coach, John Laden, won 7A Boys Lacrosse Coach of the Year, while Allatoona boys coach Johnathan Wishon won All-Area Coach of the Year. Milton Eagles girls coach Tim Godby won National Girls
BY NAJEH WILKINS | NWILKINS@SCOREATL.COM
Will Zylstra (Mercer-commit). All-State players include midfielder Ryder Stewart, defender Brady Gillis, and midfielder Bryson Rodgers. Lambert’s all-state players are Brooks Wehman, Chris Harper, Dylan Ferrer, and Cooper Brannon.
Roswell’s all-state players include defenders Carter Dowdy and Stone Smith, goalie Blake Jeska, and midfielder Luke Hicks. Midfielder Ezra Moore, attacker Hill Plunkett, attacker Alex Lobel, face off specialist Myles Quandt, and Stone Smith were all named USA AllAmericans. Allatoona’s all-state players include attacker Brayden Fountain and midfielder Morgan Maddish.
THE REMATCH
Lacrosse Coach of the Year, an accomplishment Coach Godby has earned after being the head coach for the Lady Eagles during their historic dominance. Additionally, he was inducted into the Georgia Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2019 with more than 200 career wins during his time as a coach.
ALL-AMERICANS & ALL-STATE PLAYERS COMPETING AT STATE
West Forsyth has two All-Americans on its squad, midfielder Greyson Brockman (Mercer-commit) and attacker
All of the state championship matchups will include a rematch from the regular season in each class. In the state’s highest classification, West Forsyth will face Lambert on the boys side. This is the second time this season these area foes have met with West Forsyth winning the first matchup 10-9 and beating Lambert for the first time in program history. On the girls side, Milton will face its region opponent West Forsyth. Milton claimed the victory in the earlier matchup, 12-5. In Class 5A-6A, Roswell will face Allatoona on the boys side. Roswell and Allatoona squared off earlier this season with the Hornets winning 13-7. On the girls side, Blessed Trinity will face off against Roswell for the second time this year. Blessed Trinity won 16-3 in the previous matchup. In Class A-4A, Westminster will seek revenge against Lovett after losing an earlier matchup this season 9-8, and the state final last year 14-7. On the girls side, Wesleyan will face Pace Academy. Wesleyan won the high-scoring matchup 18-15 back in April.
2023 GHSA LACROSSE
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CHAMPIONSHIPS
MAY 12-13, 2023 WWW.GHSA.NET | 5 Officials: the unsung heroes of high school sports. They protect the integrity of the game and serve our community selflessly, all so our students can continue to play the sports they love. Sign up today at HighSchoolOfficials.com Think you have what it takes to make the big calls? Bad behavior at high school athletic events has gotten OUT OF CONTROL. Are YOU part of the problem? Always be respectful, encouraging and positive. Let’s come together to #BenchBadBehavior for good! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! BenchBadBehavior.com Performing arts can take us anywhere, and they can bring us together. Today, they’ve brought all of us here—to play, perform and compete, together. Let’s show the world the unifying power of performing arts! Post now using the hashtag #PlayPerformCompeteTogether GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY. VISIT GOFAN.CO AND SEARCH FOR YOUR SCHOOL. BE THERE WITH THE OFFICIAL DIGITAL TICKETING PARTNER OF THE GEORGIA HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
Milton Eagles
CLASS 7A GIRLS
West Forsyth Wolverines
CLASS 7A BOYS
Lambert Longhorns
West Forsyth Wolverines
2023 GHSA LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIPS 6 | WWW.GHSA.NET
Head Coach Tim Godby
Head Coach John Kiefer # Name Pos. Grade 1 Christian Smith M 10 2 AJ Ferrer A 11 3 Drew Merder M 11 4 Kevin Connolly M 11 5 Harrison Richards M 10 6 Jack Nichols M 12 7 CB Ritter A 11 8 Cole Greenfield A 10 9 Evan Suh A 12 10 Luke Goldstein A 11 11 Christopher Harper D 12 12 Matthew Halik M 11 13 Cager Perry G 10 14 Brooks Wehman G 10 15 Tommy Morris A 12 16 Grady Bates M 10 17 Max Sciro FOGO 10 18 Gavin Carney A 11 19 Charlie Goldstein M 11 # Name Pos. Grade 20 Dane Schimmel M 10 21 Dylan Ferrer D 11 22 Luke Grasso G 10 23 Noah Saylor G 11 24 Ben Stone M 11 25 Grant Reese D 11 26 Lukas Dopfer D 11 27 Cooper Brannon D 10 28 Brent Starcher M 12 29 Davis German M 11 30 Jaxson Lamb M 12 31 Ian Kusten D 11 33 Alex Braun M 12 34 Thomas Allan A 11 35 Aidan Fenton D 11 36 John Kuchinski FOGO 11 40 Koby Lang M 11 88 Branson Brooks D 10 99 Liam Sweeney D 12
Head Coach John Spade
Head Coach John Laden # Name Pos. Grade 2 Fagan Babb D 12 3 Molly Stout A 12 4 Olivia Smith D 12 9 Ansley Athey MF 12 10 Avery Grace Jones A 9 11 Lauren Miller A 9 14 Lillyann Johnson D 11 18 Noelle Kirley MF 12 20 Hannah Savage A 12 22 Kaylin Restrepo A 12 24 Maggie Cannon D 12 27 Bryn Birkholz MF 9 # Name Pos. Grade 28 Cate Cummings A 11 30 Alex Starke A 10 32 Ally Hannigan MF 10 33 Katie Tuck D 10 41 Tess Krogman MF 10 42 Piper Knapp D 11 44 Kathryn Gilhooly D 9 46 Madison Malcolm D 10 53 Anna Bastow G 9 55 Emma Anderson G 12 # Name Pos. Grade 1 Maeve Simonds MF 12 2 Ashtyn Greathouse A 12 3 Kylie Waters MF 9 4 Anna Mellinger A 10 5 Emma Heenan A 12 6 Madison Iler D 12 7 Hayden Miller D 10 8 Payton Kozina A 10 9 Ella Pauley A/M 10 10 Peyton Baker A 10 11 Emerson Rico D 10 16 Jordi Mills A 11 # Name Pos. Grade 17 Addison Driver D 12 18 Ava Thompson D 9 20 Molly Wade MF 11 21 McKenna Merkel MF 10 22 Emily Simkin A 12 24 Emma Claire Mills MF 12 25 Alyssa Monje MF 10 26 Sophie Jurgens D 9 28 Kate Curran D 11 32 Gabriella Henry G 10 33 Scarlett Czarnecki G 12 # Name Pos. Grade 1 Braden Halloran A 11 2 Noah McGriff A 12 3 Ryder Stewart MF 11 4 Ian McCall LSM 12 5 Will Fulkerson MF 12 6 Jack Schenkemeyer MF 9 7 Evan Egolf MF 11 8 Parker Phalen LSM 12 9 Shay Neuhauser D 11 11 Sean Pepple MF 12 12 Brady Gillis D 12 13 Henry Delp MF 11 14 Ryan Webb D 11 17 Tyler Reljac D 12 # Name Pos. Grade 18 Blake Snidow LSM/D 12 19 Foster Orris MF 10 20 Jake Sander G 11 21 Treyson Brasfield LSM 12 22 James Davidson A 11 23 Jamison Howson A 11 24 Tom Gilhooly G 12 25 Bryson Rogers FOGO 12 27 Will Zylstra A 11 29 Peyton Vaughan A 11 33 Lucas Prinke D 11 37 Shea Britt FOGO 12 44 Nic Reljac G 10 45 Greyson Brockman MF 12
PAST GIRLS GHSA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS
Roswell Hornets
CLASS 6A - 5A GIRLS
Blessed Trinity Titans
CLASS 6A - 5A BOYS
Allatoona Raiders
2023 GHSA LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIPS 8 | WWW.GHSA.NET
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# Name Pos. Grade 2 Brayden Smith A 11 3 Ethan Merandi LSM 12 4 George Kahinga M 9 5 Jack Frischmann M 11 7 Gray Kelley D 11 8 Reece Shaw M 10 9 Max Fouts G 11 10 Jack Rogers A/M 9 11 Jacob Simmons D 10 12 Anthony Puccio A 10 13 Preston Aguila-Velez M 10 14 Joey Genovese LSM 10 16 Ryder Kim LSM 12 17 Ben Lea D 12 19 Sawyer Smith D/LSM 11 # Name Pos. Grade 20 Jacob Koehler M 11 21 Trey Leonard M 11 22 Jaiden George D/LSM 11 23 Brandon Sullivan D 11 24 Nicolas Puccio G 9 25 Wyatt Merandi M 10 27 Blaze Nickerson G 11 28 Nish Patel G 11 30 Morgan Madish A/M 12 32 Owen Rogers A 10 34 Mason Waters D 10 35 Brayden Fountain A 11 # Name Pos. Grade 1 Lily Sanders D 12 3 Keira Mainella D 10 4 Caroline McCann A 9 6 Bryna Gibbons D 12 7 Kit MacLeod M 9 8 Ella Bea Croteau A 10 9 Keppy Ewing A 10 10 Sydney Davis G 12 11 Izzy Strent D 12 13 Addy Nordel D 9 14 Maclain Chapiro D 12 15 Kayla MacLeod M 12 16 M.K. Tucker M 9 17 Ellery Eicher A 12 # Name Pos. Grade 18 Dani Kent A/M 12 19 Gracie Karoly M 11 21 Laila Johnson M 11 22 Hannah Peyton A 10 23 Mayah Soffer M 11 24 Hadley Cremers A 10 26 Audrey Williams D 10 27 Tay Howell D 10 28 Maddie Helms M 9 32 Ana Arce M 9 42 Lois Howry D 9 44 Madelyn Allison G 9 45 Rachael Lawrence D 11 58 Briley Greenway D 10
Head Coach Jonathan Wishon
Head Coach Travis Carr Roswell Hornets Head Coach Brian Michalec
Head Coach Dusty Gunn # Name Pos. Grade 1 Kyle O’Neal FO/M 11 2 Blake Jeska G 11 3 Wes Austin SSDM 11 4 Chris Redding M 12 6 Myles Quandt FO/M 12 7 Kaden Parla A/M 9 8 Rex Maddux G 12 9 Joe Synder M/A 12 10 Sam Coffee LSM 12 11 Hill Plunkett A 12 12 Ben Gotham LSM 11 13 Owen Smith M 12 14 Austin Elder SSDM 11 15 Jack Crary M 12 16 Paul Holt LSM 12 # Name Pos. Grade 17 Carter Dowdy D 11 18 Will O’Loughlin SSDM 10 19 Michael Murrieta M 12 21 Ethan Gurela SSDM 10 22 Kai Keating D 11 23 Dean Maddux D 9 24 Luke Hicks A 11 25 Eli Goodwin M 12 26 Alex Lobel A 12 27 Kareem Gillies D 11 28 Ezra Moore A/M 11 29 Ben Weir A/M 10 33 Stone Smith D 12 38 Jack Sharon D 12 40 Stellan Wright SSDM 9 # Name Pos. Grade 1 Morgan Handzel MF 11 2 Jenna Nicholl F 11 3 Jaclyn Johns F 12 4 Ashlyn Lester D 9 5 Ana Waller MF 12 6 Maggie Sullivan F 9 7 Katie O’Leary F 10 8 Hannah Daley MF 9 9 Reagan Hart MF 12 10 Olivia James F 12 11 Alexandra Allen F 12 12 Clark Hamilton F 11 14 Sydney Riepe MF 9 # Name Pos. Grade 15 Liz Helsley D 11 16 Sienna Waller MF 9 17 Haden Noyes F 12 18 Haley Cook D 12 19 Kathryn McCabe D 12 20 Ava Regitz D 12 21 Carly Coopman MF 12 22 Claire Luke GK 11 23 Tatum McCarthy MF 9 24 Jaedyn Martincavage F 10 25 Izzy Maya F 10 26 Caroline Gloria D 9 27 Emily Weir GK 12
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MAY 12-13, 2023 WWW.GHSA.NET | 9
GET THE MAXPREPS APP EVERY TEAM. EVERY PLAYER. EVERY GAME.
PAST GIRLS GHSA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS
Wesleyan Wolves
CLASS 4A - 1A GIRLS
Pace Academy Knights
CLASS 4A - 1A BOYS
Westminster Wildcats
2023 GHSA LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIPS 10 | WWW.GHSA.NET
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# Name Pos. Grade 1 Thomas Flores MF 9 2 Bryce Howard MF 12 4 Lane Healy D 11 5 Nate Jackson MF 10 6 Mason Theis MF 10 7 Laith Bandukwala A 12 8 Will Downes MF 11 9 Brand Morgan LSM 10 10 Connor Hodgson A 11 11 Jett Hartley MF 11 12 Tyler Harris MF 12 13 James Irwin FO 10 14 Shailen Kadaba D 10 15 Baker Battin G 12 # Name Pos. Grade 18 James Braselton MF 12 19 Henry Izlar MF 12 21 Jack deButts MF 9 22 Garrett Wooley A 10 23 Harrison Dixon D 11 24 Michael Buhay MF 10 27 Hillis Kopecky D 11 28 Will Davis D 9 33 Finn Regal A 11 42 Wilson Ide D 12 44 Armstrong Jones MF 11 45 Henry Douglas FO 12 51 Aidan Wooley A 12 # Name Pos. Grade 1 Skyla Keo M 9 2 Avery Tucker M 9 3 Eva Garabadian M 11 4 Hailey Williamson A 10 5 Aubrey Alecxih D 12 6 Britian Bridgers M/A 10 7 MJ Reinhard A 12 8 Bailey Rayburn M/A 10 9 Lily Surber A 10 10 Kendall Bowen D 12 11 Riley Cavanaugh D 12 12 Caitlin Bridgers A 12 13 Elsa Moore D 12 # Name Pos. Grade 14 Avery Adkin M 10 15 Maggie Soukup D 11 16 Audrey Pursell A 12 17 Hannah Brewster M/A 11 18 Sarah Wren D 10 19 Mamie Pridgen D 11 20 Christina McCoy D 12 21 Morgan Akin A 12 22 Charlotte Jackson M/D 12 23 Lily Nydam G 12 24 Addison Braswell D/M 11 25 Anna McGowan M 9 INJ Millie Dempsey M/A 11
Head Coach Tony Souza
Head Coach Ame Conley Lovett Lions Head Coach Jim Buczek
Head Coach Kelsea Lowe # Name Pos. Grade 1 Baker Weeden A 9 2 Hudson Gregory M 12 3 Topher Ferrara A 11 4 Brooks Bradbury M 12 5 Zac Hovis D 12 7 John Gately A 10 8 Fielder Odegard M 12 9 Hamilton Stewart M 12 11 Charlie Olivier A 11 12 Davis Dickson D 11 14 Connor Connolly M 10 15 Davis Cronan A 10 17 Hill Kelso D 10 18 Mac Lovein D 12 20 Mason Ball M 12 21 Brooks Hooper A/M 12 22 Ridley Richert D 12 # Name Pos. Grade 23 Thomas Yabroudy M 11 25 Sellars Holder M 11 26 Tison Shippey M 9 27 Julian Farris M 12 28 Colin Carroll M 11 30 Jack Yungwirth G 9 31 Hill Jones M 10 32 Julian Cassinelli FO 11 33 Quinton Wallace M 9 34 George Johnson D 9 39 John Brennan D 10 40 Porter Andros G 10 41 Harrison Armentrout D 11 42 Charlie Harlan M 10 43 Ford Diffley D 9 44 Crawford Pope D 10 47 John Wilson D 10 # Name Pos. Grade 5 Victoria Hadley D 12 6 Jordyn Howard A 11 12 Rebecca Thompson D 11 13 Wells Howe MF 11 14 Sydney Vincent MF 11 18 Ellie Arenth A 11 21 Anna Nuckols MF 12 # Name Pos. Grade 22 Marley Venturi D 12 23 Maddie Swartz D 12 25 Sophia Mador MF 12 26 Eva Swales MF 9 27 Emery Duncan A 11 31 Kinley Stephens D 9 40 Katie Janko G 12
BOYS PAST STATE CHAMPIONS GIRLS PAST STATE CHAMPIONS
Lovett
Lassiter
Westminster
Lovett
Lovett
Westminster Milton
Lambert Walton
Lambert Milton
A-AAAAA
Westminster Centennial
Northview Roswell
Westminster Roswell 2016 Allatoona Lambert YEAR A-5A
Westminster Lassiter 2018 Blessed Trinity Lambert
Westminster Walton
(not held) (not held)
Blessed Trinity Lambert
Lovett Lambert
Milton
Milton
Milton
Milton
Westminster Milton
Westminster Milton
Westminster Milton
Westminster Milton
Kell Milton
Kell Milton
Blessed Trinity Walton YEAR A-5A
Blessed Trinity Milton
Blessed Trinity Milton
Starr’s Mill Milton
(not held) (not held)
Blessed Trinity Milton
Blessed Trinity Milton
MAY 12-13, 2023 WWW.GHSA.NET | 11
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YEAR OPEN EVENT 2005
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AAAAAA 2013
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6A-7A 2017
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6A-7A 2017
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Chattahoochee YEAR A-AAAA
YEAR A-AAAAA
