What a difference a month can make. On March 21, St. Margaret’s had a record of 2-4.
A month and 13 games later, the Tartans are 15-4 and have a shot to win an outright Trinity League title today against JSerra.
St. Margaret’s rose to No. 2 in the Register’s Top10 this week thanks to impressive wins against JSerra and Corona del Mar, becoming the first Orange County team to defeat the Sea Kings in nearly two seasons.
St. Margaret’s and JSerra last met on April 16, when the Tartans were victorious, 13-8, thanks to three goals and three assists from Alex Waller and three additional goals from Chase Williams.
This second matchup will be at JSerra.
Lions coach Kyle Harrison hopes his team is able to handle the hype leading into the game.
“We’re excited, it’s a big game,” Harrison said. “At the same time, we have to manage those emotions and treat it like every other game.”
Harrison hopes his team avoids the mistakes that plagued it in the previous encounter and will look to James Yanes and Cole Schleppy to lead the way.
Playoffs near
Seeding committee meetings for the boys and girls lacrosse playoffs will be held today.
The committee will select 16 teams and the pairings will be released tonight.
The first round — for both boys and girls — begins Tuesday, with the higher seed playing host to the matches.
It will be the same scenario during the second round, which begins Thursday.
The semifinals are a week from today at Aliso Niguel, and the Orange County finals will be held May 8 at Mission Viejo High.
The Los Alamitos girls and Corona del Mar boys teams will try to defend their championships after claiming county titles in 2012.
Intensity on the rise
The tension that comes with every contest will rise in the playoffs, too, especially in the boys bracket.
Foothill coach John Fox, who has guided the Knights to multiple championships, believes this is the best he has seen Orange County lacrosse heading into the playoffs.
“I think each year it’s getting better,” Fox said. “It’s the deepest (season) overall, when you consider the level of play, the coaches and the players.”
Fox believes his team is well-equipped to handle the intensity that comes with the postseason after all of the pressure situations it faced during the regular season, but even he acknowledges it’s hard to see what’s coming.
Harrison is hoping the Lions enter the postseason with a better understanding of how the games are played.
“Last year, I saw the shocked look on (the players’) faces after we lost to Huntington Beach in the first round,” Harrison said. “I think we have a better understanding of how important it is to play well, so I’m excited to see how we roll into the playoffs this year.”
With teams such as Foothill, JSerra, Corona del Mar, St. Margaret’s and Tesoro, the boys bracket is sure to provide some interesting drama.
HOT LIST
Five teams having a great week:
St. Margaret’s boys: Inched closer to an outright Trinity League championship by dominating Servite and Santa Margarita.
Yorba Linda boys: Finished regular season with 16-1 record and went undefeated in Century League.
Foothill boys: A 13-3 victory against El Toro in season finale kept Knights undefeated against county teams.
Aliso Niguel girls: Met one of their preseason goals by going unbeaten in the Sea View League.
Beckman girls: Triumphed against University and Corona del Mar by a combined 28-7 margin.
Contact the writer: amorales@ocregister.com
