Prep Girls Lacrosse Preview: Titans ranked No. 10 in county
The Poway High, Rancho Bernardo and Del Norte girls lacrosse teams are all in the Palomar League and all in Division I this season.
The three are close competitively to each other, as the Titans entered this week ranked No. 10, Del Norte No. 15 and Rancho Bernardo No. 19 in the San Diego Section (rankings by Lax Power).
Here is a closer look at the local teams:
Poway
Coach: Sarah Spillett, 7th year
2014 Record: 12-9
2015 Division: I
Key players: D, Natalie Yorba, Sr.; MF, Taylor Jervis, Jr.; A, Isabelle Flud, So.; Megan Miller, Sr.; Michelle Morelan, Sr.; Erin Dunn, So.; Fiona Boyle, Fr.
Outlook: The Titans lost 124 goals with the graduation of five key seniors and will lean on a new core group to pick up the slack.
Flud is expected to lead the way, as she led the team with 39 goals last year. The addition of Rancho Bernardo transfer Jervis should also help.
Yorba will once again anchor the defense for Poway.
The Titans should be in a battle with Del Norte and Westview for the Palomar League title. Poway entered this week ranked No. 10 in the county by Lax Power.
Rancho Bernardo
Coach: Dave Christensen, 2nd year
2014 Record: 6-14
2015 Division: I
Key players: A, Katie Carpenter, Sr.; GK, Clair Zimmerman, Sr.; MF, Amanda Smith, So.; A, Emily Boles, Sr.
Outlook: The Broncos are young and several players have little to no varsity experience.
But a pair of girls with plenty of experience working together are Carpenter and Boles. The duo will lead the offensive attack for Rancho Bernardo.
“They have played four years together and work very well together,” Christensen said.
The Broncos will have a tough time in league, facing squads with much more experience. But they should be able to compete well against their non-league schedule.
Del Norte
Coach: Kimberly Pytel, 4th year
2014 Record: 12-7
2015 Division: I
Key players: MF, Makenna Grewe, Sr.; D, Olivia Kroop, Jr.; A, Emma Ekeroth, Jr.; MF, Kaia Evans, Fr.
Outlook: The Nighthawks have a handful of talented returners and a nice mix of newcomers to help their drive toward a Division I championship.
Senior Grewe and freshman Evans will have a strong presence in the midfield and should help create opportunities on attack. Ekeroth, who is a smart cutter and a quick shooter, should also help find the back of the net.
Kroop is a natural leader and will run the defensive unit for Del Norte, who was eliminated in the Division I quarterfinals last year after earning the No. 4 seed.
The Nighthawks entered this week ranked No. 15 in the section by Lax Power and should be right in the middle of the race for the Palomar League title.