The 2021 Triangle-area HS lacrosse preview. Who are top teams, players in the area

The N.C. High School Athletic Association high school lacrosse season began this week.

The regular-season is scheduled to end March 12 with state finals on March 27.

Here is a look at some of the top teams and players in the Triangle this year.

Different time, same top teams in Triangle-area lacrosse

Lacrosse in Winter?

High school lacrosse has morphed into a winter sport this season for North Carolina’s public schools, but it looks as if the same schools that have dominated the springtime version of the sport will do so in cold weather.

That means defending state champion Cardinal Gibbons is the team to beat in 4A, with Middle Creek and Apex among the top contenders to knock off the Crusaders.

In the 1A-2A-3A classification, Chapel Hill and East Chapel Hill figure to lead the way. Their paths to the state title have been blocked the last three completed seasons (the 2020 campaign was halted by COVID-19) by Weddington, but the Charlotte-area Warriors have lost some of their firepower.

And on the girls’ side, Cardinal Gibbons looks like the favorite for a fifth consecutive state championship. East Chapel Hill, the 2019 regional runner-up, is a strong contender this season.

The N.C. High School Athletic Association’s decision to move lacrosse from spring to winter, as part of the COVID-related shuffle, will bring some changes this season. Several area schools -- like Southeast Raleigh (boys), Voyager Academy (boys) and South Garner (girls) -- do not have enough players to field teams this year. That is because athletes must choose from among basketball, boys’ soccer, lacrosse and football -- each of which is taking place in January, February and March.

So here’s a quick primer on area lacrosse:

Players to watch

Joey Annetta (Holly Springs): A Loyola-Maryland commit, Annett is a standout senior defender who plays well both on and off the ball. At 6-0 and 170 pounds, he has the size to keep the Golden Hawks in playoff contention.

Griff Cooling (Cardinal Gibbons): Cooling, a senior attacker who has committed to Lynchburg, had 36 goals as a sophomore in 2019 and has 53 goals in 41 matches with the Crusaders. He has scored on 48.6 percent of his shots.

Colin O’Brien (Heritage): A 5-11, 160-pound senior attacker, O’Brien totaled 17 goals in six matches in the 2020 COVID-shortened season. He has committed to Belmont Abbey.

Noah Wilson (Jordan): A senior attacker, Wilson had five goals and three assists in three matches last season, after a sophomore campaign with 30 goals and seven assists.

Kayleen Favreau (Holly Springs): She scored 70 goals in 2019 as a freshman and led the state in ground balls among freshmen, with 151. She scored her 100th career goal Monday when Holly Springs scored its first-ever victory over Apex.

Caroline Mullahy (Cardinal Gibbons): A two-time state cross-country champion, Mullahy scored 39 goals and totaled 62 ground balls in 2019 as a sophomore. She leads the attack for the four-time defending state champions.

Talia Zuco (East Chapel Hill): A senior midfielder, Zuco averaged four goals per match as a sophomore in 2019 and 70 percent of her draws. She scored four goals in her only match last season, against Wake Forest.

Conference races

▪ Boys’ Conference 4: Attacker Colin O’Brien and junior defender Dillon Bethea lead Heritage. The other top contender is Wakefield, led by goalkeeper Kurtis Lensing, midfielder Jake Green, defender Ben Yu, and faceoff specialist Coleman Kraske.

With 10 sophomores and 10 freshmen, Wake Forest is a team of the future. Sophomore midfielder Cael Fauceglia is a player to watch. At Rolesville, senior defender Benjamin Reed provides the experience on a young team.

Corinth Holders is the other conference member.

▪ Boys’ Conference 5: Coach Gordon Calloway has another loaded team at Cardinal Gibbons. In addition to Griff Cooling, the Crusaders have seniors Daniel Enoch (an Air Force commit), Bryce Wojnovich (Jacksonville) and Nicco Moriates (Lenoir-Rhyne) leading the way. Leesville Road will contend, however, with senior attackers Ethan Ryan and Tyler Stana and senior midfielder Logan Starr.

Broughton, with senior attacker Charlie Corbett (13 goals on 24 shots as a sophomore), will challenge for a playoff berth. Sanderson could be a darkhorse, with sophomore Nick Pomilio (20 goals in five matches last year) and senior Henry Black, a second-team all-conference pick in 2019.

Enloe is led by junior Caden McCabe, who had five goals and two assists in four matches last year.

Other conference members are Millbrook and Southeast Raleigh (inactive).

▪ Boys’ Conference 6: Perennial power Middle Creek, with a strong defense, is the favorite. But Holly Springs will contend with senior defenders Joey Annetta and Jacob Scannell (a Catawba commit). Five members of the defense have signed to play in college.

Apex, under coach John Hayden, has a strong senior class. The team is led by a pair of Air Force commits -- defender Matt Gulley and midfielder Gabe Swanser. Apex Friendship is another senior-heavy team, with attackers Jack Mullins and Jack Flynt and defenders Zach Umstead and Nathan Buck.

Also in the conference is Garner.

▪ Boys’ Conference 7: Fuquay-Varina, which moved last year into a conference loaded with Moore and Cumberland county teams, is the strong favorite. Goalkeeper Drew Wheeler, a junior who has committed to Barton, has a 65.9 percent career save ratio. Attackers J.J. Dickens and Caden Castle each have 60-plus career points. South Garner could contend, behind junior attacker James Rogers and sophomore midfielder Kenneth Crowley.

Other conference members are Jack Britt, Cape Fear, Pinecrest and Terry Sanford.

▪ Boys’ Conference 8: Defending champion Jordan looks like the team to beat again, behind senior attacker Noah Wilson, senior midfielder Sam Ferrell (Marist commit) and senior goalkeeper Jake Dale (Hamilton commit). Ferrell had 44 goals and 17 assists in 2019.

Green Hope and Panther Creek are the contenders. Panther Creek senior attacker Ryan Stines had 16 goals in 2019 and eight goals in four matches last year. Senior defender Andrew Jung is another standout.

Athens Drive is led by seniors Zack Tucker and Duke Carroll. Tucker stopped 54 percent of shots in goal in 2019.

Other conference members are Cary, Green Level and Riverside.

▪ Boys’ Conference 9: The preseason favorites are Orange and Cedar Ridge, with Northern as a darkhorse. Orange has seniors Duncan Grant (defense), Ryan Merrill (attacker) and Cy Horner (midfield). Cedar Ridge junior attacker Roman Oguntoyinbo and junior goalkeeper Josh Taylor are all-conference candidates.

At Northern, senior midfielder Anthony Brown has 41 goals in 31 career matches, and Micaiah Smith scored 16 goals in four matches last season.

Other conference members are Roxboro Community, Vance Charter and Webb.

▪ Boys’ Conference 10: Chapel Hill looks like the favorite, behind four-year starters Declan Savage and Mason Davis. Savage, at 260 pounds, is an imposing force on defense. He has committed to Yale to play football as an offensive lineman. East Chapel Hill and Northwood, with a senior-heavy lineup, are top contenders.

Other conference members are Carrboro, Southern Durham and Voyager Academy (inactive).

▪ Girls’ Conference 4: East Chapel Hill is the favorite, behind Talia Zuco, junior midfielders Molly Reed and Regan Reed, and freshman attacker Kate Levy. Molly Reed had 52 goals in 17 matches as a freshman in 2019.

Heritage is led by junior midfielder Brooke Szczypinski, who totaled 61 goals and 18 assists as a freshman in 2019. Senior Emma Romano leads the defense. Wakefield is very young, with sophomore midfielder Katie Tan and freshman midfielder Katie Herb leading the way. Midfielder Hayley Shattuck is the top player for Rolesville.

Other conference members are Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Northwood and Wake Forest.

▪ Girls’ Conference 5: Welcome to the Cardinal Gibbons Show. Bailey Mutch (82 goals) has graduated, but there is plenty of talent left behind. Caroline Mullahy leads the attack, but defender Kate Zarnik and goalkeeper Maggie Hawk anchor the defense.

Broughton lost Addie Carnak (192 goals) to graduation but returns goalkeeper Lauren Bryner (23 saves in four matches last spring) and sophomore defender Anna Wheeler. Millbrook has a young team, led by juniors Carly Murphy (midfield) and Jess Finnessy (defense).

Sanderson could battle Broughton for the No. 2 playoff berth. Also in the conference are Enloe and Leesville Road.

▪ Girls’ Conference 6: A tight battle is expected, with Apex, Apex Friendship, Middle Creek and Holly Springs in contention.

Holly Springs goalkeeper Emma McCoy (a Limestone commit) is among the best at her position in the Triangle area. Attacker Jordan Ellerson (Longwood commit) has 119 career goals.

New head coach Emily Johnson has Avery Strause and Meghan Parker leading the attack at Apex Friendship. Olivia Verlinden has 84 career goals for Garner.

Other conference members are Fuquay-Varina, Middle Creek and South Garner (inactive).

▪ Girls’ Conference 8: Athens Drive and Green Level are the title favorites, with Panther Creek as a darkhorse.

At Athens Drive, coach Mike SamGiacomo has a veteran offense led by seniors Ana Altman and Olivia Cassidy. Goalkeeper M.J. Tucker has a 52 percent save ratio. Green Level is a young team, with sophomores Abbey Rukamp (midfield) and Alli Caldwell (defense) and juniors Katie Hunter (midfield) and Meg Wilson (attack) leading the way.

Panther Creek could contend behind senior midfielder Reagan Terrell and senior defender Hailey Smith.

Other conference members are Cary, Green Hope, Jordan, and Riverside.

▪ Of note

Apex boys’ coach John Hayden opens the season ranked No. 3 among N.C. coaches in victories. His teams have won 328 times since he started coaching in 2002.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle

This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 7:25 PM.