States-bound: Which local lacrosse teams are headed to Naples?

Palm Beach County lacrosse is once again putting the state on notice.

Local boys and girls squads punched several tickets to the state championship this year, blitzing through district and regional competition on their way to Naples, and with it, the chance for the coveted state title.

St. Andrew's embraces target in title defense

In the course of this week, MaxPreps moved St. Andrews boys lacrosse up to the No. 1 spot both across the state and nationally -- but really, that's just because they're finally seeing what we get to see in our Boca Raton backyard every match.

Yet to face a team that has given them much of a contest in the 2024 postseason, St. Andrew's once again demonstrated local dominance in claiming another regional title in Saturday's 25-6 afternoon win against St. John Paul II.

It's 'been there, done' that for head coach Tony Seaman and the Scots, who are going for their fourth state title in a row, a nigh unheard-of feat across high-school program dynasties.

What's it like having a target on your back for this long? Seaman went for the tongue-in-cheek response.

"It's like me walking into a bar with a bunch of beautiful women," he said. "Three in a row. Everybody wants a piece of you."

Jokes aside, Dylan Faison is anything but -- after Saturday's game, Seaman hailed the sophomore attacker as the best player he's ever coached, spanning a 50-year career.

To which, of course, the young Faison shared the same compliment for his veteran mentor.

"He's my favorite coach," Faison said of Seaman. "I learn everything from him. This last year has been the most valuable year I've had in all my life. It's definitely been the most learnable experience.

Scoring at a clip of over four goals per game, Faison boasts an 86-goal year as the Scots head into the state semifinals, which will be against Community School of Naples on May 9 at 2:30 p.m.

While Faison and fellow sophomore Nick Testa continue running a dominant offense, goaltender Andrew Pozo is intent on making sure that opponents' offenses are struggling to keep up.

"I'd say my performance was great, but I've got to give credit to the defense," said Pozo, a transfer from Miami's Christopher Columbus High School before this season. "They're giving me the shots I like to see. When I do well, they're playing just as well."

Ultimately, the trip to Naples was an expected one. Regional teams hadn't found an answer to the Scots before this year, and that's a trend that continued this week.

And state opposition won't like what Seaman had to say about what makes this year's squad stand out.

"This is probably the best group I've coached her in nine years," Seaman said. "And seven of them are sophomores, our whole offense. We'll take that. Every week in practice, our offense practices against the best defense and our defense plays against the best offense. So games are kinda fun."

Which other local teams are headed to Naples?

American Heritage-Delray Girls

The Stallions defeated St. Andrew's for a third time this season, their 18-4 victory cementing a trip to Naples for the state semifinals, where top-ranked Heritage will face off against Episcopal School of Jacksonville on May 10 at 2:30 p.m.

Benjamin Boys

The Bucs are headed to Naples after defeating Lake Highland Prep, 16-5. No. 2 seed Benjamin will face Bolles in the state semifinals game on May 9 at noon. Jack Kelleher led the Bucs' regional final win with three goals and three assists, while Alex Ponchock tallied two each.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: States-bound: Which local lacrosse teams are headed to Naples?