District 16 has been one of the toughest lacrosse districts in Florida over the last 3 years. (Note: These teams made up district 15 prior to this season. We omit the change when making historical references.) It regularly has 3 teams at the top of the district race all with Lax Power ratings above 90. While some districts have a stronger team or two, there may only be one other Florida district with 3 teams that high.
1 – Jesuit
While Plant took the district in 2016 and Berkeley took it in 2017, Tampa Lax Report believes this year it will be Jesuit. While they did lose 4 senior starters, Jesuit’s solid program and wealth of talent should backfill fine and keep them in the hunt for a district title. Watching them at the Tampa Winter Jam showed the Tigers to be a confident, poised, technically proficient team ready to roll. Berkeley and Plant will no doubt have something to say about it, but at the very least, no one would argue that all 3 will make appearances in the district playoffs. Games to watch for the Tigers start early with their second game on February 24 against Barron Collier. Other big matchups are on March 2 vs Berkeley and March 28 vs Plant.
2 – Plant
Nothing in this district is easy this year. Choosing the #2 seed proves that point. A case could be made for either Plant or Berkeley. And truth be told, it wouldn’t surprise anyone at TLR if even our top pick of Jesuit took this spot. But in 2018, we have Plant filling the slot. Their games against Jesuit in 2017 were split, with Plant taking the decisive playoff game in overtime. Like I said, it’s a tough district. The Panthers graduated 11 seniors with anywhere from 6-8 playing starting roles, so their 2018 season certainly isn’t set in stone. Plant’s first game will be a gauge for both the Panthers and Cardinal Mooney as they faceoff on Febuary 20 at Plant. Look for other important games on March 2 against Newsome, March 15 vs Berkeley, and perhaps the battle for first place in District 16, March 28 against Jesuit.
3 – Berkeley Prep
That brings us to Berkeley Prep – the district champs and Elite 8 finalist in Florida last season. They are riding a 4-game win streak against Jesuit, but we think that streak ends in 2018. The Buccaneers lost some very good senior talent from last year including All American Max Mortonson as well as a goalkeeper, D pole, and two middies. Along with a change (actually, two head coaching changes) since then, we feel Berkeley may have some work to do in 2018. But be warned about the Berkeley squad – they are young. TLR sees them much better in 2019 and even better yet in 2020. Big district matchups on March 2 against Jesuit and April 3 against Plant are local games to see, but Berkeley will also travel for a very tough contest on March 23 against Barron Collier.
4 – Tampa Catholic
Rounding out our Top 4 for District 16 is Tampa Catholic. TC battles hard against the top 3 every year, but is still struggling to break through. They’ve graduated their leading scorer from 2017 as well as a goalie. Adding insult to injury was the transfer of two players to Sickles, one being a starting defenseman. With a district heavy in talented teams, the Crusaders have a tough road ahead in 2018, but we have little doubt they will compete and make an appearance in the district playoffs. We’re looking at the Crusaders game against Robinson on February 27 as a good matchup as well as contests on March 22 against Plant and their last game on April 13 against Riverview.
