2021 1A High School Boys Polls

After Districts (Final Poll)

  1. Jesuit (13-2) – The Tigers went wire-to-wire as our #1 team in 1A this year. They won the District 9 title and will face St. Stephen’s in the first regional game. We expect Jesuit to eventually face Canterbury or Community School of Naples then either St. Andrew’s or Belen Jesuit. It isn’t an easy path to the Final 4, but like Plant, this may be the year to do it.
  2. Canterbury (11-3) -We had Canterbury at #4 in our pre-season poll. Nice movement here for them. The Cougars took down district rival Cardinal Mooney in the title game and that moves them up a spot and Mooney down a spot. Very nice season for Canterbury. If they can get by Community School of Naples, they’ll have the opportunity to face Jesuit on April 30th which we believe Canterbury would host.
  3. Cardinal Mooney (10-5) – We picked Mooney as our #3 in pre-season and that’s where they finish. We said we thought they may lose a step in 2021. And while they may have (a little), they were definitely impressive all season – no doubt. We hope they are able to fill the spots being left by their senior class so we can continue to have them in our poll.
  4. Berkeley (9-7) – We knew Berkeley would be struggling more than in 2020, but since 2020 was an absolute huge opportunity for them, that prediction was easy to come to. Berkeley beat who they were supposed to and lost to who they were supposed to. Unfortunately, their 50-50 games (Riverview, Canterbury) got dropped each by a single goal.
  5. St. Stephen’s (11-2) – We didn’t have St. Stephen’s on our poll until after week 6. They certainly earned that recognition this season with some very impressive wins. The Falcons face Jesuit in the first round of state play on April 23. Not an easy matchup by any stretch of the imagination.

Week 8

  1. Jesuit (11-2) – The Tigers took down Canterbury and Admiral Farragut in the last week of regular season. As the top seed in District 9, they earned a bye and won’t play until April 14th when they play the winner of Wesley Chapel and Tampa Catholic. Semi-Finals and Finals will be hosted at Berkeley Prep. We expect Jesuit to take care of things and become district champions on April 16th.
  2. Cardinal Mooney (9-4) – Mooney was forced to cancel the last two of their week 8 games, but did play against Gulf Coast. The Cougars dropped that game 12-13. Mooney earned a bye in the first round of the District 11 playoffs and will eventually play the winner of Out-of-Door and SMA. The District 11 finals should be a rematch of the March 5th Mooney vs Canterbury game that had Mooney take it by a single goal. Their district final is on April 15th.
  3. Canterbury (8-3) – Canterbury lost to a tough Jesuit squad on April 6, 3-8. Canterbury has earned a bye for the first round of District 11 playoffs and will first play against the winner of the Bishop Verot / Cypress Lake game. As with Mooney, we expect Canterbury to appear in the district finals that will feature a rematch with Mooney. Canterbury will be looking for revenge for the previous 1-goal loss to the Cougars.
  4. Berkeley (7-6) – As noted in our Week 7 notes, Berkeley had a back-ended schedule – littered with Florida top 15 teams. And as expected, dropped two more games on the season. Berkeley finishes with the #2 seed in District 9 and will play Pasco on Monday. If they can again get past Calvary Christian, the Bucs should appear in the district finals (hosted at Berkeley Prep) on April 16th against Jesuit.
  5. St. Stephen’s (9-2) – The Falcons took care of both Tampa Catholic and SMA to finish out the regular season last week. They’ve been enjoying a good season and have earned the top seed in District 10. Their semi-finals will be on April 13th against St. Pete Catholic and the finals will be on April 15th where we expect them to face either Northside Christian or Robinson. Either way, St. Stephen’s should take the district title.

Week 7

  1. Jesuit (9-2) – Jesuit’s only game last week was the biggest of the regular season and TLR’s Game of the Week (YouTube link) as the Tigers hosted #1 Plant. Jesuit dropped the home game 9-8 in what was easily the hottest ticket in town. Jesuit closes out regular season with two games: April 6th hosting TLR #3 / Florida #14 Canterbury and April 9th hosting Admiral Farragut. Jesuit will be the top seed in 1A District 9.
  2. Cardinal Mooney (9-3) – Mooney cruised to an easy 16-0 win against SMA in week 7. Closing out the regular season next week, the Cougars host Florida #22 Gulf Coast, TLR #2 / Florida #8 Newsome, and TLR #4 / Florida #20 Berkeley Prep. Neither of these games will be easy. Cardinal Mooney will be the top seed in 1A District 11.
  3. Canterbury (8-2) – Canterbury’s previously scheduled game against St. Thomas Aquinas disappeared from the schedule last week, so no games were played. Canterbury closes out regular season play on the road against TLR #1 / Florida #5 Jesuit on April 6th, then home against Riverdale on April 9th. Canterbury will be the #2 seed in 1A District 11 behind Cardinal Mooney.
  4. Berkeley (7-5) – Tough week against tough opponents in week 7. Berkeley took the win against district opponent Tampa Catholic 15-0, but dropped the road game against Florida #11 Montverde and their home game against TLR #2 / Florida #8 Newsome. It doesn’t get any easier for the Bucs when they close out the season against TLR #1 / Florida #4 Plant as well as a road game against TLR #2 / Florida #12 Cardinal Mooney. Berkeley will be the #2 seed in 1A District 9 behind Jesuit.
  5. St. Stephen’s (7-2) – No games last week for the Falcons. Week 8 has them on the road against Tampa Catholic, hosting Manatee, and hosting Sarasota Military Academy. St. Stephen’s will be the #1 seed in 1A District 10.

Week 6

  1. Jesuit (9-1) – Jesuit suffered its first loss of 2021 when they hosted a hot Riverview team. The game took OT to determine, but the Tigers dropped the game 10-9. They only have a single game next week, but it’s a big one as Florida #4 / TLR #1 Plant comes for a visit. This is Tampa Lax Report’s Week 7 Game of the Week. Don’t miss it.
  2. Cardinal Mooney (8-3) – The Cougars split their two games in Week 6 with a win over Florida #20 Community School of Naples 15-10 and a road loss to Florida #8 Lake Highland Prep 10-14. Week 7 has Mooney on the road to Sarasota Military Academy as their only matchup for the week.
  3. Canterbury (8-2) – Canterbury’s only game last week was a comfortable home win against Barron Collier, 12-3. Week 7 only shows one game for Canterbury, but it is a biggie as they host Florida #3 St. Thomas Aquinas on March 30th.
  4. Berkeley (5-3) – Berkeley was on spring break during week 6, so played no games. They will return to action in a big way during week 7 with games against district foe Tampa Catholic, traveling to Florida #13 Montverde on March 1st, and finishing up by hosting Florida #6 Newsome on Saturday, April 3rd.
  5. St. Stephen’s (7-2) – The Falcons took down our previous #5 Calvary Christian 17-12 to start their week 6 schedule, then handled both Robinson and Northside Christian – both on the road. Their win against Calvary moves them into our Top 5. Week 7 is empty for St. Stephen’s, but this is a team that is definitely finding its footing. One of their two losses was a single-goal loss to our #2 Cardinal Mooney.

Week 5

  1. Jesuit (8-0) – The Tigers again played only one game in week 5, and like in week 4, this was another big win. Jesuit went on the road to TLR #2 / Florida #6 Cardinal Mooney and went wire to wire for the 13-6 win. Jesuit is constantly distancing itself from everyone else on this list. Quite a season so far! Week 6 has Jesuit on the road against Wesley Chapel, then at home against Florida #12 Riverview.
  2. Cardinal Mooney (7-2) – Mooney holds onto the #2 spot with single-goal wins last week against St. Stephen’s and Riverview. As mentioned above, they lost their third game at home against TLR #1 / Florida #3 Jesuit. Next up, the Cougars host Florida #21 Community School of Naples on March 23, then travel to Orlando to face Florida #12 Lake Highland Prep on March 26. Not an easy week by any measure.
  3. Canterbury (7-2) – Canterbury impressed a lot of people with their week 5 win over Florida #12 Riverview 10-3. They then hosted Florida #10 Oxbridge and fell 5-3. Facing two top 15 teams in the state in one week is pretty rough. Splitting them is no embarrassment. In week 6, Canterbury hosts Barron Collier on March 23, then hosts district opponent Out-of-Door on March 26.
  4. Berkeley (5-3) – Berkeley hosted Out-of-Door in week 5 and won 10-5. Their second game against Tampa Catholic ended up being cancelled. Berkeley Prep is on Spring Break during week 6, so they won’t see the field again until week 7  when they play Florida #14 Montverde and TLR #2 / Florida #6 Newsome.
  5. Calvary Christian (5-2) – No games last week for Calvary Christian due to Spring Break. They return next week with games against St. Stephen’s on March 22, Pasco on March 24, and The First Academy on March 26.

Week 4

  1. Jesuit (7-0) – The Tigers played only one game in week 4, but it was a road win over Florida #14 Maclay, 8-5. Jesuit just keeps impressing us. Stingy defense, solid goaltender, and multiple shooters. Lock one or two off and there are 5 others capable of putting points on the board. They have a big matchup on 3/20 when they go on the road against TLR’s #2 and Florida #4 Cardinal Mooney.
  2. Cardinal Mooney (5-1) – While most public schools are on spring break, the Cougars have two major home games lined up – 3/19 against Florida #9 Riverview and 3/20 against TLR’s #1 and Florida #1 Jesuit. Neither game has district seed implications, but both will be closely watched by Florida lacrosse fans – no doubt.
  3. Canterbury (6-1) – Canterbury moves up after their 1-point win over Florida #17 Community School of Naples as well as a double-overtime road win against TLR’s former #2 and Florida #10 Berkeley Prep 9-8. Canterbury hosts two games in week 5: Florida #9 Riverview on 3/16 and Florida #15 Oxbridge on 3/20. That’s a tough week by any metric.
  4. Berkeley (5-3) – The Buccaneers again split their two week 4 games. First was a road win against TLR’s #5 and Florida #20 Calvary Christian. Second was a tough double-overtime loss to TLR #3 and Florida #6 Canterbury. While other schools are on spring break during week 5, Berkeley plays Out-of-Door on 3/16 and travels to Tampa Catholic on 3/18.
  5. Calvary Christian (5-2) – Calvary only played one game during week 4 – a home loss to TLR’s #4 Berkeley Prep 10-6. Calvary Christian is on spring break during week 5, so they have no games scheduled.

Week 3

  1. Jesuit (6-0) – TLR’s #1 team continues to impress, knocking down #2 Berkeley in week 3 on the road. The Tigers showed some amazing defense in that match. Next week has Jesuit on the road against Maclay on 3/12 and Leon on 3/13. Maclay is sitting at #3 in FLN’s top 15 for 1A, so that should be a tough game.
  2. Berkeley (4-2) – The Buccaneers split their two games last week with a home loss to #1 Jesuit, then bounced back to take a win over FLN’s #15 Bishop Moore. Berkeley next travels to Calvary Christian then hosts #4 Canterbury for a battle between two 1A Top 5’s.
  3. Cardinal Mooney (4-1) – Two wins in week 3 for the Cougars – first an 11-9 win over FLN #13 Lake Brantley, then a come-from-behind win on the road against division foe and our #4 Canterbury. Great week for Mooney. Their only game in week 4 is hosting Lakewood Ranch on 3/9.
  4. Canterbury (4-1) – Canterbury shutout Cypress Lake in week 3, then gave up a home division game to #3 Mooney on Friday night. Emotional loss for Canterbury as they led nearly the whole game. 2 road games in week 4: Community School of Naples and #2 Berkeley Prep. #1 beat #2 and #3 beat #4. Maybe we have this poll correct.
  5. Calvary Christian (5-1) – Calvary earned 3 wins in week 3 against ODA, Farragut, and CDS. They host both Berkeley Prep and Wesley Chapel in week 4. Both of these are district matchups.

Week 2

  1. Jesuit (4-0) – Jesuit continues to impress, just as we expected in our pre-season poll. The Tigers have outscored their 4 opponents by a 65-9 margin. They face our #2 team Berkeley Prep on the road Tuesday. This is always a great game between these district rivals. The series is split 2-2 over their last four meetings.
  2. Berkeley (3-1) – The Buccaneers won big in their first two games of week 2, then dropped a 1-goal game on the road against Florida #14 in 2A Riverview. Week 3 has them hosting district rivals Jesuit. As noted above, this series has gone evenly at 2 games apiece over the last four matches. Don’t miss it. That game is followed by another home game against Florida #12 Bishop Moore.
  3. Cardinal Mooney (2-1) – Mooney had a big win against Alonso in week 2, then suffered a 4-goal loss at home to 2021 2A #3 Plant. Hard to fault the Cougars for that one. Mooney faces Lake Brantley on March 2, then Canterbury on March 5. Canterbury is a district foe and undefeated going into that game. Keep an eye on it.
  4. Canterbury (3-0) – Canterbury handled both Estero and Bishop Verot pretty easily in week 2, outscoring them both 33-9. Things will get more difficult when they face off against district rival Cardinal Mooney on March 5. This is an early battle for the top seed in 1A District 11 and should be attended if you can.
  5. Calvary Christian (2-1) – Calvary only played one game in week 2 – a lopsided loss to #1 on this poll Jesuit. While TLR was looking at maybe putting Northside Christian in this spot after the loss, we collectively felt that Calvary shouldn’t be punished for losing to the top team. We’ll keep an eye on both Calvary and Northside Christian in week 3. If they can win their next 3 games, they will likely keep this spot. But Northside Christian is certainly eyeing this spot for themselves.

Week 1

  1. Jesuit (3-0) – The Tigers were the only 1A boys team to get 3 games under their belt in week 1, and they won all 3. SK Moore at Faceoff for Jesuit has been just as we expected – unstoppable. Ball control is key to offensive possessions, and Jesuit has that covered.
  2. Berkeley (1-0) – Berkeley would’ve had 2 games in week 1, but CDS had to postpone their Saturday matchup. The Bucs took down East Lake at home 11-2 Friday night to begin the 2021 season.
  3. Cardinal Mooney (1-0) – The Cougars shutout district opponent Out-of-Door on Thursday night, 15-0. Not enough from anyone on this poll to make movements yet.
  4. Canterbury (1-0) – Canterbury had their game against American Heritage postponed or cancelled, but were able to schedule a road game against IMG. Canterbury took that close game 6-5. It’s always hard to rate games against IMG since they traditionally field 2-3 different varsity teams.
  5. Calvary Christian (2-0) – Calvary booked 2 wins in week 1 – a 21-3 win over visiting St. Pete Catholic and a 9-3 road win against Palm Harbor University.

Pre-Season

  1. Jesuit – This team is pretty stacked, and year after year, simply reloads with waiting freshmen that are battle-tested and field ready. This may be their year to go deep into state playoffs.
  2. Berkeley – Berkeley lost some big names in 2020, but have plenty of year-round players looking to finish what they started with last season’s incredible run.
  3. Cardinal Mooney – The Cougars have been at or near the top of the heap in this area for the last 3 years. Maybe we’re just giving them fuel, but we think they may lose a step in 2021.
  4. Canterbury – Also a break even team in 2020, Canterbury ended up 3-3 with losses to Mooney, American Heritage, and Berkeley Prep. This is a big, fast team and we see them as solid contenders in District 11 and the area in general. They’ll get additional chances at both Mooney and Berkeley in 2021.
  5. Calvary Christian – Calvary finished 9-3 in the shortened 2020 season – their first year in a tough TLR district. They’ve placed two players on our 2021 Players to Watch list and we expect even better things from them in 2021.

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