GAMETIMECT TOP 10 BOYS LACROSSE POLL

TEAM

1. DARIEN (15)

Latest results: def. Staples 15-10; def. Norwalk 21-0; def. Wilton 9-7; def. Stamford 18-0.

This week: Thursday at Brunswick, 7 p.m.; Saturday vs. St. Anthony's (N.Y.), 2 p.m.; Tuesday at St. Joseph, 4 p.m. Bottom line: Doesn't get much better than the next few days for the Blue Wave, two top-five nationally ranked opponents.

2. STAPLES

Latest results: lost to Darien 15-10; def. Bishop Guertin (N.H.) 17-8; Def. Danbury 23-0.

This week: Thursday at Westhill, 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday vs. Glastonbury, 6 p.m.

Bottom line: The loss to Darien cost the Wreckers their first-place votes, but they hang in at second (though some voters dropped them as low as fourth).

3. WILTON

Latest results: lost to Darien 9-7; def. Yorktown, N.Y., 12-7. This week: Thursday vs. McMahon, 7 p.m.; Saturday at New Canaan, 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday vs. John Jay (N.Y.), 4 p.m. Bottom line: The Warriors have played two-goal games with both of the top two teams, if Darien's was a little more back-and-forth and Staples' was more of a comeback from an early hole.

4. RIDGEFIELD

Latest results: def. New Canaan 13-5.

This week: Thursday at Fairfield Ludlowe, 6 p.m.; Saturday vs. Briarcliff (N.Y.), noon; Monday vs. Yorktown, N.Y., 6:30 p.m.

Bottom line: Ludlowe on Thursday is the Tigers' last top-10 opponent of the regular season, though Briarcliff and Yorktown might be candidates for our poll if 17thcentury religion and geopolitics were different.

5. NEW CANAAN

8-4

79

Latest results: def. McMahon 12-2; lost to Ridgefield 13-5; def. St. Joseph 15-5.

This week: Saturday vs. Wilton, 6:30 p.m.

Bottom line: The Rams have Wilton and Staples (that one on the road) on consecutive Saturdays as the regular season winds down.

6. FAIRFIELD PREP

6-4 78

Latest results: def. Cheshire 12-11; def. Notre Dame-West Haven 19-5.

This week: Thursday at Amity, 4:15 p.m.; Saturday vs. Boston College High (Mass.), 1 p.m.; Monday vs. North Haven, 5 p.m.

Bottom line: B.C. High is 11-2, with losses to St. John's Prep of Massachusetts (which Staples beat) and La Salle Academy of Rhode Island (which beat Cheshire). Could be a good one.

7. CHESHIRE

8-2 52

Latest results: lost to Fairfield Prep 12-11; def. Hand 15-13. This week: Thursday at Xavier, 6 p.m.; Monday vs. Guilford, 6 p.m.

Bottom line:

So that SCC tournament could be fun, then?

8. GREENWICH

7-3 51

Latest results: def. Fairfield Warde 16-5.

This week: Thursday vs. Trumbull, 5 p.m.; Saturday at Fairfield Ludlowe, noon; Monday vs. Danbury, 5 p.m.; Wednesday at Somers, N.Y., TBA.

Bottom line: The Cardinals were three points back of Cheshire last week and squeaked just a little closer. Ludlowe on Saturday should be an interesting this-half-of-thepoll battle.

9. LUDLOWE

9-2 34

Latest results: def. Westhill 13-5; def. Weston 9-3.

This week: Thursday vs. Ridgefield, 6 p.m.; Saturday vs. Greenwich, noon.

Bottom line: Measuring-stick kind of stretch for the Falcons, whose next game next week is Darien.

10. HAND

6-3 12 NR

Latest results: def. Shelton 21-1; lost to Cheshire 15-13. This week: Thursday at Notre Dame-West Haven, 6 p.m.; Saturday vs. Weston (Surf Club), 7 p.m.; Tuesday vs. Amity (Surf Club), 6 p.m.

Bottom line: The Tigers and Weston flip again for the 10th spot in the poll. They can battle it out for the spot on the field Saturday night.

Dropped out: Weston (10).

First-place votes in parentheses and points tabulated on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

Others receiving votes: Weston (8-3) 8, New Fairfield (8-3) 2, Glastonbury (6-3) 1.

The following voted: Brian Adkins, Foran coach and Connecticut secondary schools assistant liaison to U.S. Lacrosse; George Baldassare, CHSLCA Executive Secretary Emeritus; Sean Patrick Bowley, GameTimeCT; Jeff Brameier, Darien coach; Scott Bulkley, Newtown coach; Chris Dehnel, Patch Media Corp.; Michael Fornabaio, Connecticut Post; Ned Griffen, The Day; Scott Hinchey, Glastonbury coach; Greg Lederer, Cheshire Herald; John Mathews, Greens Farms Academy coach; Ken McCarthy, Somers coach; Dan Nowak, New Haven Register; Dave Ruden, The Ruden Report; Dave Stewart, New Canaan Advertiser/Darien Times.

Poll compiled by: Michael Fornabaio