BOYS LACROSSE TOURNAMENT: TOP 5 STORY LINES

1. DARIEN — MODEL OF PERFECTION

Plot line: Each season, Darien coach Jeff Brameier’s goal is perfection. The No. 1 seeded Blue Wave enter the Class L tournament a perfect 19-0 and are overwhelming favorites to win four more games for their fourth straight state title (three L titles and an M title). The Blue Wave are loaded with talent. Goalie Ryan Cornell is considered one of the best in country, Arden Cohen is arguably the best defenseman in the state, Kevin Lindley is the top scorer for Darien and one of the top attackmen in the state, and Finlay Collins and Riley Stewart are two of the best midfielders in the state.

You should know: In the FCIAC tournament, Darien defeated Ridgefield 20-4 for its fourth straight title. 2. NEW CANAAN BOUNCE BACK Plot line: The Rams, seeded No. 4, likely enter the CIAC Class M tournament extremely motivated after a pair of tough losses. They closed the regular season with a 9-7 loss to Ridgefield and had an early exit from the FCIAC tournament with a 9-7 loss to Wilton in the quarterfinals. Deep and talented, the Rams are led by 2016 All-American goalie Drew Morris, middies Ryan O’Connell and Graham Braden, defenseman James Crovatto and attackman Jackson Appelt. You should know: The Rams have been in the Class M final five of the last six seasons with titles in 2016 and 2015. 3. FAIRFIELD PREP HAS A SHOT IN L Plot line: While Darien is poised to win its fourth straight Class L title, the No. 3 Jesuits are in the opposite bracket and have a good shot to advance to the final. Led by its 1-2 scoring punch of Chris Brown and Mitch Savoca and improving junior goalie Matt Pinho, Prep has the talent to compete with anyone. The Jesuits enter the tournament coming off a 12-8 win over

Cheshire in the SCC tournament final. You should know: The wild card for Prep could be first-year coach Graham Niemi, who some coaches believe is one of the most innovative coaches when it comes to game planning. 4. OTHER SCC TEAMS COULD GO FAR

Plot line: Two other SCC teams to watch are Cheshire, No. 7 in Class L, and No. 11 Hand in Class M. Coming off their loss to Prep in the SCC tournament final, the Rams have experience and depth. The Rams could go on a deep run led by scorers that include Jack Raba, Sean Black, and Brian Weyrauch and solid goalie Peter Brown. Hand has talent front to back led by scorers Liam Gottlick and Nate Palumbo. Among the top Hand players on defense is Teg Cosgriff. Other SCC teams to watch are No. 5 Foran, No. 2 North Haven and No. 12 Notre Dame-West Haven in Class M and No. 11 Xavier in Class L.

You should know: Will the third time be the charm for Hand? The Tigers advanced to the Class M final the last two seasons and lost to New Canaan both times. 5. SHORELINE HAS A CHANCE Plot line: The Shoreline Conference is well-represented in the wide open Class S tournament with No. 3 Haddam-Killingworth, No. 5 Valley Regional, No. 12 Morgan and No. 16 Old Saybrook. The Cougars are led by high-scoring attackmen Sam Purdy, Dan Civiello and Finn Miller and on defense by Shoreline Conference player of the year middie Eli Griswold. The Warriors are led by high-scoring attackmen Sean Cole and Rocky Harpin and middie Jon Brophy. Shoreline rivals H-K and Valley Regional have the talent to meet in the final. You should know: The Shoreline Conference has never had a boys lacrosse team advance to a CIAC state final.