With a 6-1 overall record, including a 2-0 Liberty District mark, the McLean Highlanders are having another strong season in boys lacrosse.
McLean’s most recent victory was 20-3 over the visiting Wakefield Warriors in a district high-school match April 5. Wakefield has been an improved team this season and last. No longer a district doormat.
Last spring, McLean enjoyed its best season in years by finishing 15-4, losing to Class 6 state champion Madison in the 6D North Region tournament semifinals and Yorktown, 15-14, in the district-tourney final.
The Highlanders return some key players from a year ago in Max Mullen, Landon Moore, Noah Jander, Vaughn McCollough, Daniel Dille, Matt Mock, Ethan Jones, Isaac Bell, Connor O’Sullivan, Bryce Kojac, Hugh Hancock, Kaelan Ferris and Christian McNeill.
Top scorers for McLean so far have been Kojac, Mullen, McNeill, Moore, Jander, Bell, Jones and Mock.
A key victory for McLean was an 8-4 non-district win over Woodson, a longtime top team in the area.
Mullen had three goals and an assist in that victory and Kojac had a goal and three assists. Netting a goal each were Mock, Jones, Moore and O’Sullivan.
Dille made eight saves in goal.
McLean’s lone loss was 6-5 to the Robinson Rams, another area perennial lacrosse power.
The Highlanders' other wins have been over Chantilly, 11-4, Centreville, 18-4, Bishop O’Connell, 13-6, and Washington-Liberty, 16-2.
“McLean is a very good team again and is very strong defensively,” said Yorktown High School head coach Greg Beer. “It will be a dogfight with them when we play.”
McLean has key upcoming district matches against strong Langley and Yorktown teams, plus a non-league match against a top private-school Sidwell Friends squad.
McLean and Yorktown meet April 25 in Arlington.
Wakefield entered the match against McLean with a 4-3 overall record, having lost an overtime clash to Alexandria City to start the season and defeated Lewis, 16-1, Annandale, 10-3, Mount Vernon, 14-2, and Potomac of Prince William County, 11-1.
Under head coach Antonio Francis, Wakefield has become a much more competitive team, winning a single-season program record seven matches last spring.
Wakefield hopes to improve on that total this season.
Top returning players for Wakefield include Max Thompson. He scored four goals in the loss to Alexandria City.
Other returners are Cleveland Lemus Gonzalez, Jacob Ullmann, Nico Combs, Simon Tnaib and Ryan Baird.
