The Charlotte Observer high school lacrosse season preview: Players, teams to watch
The Charlotte area has been a hotbed for top high school boys’ and girls’ lacrosse teams in recent years, and last season was no different.
Lake Norman Charter won the 2A boys’ public school state championship, while the Cannon School boys and Charlotte Latin girls captured the Division 1 titles in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association.
Five other teams were state runners-up, including Lake Norman, which lost 11-10 in overtime to Cardinal Gibbons in the boys’ 4A championship and has most of its top players returning this spring.
It looks like another big season for area teams, and here are some of the squads and players to watch for, along with some news nuggets:
Girls’ lacrosse preview
TEAMS TO WATCH
(listed alphabetically)
Charlotte Catholic: The Cougars are perennial state championship contenders, and they came up one game short last season, falling to another perennial power, Cardinal Gibbons, in the 4A championship. Several top players off that team, like attacker Kate Daniels and midfielder MC Farley, have graduated. But Virginia Tech commit Maddy Baumgratz, a senior, has scored 111 goals at Charlotte Catholic and leads a strong group of returnees.
Charlotte Country Day: If Charlotte Latin or Providence Day doesn’t win the NCISAA Division 1 title, then Charlotte Country Day probably will. Senior midfielder Grayson Anne McCurdy, a James Madison commit and all-state player, leads the team. Attackers Ella Stein (56 goals, 69 assists in 2024) and Sutton Wilson (32-49) pace the attack.
Charlotte Latin: The Hawks won the NCISAA Division 1 title last year and are ranked by coaches as the favorite again this season. Standouts like Ardyn Henry have graduated, but the Hawks are building around players like midfielder Reese Morgan, who had 45 goals last season, and Alison Archibald, who had 15 ground balls and caused 17 turnovers.
Lake Norman: Coach Paige Bonds Fox has outstanding talent in junior Juliet Coscia (37 goals, 21 assists in 2024) and seniors McKenna Cossar (39-14) and Aubrey Gilligan (18-8). The Wildcats figure to battle Hough for 4A supremacy on the north side of Charlotte.
Lake Norman Charter: The Knights reached the playoff quarterfinals last season and have senior attacker Ava Purser (55 goals last spring, 111 in her career) back to lead the attack. And midfielder Hayden Krombolz was a standout as a freshman last season. The Knights lost a standout goalkeeper (Aubrey Hamm) to graduation and will have to fill that slot.
Marvin Ridge: The Mavericks reached the 4A West semifinals a year ago and appear ready to challenge rival Weddington for conferene honors and more. Coach Jeremy Heinze has nine returning starters, led by junior midfielder Ella Braun (69 goals in 2024) and sophomore midfielder Bea Serfonten (40 goals).
Pine Lake Prep: The Pride was 7-7 a year ago, but rival coaches say Pine Lake Prep is poised to become a challenger in the Class 1A-2A-3A title race this spring.
Providence Day: The Chargers reached the NCISAA semifinals a year ago and should contend for a state title again. Coach Nicole Donoghue has all of her starters back, led by midfielders Lucy Dyer and Marlo Stuart, attacker Alex Emergy, and goalkeepet Bridget Brewster.
Weddington: Rob Salminen called it quits after two-plus decades of coaching lacrosse, and Zac Winder has taken over. Last year’s leading scorer, Elektra Koulouris, is at Duke now, but the Warriors have plenty of returning talent, including an outstanding sophomore midfielder in Grace Webb. Add in junior midfielder Ella Turper and senior defender Ava Jordan, and you have another powerhouse.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
(listed alphabetically)
Maddy Baumgratz (Charlotte Catholic, senior, MF): Baumgratz, a Virginia Tech commit, had 56 goals, won 81 draws and forced 19 turnovers in 2024.
Molly Brown (Davidson Day, junior, MF): Brown led the team in assists and ground balls in 2024 and was an all-state selection.
Juliet Coscia (Lake Norman, junior ATT): Coscia had 37 goals and 21 assists last season.
Lucy Dyer (Providence Day, senior, MF): Dyer is a member of the Elite Nike American Select team and had 57 goals and 35 ground balls in 2024.
Ava Bella Jordan (Weddington, senior, DEF): Jordan, a Gardner-Webb commit, is a team leader who usually defenders the opponent’s top scorer.
Addison Maynor (Cannon School, senior, MID): Maynor won 57 percent of her faceoffs last season and scored 36 goals.
Grayson Anne McCurdy (Charlotte Country Day, senior, MF): A James Madison commit, McCurdy was an all-America and all-state pick who had 87 goals and 39 assists, along with 64 ground balls and 110 draw controls.
Isabella Pierce (Davidson Day, junior, ATT): A Wingate commit, Pierce led the team in goals last season (59) and earned all-state honors.
Grayson Pitts (South Mecklenburg, senior, MF): Pitts, a Sewanee commit, had 27 ground balls and forced 14 turnovers last season.
Ava Purser (Lake Norman Charter, senior, ATT): Piurser scored 55 goals last season and has 111 in her high school career.
NEW FACES TO WATCH
(listed alphabetically)
Katy Blythe (Charlotte Country Day, sophomore, MID)
Mary Blake Gillis (South Mecklenburg, sophomore, ATT)
Maggie Miller (Lake Norman, sophomore, MID)
Maggie Murphy (Cannon School, sophomore, ATT)
Hattie Puckett (Davidson Day, grade 8, DEF)
Avery Trumpower (Davidson Day, grade 8, MF)
Kate Wood (Lake Norman, freshman, ATT)
Rachel Wood (Lake Norman, freshman, GK)
NOTES
▪ First-year school Ballantyne Ridge will field the area’s newest lacrosse program, and coach Aliisa Mason says she is excited about the team’s combination of young talent and a few experienced players, like junior Reese Jones, a transfer from South Mecklenburg.
▪ Zac Winder has taken over the reins from Rob Salminen at Weddington, which has been a perennial power. Winder has coached lacrosse for nearly two decades, mostly with boys’ teams. But as a “girl dad” with three daughters, Winder said he’s looking forward to the new job.
▪ By the way, Weddington has scheduled defending 4A state champion Cardinal Gibbons for a match on March 25 at Wingate University.
▪ A couple of former Roanoke College soccer teammates, Claire Eisenhart and Riley Chase, have taken the coaching duties at South Mecklenburg. Eisenhart, the head coach, said she and Chase are from Roanoke’s Class of ‘22.
Boys’ lacrosse preview
TEAMS TO WATCH
(listed alphabetically)
Ardrey Kell: The Knights appear poised to challenge Charlotte Catholic for the SoMeck/Southwestern conference crown. Cole Stankavage is coming off a sensation freshman year, and midfield is solid with junior Henry Urban (41 goals) and senior Ethan Bolick. Junior goalkeeper Luke Napier was strong last season but will be tested by the graduation loss of three defensive starters.
Cannon School: The Cougars are three-time NCISAA Division 1 state champions, and they figure to make a strong push for No. 4 this spring. Two leaders from last season, Cole Frood and Quinn Falasca, have graduated. But Frood’s younger brother Quinn, a junior midfielder and face-off specialist, is among leaders on the 2025 squad. Senior Landon Mare, a football standout, and sophomore Hudson Higbea are other names to remember.
Charlotte Catholic: The Cougars reached the 4A quarterfinals last spring and have outstanding talent returning in attackers Brendan Leonard and Jack Baade, defender Gio Delissio, and goalkeeper Matthew Stokes.
Christ the King: The Crusaders must contend with bigger schools, like Lake Norman Charter, in their 1A-2A-3A division, but coach Mike Habel has a team that can make some noise this spring. Christ the King has four college commits on its roster, including a pair to Division 1 schools. The Crusaders’ 2024 roster was loaded with younger players, and the returnees include senior Luke Fenderson (80 goals).
Lake Norman: The Wildcats are absolutely loaded, coming off their state runner-up performance last spring. All-America players like goalkeeper John Torpy and midfielder Brandon DeBerardinis lead the way, but defenders Jack Ryan and Kyle Mosley (57 ground balls last spring) and attacker Ty Faucher (a Queens commit) also provide strong support.
Lake Norman Charter: The defending 1A-2A-3A state champions lost all-everything player Jack Dalton to graduation, but there is plenty of returning talent. Tyler Price leads the offense, and Anderson commit Landon Foshee is a defensive standout. Bryson Armstrong, a long-stick midfielder, earned all-state honors last year by collecting 51 ground balls. And goalkeeper Noah McGovern made 219 saves.
Myers Park: Senior midfielder Brady Knutson (26 goals, 25 assists in 2024) and sophomore attacker James White (25-13) lead the Mustangs, who will challenge Charlotte Catholic and Ardrey Kell in the SoMeck/Southwestern Conference. Junior Sam Barnette, who transferred from Charlotte Catholic, could be a defensive standout. This is a young team, though, so the Mustangs will need to develop quickly.
Providence Day: The Chargers gave state champ Cannon School a strong challenge last season and should do the same in 2025. The team is loaded with talent, but leaders will have to step forward, to replace graduated standouts like Alex Jessey and Kyle Van Dam.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
(listed alphabetically)
Ethan Bolick (Ardrey Kell, senior, MID): Bolick, a long-stick midfielder who earned all-conference honors last season, typically defends opponents’ top scorers.
Max Bruss (South Mecklenburg, senior, ATT): Bruss is the only returning double-digit goal-scorer from last season for the Sabres. He finished with 31 goals and 14 assists.
Brandon DeBerardinis (Lake Norman, senior, MID): He and teammate John Torpy are elite-level players. DeBerardinis is a two-time all-America player and a Harvard commit. He was picked by teammates to have the honor of wearing the No. 1 jersey this season.
Colby Dry (Cannon School, senior, ATT): Dry seems well-positioned to take over the chief scoring duties from 2024 Observer Player of the year Brevin Wilson, now at North Carolina. Dry had 30 goals and 32 assists last season.
Quinn Frood (Cannon School, junior, MID): Frood is also a face-off specialist who won 67 percent of the draws last season (366 draw controls, in all).
Braden Houlihan (Marvin Ridge, senior, MID): He had 28 goals and 26 assists last season.
Steve Parker (Lake Norman Charter, junior, MID): Parker scored 18 goals in 2024 but is expected to take on a bigger scoring role this spring.
Tyler Price (Lake Norman Charter, senior, ATT): Price is an Army commity who was most valuable player on a state title team in 2024. He scored 77 goals last season.
Cole Stankavage (Ardrey Kell, sophomore, ATT): Stankavage burst on the scene last spring with 76 goals and 44 assists as a freshman.
John Torpy (Lake Norman, senior, GK): Torpy, a Loyola commit, is among the nation’s elite goalkeepers. He is a two-time all-America who stopped 59 percent of shots last season, making 130 saves.
Romare Turner (Bradford Prep, senior, GK): Turner had a 57 percent save ratio last season for the Bears.
Beckett Vance (Charlotte Christian, senior, MID): He missed half of last season due to injury but managed to score 32 goals and 21 assists and collect 65 ground balls.
NEW FACES TO WATCH
(listed alphabetically)
Benjamin Androliakos (Bradford Prep, freshman, DEF)
Grayson Callaway (Marvin Ridge, sophomore, MID)
Ronan Callaway (Marvin Ridge, sophomore, MID)
Jacob Carlascio (Lake Norman Charter, sophomore, ATT)
Emmett Drenser (Charlotte Catholic, sophomore, MID)
Logan Frate (Lake Norman Charter, sophomore, DEF)
Kyle Haynes (Ardrey Kell, senior transfer from Havelock, MID)
Braiden Kern (South Mecklenburg, sophomore, ATT)
Tyler Melquist (Bradford Prep, freshman, MID)
Dataviyon Pichardo (Mooresville, freshman, multiple positions)
Cole Sovie (Charlotte Catholic, freshman ATT)
NOTES
▪ Michael Rasky has retired as coach at Pine Lake Prep and says this is the first season in 22 years that he has not been on the sidelines. His replacement is Jon Goodman, who moved from South Iredell.
▪ Nadjee Harrigan is in an interesting position. He has taken over as head coach of a defending state champion, Lake Norman Charter.
▪ Another new face as coach is Michael Desmond. He’s starting the program at first-year school Ballantyne Ridge. Among his players is freshman Ryder Polston, quarterback of the school’s varsity football team.
▪ Marvin Ridge is two-time Southern Carolina Conference champion, but the Mavericks lost 20 seniors off last year’s team, coach Kevin Mack said.
▪ It’s a similar story at South Mecklenburg, where 15 players from last season have graduated.
Area conferences
Greater Metro/Queen City: Hopewell, Hough, Lake Norman, Mooresville, South Iredell.
Southern Carolina/Rocky River: Cuthbertson, Marvin Ridge, Parkwood, Porter Ridge, Sun Valley, Weddington.
Southwestern/SoMeck: Ardrey Kell, Ballantyne Ridge, Butler, Charlotte Catholic, Independence, Myers Park, Providence, South Mecklenburg.
Catawba Shores/Metro 8/South Piedmont: Bradford Prep, Christ the King, Community School of Davidson, Lake Norman Charter, Lincoln Charter, Mountain Island Charter, Queen’s Grant Charter, Pine Lake Prep.
Northwestern/Mountain/Foothills: Asheville, Freedom, Hickory, North Lincoln, Patton, T.C. Roberson, St. Stephens, Watauga.
This story was originally published February 20, 2025 at 5:30 AM.