Well, well, well, Lacrosse Season, we meet again. #StickStarReport enters its 9th year of consistent and comprehensive coverage with a little bit of preseason flavor. This year, the Jesuit Invitational (longest running tournament in the state) is the only real preseason action as The Woodlands Mudslinger, traditionally in February, was moved to December. Without fail, the Jesuit Invitational is always the 1st piece of @StickStarReport coverage and this year is no different!
The 2019 Participants include: Dallas Jesuit - Prosper - Flower Mound - Coppell - Rockwall - Dripping Springs - Colleyville - Vandegrift - Parish - Plano - Jesuit New Orleans
Games to Watch - Saturday
Noon - Turf - Coppell vs. Rockwall
3:00 pm - Turf - Vandegrift vs. Prosper
4:00 pm - Dripping Springs vs. Rockwall
6:00 pm - Turf - Dripping Springs vs. Dallas Jesuit
Games to Watch - Sunday
11:00 am - Turf - Dripping Springs vs. Flower Mound
Noon - Turf - Vandegrift vs. Dallas Jesuit
12:00 pm - Coppell vs. Prosper
3:00 pm - Colleyville vs. Rockwall
Honestly, we're just excited to watch lacrosse as the chase for the 2019 State Championship begins! It's certainly a bonus that this year's group of competitors is pretty solid! We won't get too in depth as Program Previews are just around the corner, but let us spend a minute to talk about each of the programs below.
Dallas Jesuit - The hosts, the Jesuit Rangers, are way strong on offense, at the Face-Off X, and in goal. We'll be interested to watch a young, but talented group of long sticks gain valuable experience in their 1st action of the young season.
Prosper - The Eagles are loaded with Senior talent and should be one of the saltier groups playing this weekend. A D2 State Championship favorite, they should be tough to beat.
Flower Mound - Flower Mound will have a different look this year as 2018 saw the departure of their extremely disruptive senior class defensively. They will have some big holes to fill, but have capable players and coaching to make it happen.
Coppell - The Cowboys should be fun to watch. They have a young nucleus of athletic talent who could sneak up on some teams. They are under new management so we're excited to see how they execute early on.
Rockwall - There is no doubt that Rockwall will be one group folks should check out this weekend. Coach Fay preaches toughness and is well known for his ability to develop skill. This group will be giving it their all from the first whistle.
Dripping Springs - Drip is another team we will definitely watch this weekend. Lofty expectations for this group as they return an excellent roster across the board and look to build off their deepest playoff run in program history.
Colleyville - The Ville is back under the guidance of Gary Dennington once again, which means trouble for the opposition. Coach Dennington always motivates his players and will get them to move with purpose. Great to see him on the sidelines there once again.
Vandegrift - The Vipers are another out of district group we are looking forward to watch compete. With quality senior talent, an influx of excellent, young players, and a quality group of coaches, their could be a resurgence for the Vipers in 2019.
Parish - Full disclosure, we do not know much about the young Parish Panthers but believe this program has some quality young talent and could factor into the D2 landscape.
Plano - The Wildcats are one of the most storied programs in Dallas lacrosse history and have been tough at the D2 level. One year removed from their most talented class in recent memory, Plano should be fighting for post season consideration.
Jesuit New Orleans - One of the more consistent programs we see attend this event every year, Jesuit NOLA is fun to watch. They are structured, skilled, and they play a quality brand of lacrosse. We'll see what they have to offer once again in 2019!
Coverage is back for StickStar. It is going to be awesome. We will be cranking up the output for #StickStarReport19 in the coming days as our content development meetings began last week. Make sure to follow along on Twitter / Instagram / Facebook using the handle @StickStarLax. The majority of our content will be posted through @StickStarReport on twitter and here on StickStarLax.com your home for the most consistent and comprehensive coverage of lacrosse in Texas. ENJOY!
