No. 2 Eastview at No. 4 Bloomington Jefferson
12:30 p.m., Saturday, April 19
MN Lax Hub Spotlight Game


Opinons vary wildly on the relative strength of Eastview and Bloomington Jefferson entering the season, with both teams landing anywhere from No. 2 to No. 10 in an informal survey of state coaches.

Eastview won the state title in 2012 and finished as the runner-up last year, but the Lightning's offense was gutted by graduation. Ryan McNamara (perhaps the greatest goal scorer in state history) and several more top-flight threats are gone, leaving the goal-scoring duties in the capable hands of a veteran midfield crew led by Brett Schweiger, Mike Stillings and Joel Iverson. Defensemen D.J. Seline and Scotty Pugmire also return, as does top goaltender Jeremy Leclaire.

The Jaguars feature one of the state's most highly touted underclassmen in attackman Ryan Graff (24 goals last season), the son of ultra successful former Minnesota-Duluth coach Rob Graff. Senior Nolan Miles (20 goals) and junior Joey Eggleston (20 goals) also return at attack. Junior midfielder Malik Ekpenyong is another top retruner on a Jefferson team that is also well-stocked with veterans on defense and in goal.