In English, Palos Verdes translates to Green Sticks but there are sticks of a different color that are helping bring notoriety to the Peninsula.
The area has become a hotbed for the sport of lacrosse, the fastest growing high school sport in the South Bay and the West Coast and the boys teams at Palos Verdes and Peninsula are helping lead the charge.
Palos Verdes (16-2) is ranked No. 2 in the CIF-Southern Section and the top-ranked team in the Northern Division. The only losses suffered by the Sea Kings this season were a 10-6 loss to No. 5 St. Margaret’s of San Juan Capistrano and a 9-8 defeat to No. 8 Westlake in the season opener.
Palos Verdes is riding a 16-game winning and boasts the best defense in CIF-SS allowing only 4.25 goals per game. The Sea Kings breezed to the Bay League title going 6-0 and outscoring opponents 84-16.
Palos Verdes playsthe winner of the El Segundo-Palisades play-in game on Tuesday with the winner advancing to face the Sierra Canyon-Thousand Oaks winner in the second round on Thursday. Semifinals will be held Saturday and Glendale High School followed by the North Division championship at Mira Costa on Wednesday, May 11.
Coach Jimmy Borell has built a dynasty at Palos Verdes where the Sea Kings have finished in the CIF-SS top ten from 2010-15 amassing an impressive 104-26 record during the six seasons.
Palos Verdes has won North Division championships in 2012, 2014 and 2015 and Borell feels the division is closing the gap with the Orange County lacrosse programs (South Division) that have been playing for a longer period of time.
“The sport really meshes well with the Southern California culture especially in the South Bay,” Borell said. “It’s tough because OC definitely had a head start, but we’re getting there. Competition breeds success, and the more good teams we get in LA, the better we all get.”
Borell expects another strong playoff run and hopes to get over the hump after losing to St. Margaret’s 14-8 in last year’s LA-Orange County championship game.
“Defense is definitely our strength,” Borell said. “Senior Jarrett Jones is our best player and has committed to Georgetown.”
Borell has also been impressed with a trio of defensemen that include Division 1 commits Shayne Sharp (Lafayette College) and Kyle McBride (St. John’s) along with Matt Nagy, a starting offensive lineman for the Sea Kings Western Division runner-up football team.
Palos Verdes’ offense if led by top scorers Austin Lowi, Rizal Smith and Aidan Westley while goalkeeper Conner Jongewood keeps the Sea Kings competitive with stellar play in the net.
Peninsula (11-5) is ranked No. 15 in the CIF-SS while posting a 3-3 record in the Bay League. The Panthers were swept by Palos Verdes, split their two-game series with Mira Costa and won both contests against Redondo.
Peninsula is seeded No. 12 in the North Division and plays at No. 5 Agoura on Tuesday while No. 13 Mira Costa travels to No. 4 Westlake for its first-round contest.
Peninsula finished No. 10 in 2015 and has a combined 38-14 record over the last three seasons sharing the Bay League title with Palos Verdes in 2015.
Coach Lane Jaffe is hoping to make a deep run in the playoffs with a team loaded with talent. He feels junior Scott Phillips, a Division 1 commit to Bryant University, is the Panther’s top player.
“Scott’s a vacuum on ground balls and great in transition,” Jaffe noted. “He often stays on to play offense as well.”
Peninsula is also led by senior attacker Koby Tseng is a two-time All-Bay League player who will be going to Amherst
“Junior attackman Kyle Beachboard scores goals in bunches and is hard nosed, scrappy and manages to score in all ways,” Jaffe said. “Senior middy Kurt Landon is our team captain. He is such a hard worker and does everything well while being the vocal leader for the Panthers.”
Schedules, results and rankings are available at laxpower.com.
