The postseason is right around the corner for area boys lacrosse teams.

Chapin is in the driver’s seat in the extremely competitive Region IV 5A, but the entire region has seen reasons for excitement this season. The playoffs are set to begin right after spring break on Wednesday, April 18.

Chapin

Chapin has been on a tear all season long. It entered Wednesday’s matchup with Eastside (which took place after this issue’s April 4 press deadline) with an immaculate 12-1 record, with their lone loss coming to North Oconee out of Bogart, Ga., 11-10 in overtime. The team has run wild through the region with a spotless record and are one matchup with White Knoll away from an undefeated region title.

Offensively, Tyler Green has been a monster. He leads the Eagles with 50 goals and is second on the team in assists with 25. He’s made more than 50% of his shots on the season.

But it hasn’t been a one-man band offensively. Midfielder Holden Condrey has 27 goals and leads the squad with 29 assists, while Grady Brandstander has 18 goals and 18 assists. A total of six Eagles have at least 13 goals and have players have at least 15 assists.

Issac Morrone has helped open opportunities with a 67% faceoff win percentage. He also leads the team with 108 ground balls, while Andrew Farmer has a team-high 26 takeaways.

All of that play has been ahead of senior Michael Hoos in goal, as he’s racked up 119 saves on the season.

While Chapin is unbeaten in region play, it hasn’t been a walk in the park.

Lexington provided a challenge in their first region game, but the Eagles managed to pull out a 7-6 win in overtime. Their other matchup with Lexington was also competitive as Chapin went on the road for a 9-6 win.

Outside of those two contests, Chapin has been able to completely control their games. The two matchups with Lexington were the only two games it was held to single digits.

The Eagles are among the favorites to make a run at a state title after falling in the second round last season.

Lexington

The Wildcats aren’t too far behind, as they sit in second place in Region IV, but they’ve got some competition from Dutch Fork.

Outside of the two losses to Chapin, Lexington’s only blemish is a 7-6 home loss to the Silver Foxes on March 13. The Wildcats got revenge on Thursday with a crucial 9-6 win, earning a tiebreaker in the process. As a result, Lexington is locked into second place in the region, while Dutch Fork will settle for third.

Lexington’s offense has been led by a trio of scorers. Senior Thomas Walker leads the team in goals and assists by putting 34 shots into the back of the net, while dishing out 21 dimes. Junior attackers Hudson Wood and Ian Lewis each have more than 20 goals, with Wood scoring 25 with seven assists, while Lewis has 22 goals and 12 assists.

Micadian Bryant has been excellent with faceoffs, winning more than 70% of his 195 attempts. He’s also grabbed 77 ground balls on the season, while senior defenseman Caleb Connell has 15 takeaways.

Senior Wren Miller has been the primary goalkeeper, racking up 144 saves on the season, but Garrett Gallaher has seen action in four games and has 13 saves.

Dutch Fork

Right behind Lexington is Dutch Fork, sitting in third based off the tiebreaker. The team has taken three non-region losses to some extremely stiff competition.

The Silver Foxes opened the season with a 12-10 loss to Ardrey Kell out of Charlotte, while their other two non-region losses came from the defending state champs and one of the favorites for this year’s title in consecutive games. They fell to Christ Church Episcopal, arguably the best team in the state alongside Chapin, 7-5 on March 16. Two days later, they fell to the reigning champs, Wando, 8-7 in double overtime. They also were able to hang tough with Chapin, falling 12-9 and 17-13.

Since Thursday’s loss to Lexington, the Silver Foxes thrashed Heathwood Hall 18-1 on Monday.

The Dutch Fork offense has been powered by two electric scorers. Senior Michael Chudd has scored 37 goals from the midfield, while dishing out six assists. Junior attacker Will Puckett has added another 34 goals and seven assists. Jake Wolf and Grant Dupree have been the main facilitators, as Wolf has 30 assists and Dupree has another 18.

The Silver Foxes have turned the ball over well, as seven players are in double figures for takeaways. John Barnes and Garrett Werts lead the way with 23 and 22, respectively.

That defense is ahead of Ben Studley in goal. He has 128 saves on the season.

White Knoll

White Knoll sits at 6-6 on the season and 2-5 in the hyper-competitive Region IV.

Their two wins have come over River Bluff, who sits winless in the region. 

But the Timberwolves enter spring break on a hot streak. They’ve won their last two games, a 17-1 victory over Aiken before outlasting Byrnes 7-6 on Saturday. Sophomore Phoenix Briggs scored four goals in that contest.

Briggs has 19 goals on the season, second on the team only to Aedan Melinauskas, the senior attacker with 27 goals and 18 assists. He’s been the engine for the Timberwolves this season.

Jackson Cowart has been the primary goalkeeper, totaling 96 saves on the season.

River Bluff

River Bluff rounds out the region with three wins overall on the season. It most recently lost its region finale against Chapin 18-2.

The Gators opened the season on a high note, winning their first two games over Blythewood and Heathwood Hall by scores of 14-2 and 9-8, respectively. Since then, they’ve struggled to find their groove. Their other win came against Academic Magnet 12-10 three weeks ago.

River Bluff’s bright spot on the season has been freshman Banks Smith, who leads the team with 19 goals. Junior Reid Esbensen has added 12 goals.

Freshman Justice Skeen has been their starting keeper, totaling 97 saves on the season.