MERCER ISLAND, WA - Over the weekend, 19 varsity lacrosse teams, from Victoria, British Columbia to Las Vegas, Nevada, made the trip to Mercer Island, Washington for the eleventh-annual Northwest Invitational. The 3-day event served as a common meeting ground for some of the top varsity lacrosse programs the West has to offer. The games continue to play an integral part of a team’s ability to gauge their skills amongst the best high school talent west of the Rocky Mountains. The weekend isn’t organized as a tournament, so there isn’t a champion, but there are a ton of positive takeaways for all of the teams competing over the weekend.

Most impressively, Faith Lutheran fought through the gauntlet to an unblemished 4-0. Jesuit-Portland, 3-0, Bellevue, 2-0, and Mercer Island, 1-0, all completed the weekend with flawless records. One of the most nail-biting games of the weekend came early Sunday morning when Lakeridge took Coronado Red to overtime, only to fall in sudden-victory, 12-11. The two top-ranked teams in the state handled the weekend with poise. #1 Bellevue topped Claremont, the British Columbia provincial champs, and Oregon powerhouse Lakeridge, while the host Mercer Island pulled off a 12-7 victory over Portland’s Lincoln Cardinals. As a whole, Washington teams combined for a 6-9 record against their out-of-state opponents, while the four elite programs from Nevada walked away at 9-5.

The talent witnessed at the 2016 event was unparalleled, with some of the game’s future top stars only starting to shine. As the event now turns the page toward its twelfth year, it’s exhilarating to reflect on the rapid acceleration of skill level as more teams have the opportunity to take part in the weekend. 451 total goals were scored over the 96 quarters distributed across 3 ideal days for playing lacrosse in the Pacific Northwest. The bar has been set, it’s going to be a pleasure to watch how the teams use their experiences to finish the season.

Scores

Friday

Faith Lutheran (NV) 10 - Sunset (OR) 4

Palo Verde (NV) 10 - Lincoln (OR) 11

New Westminster (BC) 6 - Hellgate (MT) 7

Claremont (BC) 8 - Bellevue (BC) 11

Coronado (NV) 6 - Jesuit (OR) 16

Lakeridge (OR) 9 - Issaquah (WA) 6

Saturday

Palo Verde (NV) 10 - Hellgate (MT) 11

Faith Lutheran (NV) 12 - Eastlake (WA) 4

Coronado (NV) 11 - Claremont (BC) 10

Bainbridge (WA) 4 - Issaquah (WA) 12

Centennial (NV) 11 - Tahoma (WA) 10

Faith Lutheran (NV) 13 - Hellgate (MT) 2

Jesuit (OR) 13 - Skyline (WA) 9

Lakeridge (OR) 5 - Bellevue (WA) 12

Coronado (NV) 10 - Woodinville (WA) 7

Centennial (NV) 5 -Sunset (OR) 13

Lincoln (OR) 7 - Mercer Island (WA) 12

Sunday

Coronado (NV) 12 - Lakeridge 11 (OR) OT

Faith Lutheran (NV) 7 - Woodinville 3 (WA)

Palo Verde (NV) 5 - Jesuit (OR) 19

Centennial (NV) 11 - New Westminster (BC) 8

Claremont (BC) 15 - Lincoln (OR) 11

Hellgate (MT) 12 - Bainbridge (WA) 13

Sunset (OR) 11 - Tahoma (WA) 6

Records

Bainbridge (WA) 1-1

Bellevue (WA) 2-0

Centennial (NV) 2-1

Claremont (BC) 1-2

Coronado (NV) 3-1

Eastlake (WA) 0-1

Faith Lutheran (NV) 4-0

Hellgate (MT) 2-2

Issaquah (WA) 1-1

Jesuit (OR) 3-0

Lakeridge (OR) 1-2

Lincoln (OR) 1-2

Mercer Island (WA) 1-0

New Westminster (BC) 0-2

Palo Verde (NV) 0-3

Skyline (WA) 1-1

Sunset (OR) 2-1

Tahoma (WA) 0-3

Woodinville (WA) 0-2

By Mark Donahue