With only a few more months remaining in the academic year, spring sports now seize the spotlight. With that promises another competitive boys lacrosse season.
Section V boasts 34 teams this season, many of which hope to extend their seasons into late May.
Section V boys lacrosse classification breakdown
Class A: East United, Fairport, Greece Storm, McQuaid, Penfield, Rush-Henrietta
Class B: Brighton, Canandaigua, Churchville-Chili, Gates Chili, Hilton, Irondequoit, Pittsford, Spencerport, Victor, Webster Schroeder, Webster Thomas
Class C: Aquinas, Brockport, Batavia-Notre Dame, Geneva, Honeoye Falls-Lima, Livonia-Avon-Geneseo, Wayne
Class D: Bloomfield-Honeoye, Gananda, Haverling, Marcus Whitman, Midlakes, Mynderse, Newark, Palmyra-Macedon, Penn Yan, Waterloo
Section V’s 2025 championship games
Here are five questions for the upcoming Section V boys lacrosse season:
Is Penfield destined for another Class A title?
It was a topsy-turvy 2025 season for Penfield. The Patriots opened the year with five consecutive losses, but then won 13 of their next 16 games to reach the Class A state semifinals.
This year, Penfield opens the year as the full-fledged favorite. This roster includes four returning All-Greater Rochester selections and seven others who were all-league honorees. Many of those returners are on the defensive side, which includes all-time saves leader Mason Schembri in the cage.
Up front, attack Brodie Joyce is already off to a hot start. In Penfield’s season opener, the Providence commit scored eight goals and one assist to become the program’s all-time leading scorer.
Who will step up in loaded Class B division?
It could be argued that Section V’s Class B division is not only the toughest in the region, but the most competitive in New York state. In the final state rankings of the 2025 season, six Section V teams were listed in the top 20 and one other was an honorable mention. Plenty of firepower returns from those clubs this season.
Victor has historically been the classification’s gold standard with eight section titles since 2014. The Blue Devils were knocked off their perch last spring by a senior-heavy Canandaigua squad, but should again be among the last teams standing.
Irondequoit and Spencerport, like Penfield, return multiple AGR selections. The Eagles will be a team to watch early on, as they try to replace key players at the faceoff X and in goal. The Rangers were a section finalist in 2023, but still seek their first championship.
Brighton has enjoyed a strong turnaround. The Bruins won 13 games last spring, their most in five seasons. Hilton similarly had its first double-digit-win season in five years, and the Cadets’ expectations this spring are a section final appearance.
Canandaigua, led by a dynamic offense, had a dream season in 2025 to reach the Class B state final. However, the Gray Wolves lost eight all-league selections to graduation. How another large senior class steps up could determine the season.
Who are this year’s returning All-Greater Rochester selections?
Section V brings back 11 first- and second-team honorees from last season. That includes four from Penfield and two apiece from Irondequoit and Spencerport.
Who are this year’s new coaches?
London Booker returns as head coach of East United following a one-year hiatus. He won 23 games and lost 28 in his previous tenure as head coach, and will continue to try and grow the Rochester City School District’s lone varsity lacrosse program.
Joe Urlacher, a Canandaigua alum, takes over at Marcus Whitman. Prior to his coaching career, Urlacher played defense for St. John Fisher and was an All-Empire 8 selection.
Sam Hillmon is a longtime member of Rush-Henrietta’s youth and interscholastic program, and now takes over as varsity head coach.
Nick Casal is the new varsity head coach at Newark.
Justin Ross took over Webster Schroeder midway through last season, and continues as varsity head coach this spring.
Matt VanDamme was previously with the Waterloo girls team, but slides over to varsity head coach for the boys this spring.
How have teams adjusted to the shot clock?
Implemented before the 2025 season, shot clocks have fundamentally changed lacrosse in New York state. The pace of play is up while the dependence on specialists is down.
Many teams, in lieu of the change, are trying to develop more two-way players that don’t need to substitute in or out depending on possession. Some teams went as far as using long poles, typically reserved for defense, on the offensive end.
With another offseason to study, coaches have surely cooked up new strategies to combat the possession clock. To what effect, we’ll see in the months to come.
— Justin Ritzel works as a sports reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle, with a focus on Section V athletics and high school trends.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Five questions that will shape boys lacrosse season
Reporting by Justin Ritzel, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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