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One week in, here's how Eric Rueb ranked the top teams from each division in RI girls lacrosse

eric rueb, providence journal
·8 min read

Girls lacrosse is here – sort of.

It seems like a strange start to the season when some teams have played three games and others will make their debut this week, but this is what weather can do to games in Rhode Island in early April.

These rankings are put together using both preseason expectations mixed with results from the first games of the season. If they prove to match what things look like in the semifinals, it would be some incredible prognosticating.

There’s a lot of season left and as each week goes by, we’ll be giving you new ranks to check out every Monday morning. Make it part of your routine to start the week and I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

We’re hoping to add another girls lacrosse feature – a Player of the Week vote. To do this, we need help from all 35 coaches from around the state. What can they do?

Report scores.

How? Simple. Home team coaches can call the Journal at 401-277-7340 or email PJSports@ProvidenceJournal.com the final score, as well as three players of the game from the winning team (usually the three top scorers) and two from the losing team, as well as any notes that may be important for our daily writeups. We need these results by 10 p.m. on the night of games – not the day after.

If coaches can report scores at, say, an 80 percent clip – it should be higher, but I can settle for a B-minus – it will provide enough information that we can have a Player of the Week ballot, which will only give schools a better chance to showcase their athletes.

Now if that happens, your Monday reading will be twofold with the weekly ranks and to check out the five Player of the Week nominees.

But to do this, we also need Mother Nature to cooperate and send us some good weather. Let’s keep our fingers crossed on that.

Now let’s get on to the ranks:

Division I

Hannah West and Moses Brown are going to be tough to beat this season.
Hannah West and Moses Brown are going to be tough to beat this season.

1. Moses Brown (2-0 Division I)

Every team in D-I has a loss this season except the Quakers, but that’s not why they’re in the top spot. MB is here because with most of its roster back from last season’s state title team, it deserves it until someone hands it an L. After beating Portsmouth and Prout to start the season, the Quakers continue with two road games this week at South Kingstown Tuesday and at Lincoln School Thursday.

2. Portsmouth (1-1 Division I)

The Patriots graduated some serious talent from last year’s team, but raised some eyebrows after it followed its season-opening loss to Moses Brown with a win over Barrington. Is Portsmouth for real? It will have another big test Monday at home against East Greenwich before hosting a sneaky tough Prout team on Thursday night.

3. Barrington (1-1 Division I)

After getting some revenge on East Greenwich – which ended the Eagles’ season in the semifinals last spring – in the opener, things looked good for their chances in 2024. Then Barrington lost to Portsmouth in a game that may loom large come late May. Barrington needs to get back on track in a hurry and has a tough one Monday at Prout before hosting South Kingstown Thursday night.

4. Prout (1-1 Division I)

With six teams with at least one win and the other two having only played one game, picking a fourth team was difficult, but the Crusaders earned the nod. Prout battled in a loss to Moses Brown, but bounced back with a win over La Salle. This week will be a chance to prove they more than belong, as the Crusaders host Barrington Monday before traveling to play Portsmouth Thursday.

Division II

Kayden Jaillet and Chariho showed just how explosive their offense can be in the first week of the regular season.
Kayden Jaillet and Chariho showed just how explosive their offense can be in the first week of the regular season.

1. Chariho (2-0 Division II)

After losing in the semifinals last spring, the Chargers are hungry for a title this year and started off exactly how you’d think. Chariho showed off its offensive prowess with convincing wins over Middletown and Smithfield and look like a team that plans on scoring in bunches all season. The Super Chargers will hit the road twice this week, playing at 2-0 Cumberland on Monday and closing the week at Pilgrim on Friday.

2. North Kingstown (0-0 Division II)

This ranking might be unfair to the defending D-II champs, but having not played a game and Chariho starting the season on fire, it’s probably fair. North’s the prohibitive favorite to win D-II – and, after winning last year and being one of the biggest schools in the state, should probably have moved up – and the Skippers plan to show why this week when they host Smithfield in their season opener on Tuesday night.

3. Burrillville (0-0 Division II)

What do the Broncos and Moses Brown have in common? They’re the only programs to play for titles each of the last three years. Burrillville hasn’t had a chance to play a game this season, so this rank is based on a reputation its built. The small-school program has turned out some solid teams and expect more of the same this spring. The Broncos are set to start the season Wednesday at Mt. Hope in their lone game of the week.

4. Cumberland (2-0 Division II)

Are the Clippers going to be a title contender? Maybe, maybe not, but after going 5-8 last season they started this year 2-0 and deserved to be on the list. Cumberland dismantled Pilgrim in its opener, then took out Middletown in a close win to build momentum it will need to carry in to Monday’s game against Chariho before traveling to take on Toll Gate on Friday.

Division III

Gianna Falcone and Westerly got their D-III season off to a good start.
Gianna Falcone and Westerly got their D-III season off to a good start.

1. Bay View (1-0 Division III)

The Bengals won the D-III title and have done little to prove they’re going to do anything but this season. Bay View is the hands-down favorite – and, as a private school that won a title last spring, probably should have gone to D-II – and showed why going 3-0 outscoring PCDSRA, Ponaganset and Rogers by a combined 47-13. In a scheduling quirk, the Bengals will get some rest this week before returning to action next week.

2. Westerly (3-0 Division III)

Young and talented, the Bulldogs wasted no time in showing why they might be the team that could upend Bay View this season. Westerly beat Narragansett, PCDSRA and D-III newcomer Mount St. Charles by outscoring them 54-20. The Bulldogs will put up big numbers all season and get back on the field at Ponaganset Tuesday and close the week hosting Rogers on Friday.

3. Mount St. Charles (1-1 Division III)

It’s hard not to be impressed by the Mounties, who won the Division IV title and could have remained down but elected to take on the challenge of D-III in the program’s final RIIL season. Mount opened league play with a win over East Providence, then got bit by Westerly in the next game. The Mounties have one league game this week, hosting Narragansett Wednesday in a strong early-season matchup.

4. Narragansett (1-1 Division III)

Expectations should be high for the Mariners, which has put together a blueprint for how to be competitive in lacrosse as a small school. Opening with a loss to Narragansett wasn’t an ideal start to the season, but the win over Cranston East got the team back on track. The Mariners will keep chugging along Tuesday when it hosts East Providence before traveling north to take on Mount St. Charles on Thursday.

Division IV

Kailey Salinaro and North Smithfield look ready to avenge last season's D-IV title game loss and have themselves quite a 2024.
Kailey Salinaro and North Smithfield look ready to avenge last season's D-IV title game loss and have themselves quite a 2024.

1. North Smithfield (2-0 Division IV)

Offense has helped the Northmen develop into a consistent contender the last few years, but defense might help them finally win the big one this spring. North Smithfield didn’t give up more than three goals in both wins last week and will look to do more of the same in its lone game of the week Monday when it travels to play Tiverton.

2. Lincoln (2-0 Division IV)

Will the Lions roar this spring? The offense certainly did in wins over North Providence and Tiverton as Lincoln is looking like a title-game favorite after week one. The Lions should continue to put up numbers this week with back-to-back road games Monday at Johnston and Tuesday at Classical.

3. Tiverton (1-1 Division IV)

The Tigers are an intriguing team in Division IV this spring and showed why n their season-opening win over Scituate. Tiverton got clipped three days later to Lincoln, but it doesn’t take away from what it’s trying to do. The Tigers have a tough one Monday at home against North Smithfield and then travel to take on North Providence on Thursday night.

4. Scituate (0-1 Division IV)

With apologies to teams that did win this week – Classical is 1-0 so far – the Spartans had the biggest victory of the season Friday when the school found out it will be able to play home games on its turf field that’s been closed for the last three years. Scituate dropped its season opener on the road against Tiverton last week, but will be at home – and likely on turf – Monday against Classical and then play at Coventry on Thursday.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ranking the top Rhode Island girls lacrosse teams in each RIIL division