Most High School Lacrosse State Championships in U.S.
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There is no older organized sport in the United States than lacrosse, which can trace its origins back to the indigenous people of North America from the early 12th century.
The fact that the sport continues to this today is a testament not only to its history but to how fun it is to play. In fact, it continues to grow across the country, with more and more states adding lacrosse as a sanctioned sport every year. As of 2023, there are 22 states that play high school lacrosse as a sanctioned sport.
In some states, high school lacrosse goes back 50 years or more, with schools crafting dynasties of state championships all over the country. Here's a look at the high schools in the U.S. with the most state championships.
18. Wando High School — 7 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
State championships (7): 2012, 2013, 2014-18, 2022
Bottom line: Wando High set the South Carolina record with five consecutive state championships from 2014 to 2018 and has won all seven of its state titles since 2012. All of Wando's state titles have also come under head coach Lance Renes. And that's not all: Wando has finished as state runner-up five more times.
18. Garden City High School — 7 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Garden City, New York
State championships (7): 1986, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2012. 2013, 2018
Bottom line: No story of Garden City High's legendary lacrosse program can be told without mentioning longtime head coach Doc Dougherty.
Dougherty, who died in 2021 at 79 years old, coached Garden City for 33 years and won 567 career games, leading his teams to 26 regular-season conference titles, 11 Nassau County titles, nine Long Island Championships and four state titles.
Dougherty also won a pair of U-19 club world championships, traveling around the world to play lacrosse, and even coached the men's club team at Hofstra and the New York Saints in pro lacrosse. Dougherty was inducted into the Nassau County High School Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
18. Yorktown High School — 7 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Yorktown Heights, New York
State championships (7): 1984, 1989, 1991-93, 2003, 2014
Bottom line: Yorktown won its first state championship in 1984, kicking off a run that saw the school win five titles from 1984 to 1993. Yorktown's greatest player was midfielder Roy Colsey, who went on to become a four-time All-American at Syracuse, where he helped lead the Orange to two national titles in 1993 and 1995. Cosley also played 11 years of pro lacrosse.
18. Scarborough High School — 7 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Scarborough, Maine
State championships (7): 2006, 2008, 2010-13, 2016
Bottom line: Scarborough High won all seven of its state championships in a 10-year stretch from 2006 to 2016, including four consecutive titles from 2010 to 2013. Scarborough head coach Joe Hezlep was at the helm of all seven state titles and runs a youth lacrosse league in the area.
18. Lincoln-Sudbury High School — 7 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Sudbury, Massachusetts
State championships (7): 1978, 1991, 1994, 2015-17, 2019
Bottom line: Lincoln-Sudbury High began its lacrosse program in 1969 — one of the first high school lacrosse programs in the state — and won its first state title in 1978. After winning two state titles in the 1990s, Lincoln-Sudbury has seen its greatest run of success in the last decade, winning three consecutive state titles from 2015 to 2017 and another in 2019.
18. Cape Henlopen High School — 7 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Lewes, Delaware
State championships (7): 1998, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2014, 2019
Bottom line: Cape Henlopen has been one of the best teams in Delaware over the last 25 years, including state championships in each of the last three decades dating back to 1998. Cape Henlopen head coach Mark D'Ambrogi led the school to four state titles and a state runner-up finish from 2000 to 2008, then returned to win another state championship as head coach in 2019. The state title team in 2019 featured midfielder Hank D'Ambrogi, the Delaware Player of the Year (and, yes, the coach's son).
18. St. Joseph High School — 7 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Trumbull, Connecticut
State championships (7): 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021
Bottom line: St. Joseph High is a relative newcomer to the high school lacrosse elite, having not won its first state championship until 2009. After that first title, St. Joseph reeled off seven state championships in the next 12 years, including five state titles in the 2010s.
18. Wilton High School — 7 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Wilton, Connecticut
State championships (7): 1995, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2011, 2013, 2022
Bottom line: Of all Wilton High's great players, Mike Pressler's legacy stands above the rest — even if he never won a state title. After graduating from Wilton, Pressler starred for Washington & Lee University in football and lacrosse in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Pressler went on to become one of the great figures in college lacrosse in a 40-year head coaching career at Virginia Military Institute, Ohio Wesleyan, Duke and Bryant, where he retired following the 2022 season.
18. Cherry Creek High School — 7 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Greenwood Village, Colorado
State championships (7): 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2019
Bottom line: Cherry Creek has been a dominant force in high school lacrosse in Colorado for 20 years, winning all seven of its state championships since 2002. Cherry Creek has done a great job of compiling the history of its program dating back to the early 1980s, including its long history of producing Division I talent. Two players on the 2023 squad are committed to play for Division I programs with Jack Kiefer (Duke) and Alex Fredrich (Utah).
17. Dulaney High School — 8 State Championships
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Location: Timonium, Maryland
State championships (8): 1990, 1991, 2000-03, 2005, 2008
Bottom line: Dulaney High won its first two state titles in 1990 and 1991 but had its greatest era of lacrosse in the 2000s, winning four consecutive titles from 2000 to 2003 and six titles in eight years from 2000 to 2008. Gary Schreiber was Dulaney's head coach for the first seven state championships, with head coach Jake Reed winning his only title in 2008. Dulaney also finished as state runner-up three times under Schreiber.
Dulaney still holds the Maryland record for most state tournament appearances with 20 and the record for most goals in a single Class 4A state tournament with 17 in 1990.
12. Hereford High School — 10 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Parkton, Maryland
State championships (10): 1996, 2000, 2003, 2008-13, 2021
Bottom line: Hereford won its first state championship in 1996 but hit its stride by winning six consecutive titles from 2008 to 2013. Carl Runk was Hereford's head coach for the first championship in that 2008 run before Brian King took over for the next four titles. Hereford ended its longest title drought since winning its first title when it won it all in 2021.
12. La Salle Academy — 10 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Providence, Rhode Island
State championships (10): 2012-19, 2021, 2022
Bottom line: Despite not winning its first state championship until 2012, La Salle Academy finds itself on this list. That's because La Salle has dominated high school lacrosse in Rhode Island over the last decade, winning all 10 of its state titles in a row — only missing in 2020, when the tournament was canceled because of the pandemic.
12. Ridgewood High School — 10 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Ridgewood, New Jersey
State championships (10): 1990, 1991, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012-15
Bottom line: Ridgewood High won its first two state titles in 1990 and 1991, with the 1991 team going undefeated, finishing the season 19-0 and capping things off with a win over national power Montclair in the state championship game. Ridgewood ended a 13-year title drought in 2004, kicking off a stretch when it won seven Group III state championships over the next 11 years, including four consecutive state titles from 2012 to 2015.
12. Montclair High School — 10 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Montclair, New Jersey
State championships (10): 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1992, 1997, 2010
Bottom line: Montclair won the first two official state championships in New Jersey history in 1974 and 1975 and won seven of its 10 state titles from 1974 to 1985. Montclair head coach Gil Gibbs was the architect of Montclair's early lacrosse dynasty and served as the coach for those seven state championships, which included 17 All-Americans and 44 All-State selections. The period from 1969 to 1978 also included five consecutive Montclair players being named New Jersey Player of the Year — Billy McCutcheon (1971), Gary Mercandante (1972), Mike Hynes (1973), Bob Ott (1974) and Joe Reilly (1975).
12. Ward Melville High School — 10 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: East Setauket, New York
State championships (10): 1978, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2013, 2017, 2018
Bottom line: The greatest team in Ward Melville High's storied lacrosse history came in 2013 when it won not only the state championship but went 22-0 and finished the season ranked No. 1 in the nation. Ward Melville won its first state championship in 1978 but then went a decade before winning it all again when the school reeled off 71 consecutive wins across two state titles in 1988 and 1989.
10. Severna Park High School — 11 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Severna Park, Maryland
State championships (11): 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2015-19, 2021, 2022
Bottom line: The greatest high school lacrosse dynasty in Maryland resides at Severna Park High — for now — where the team has won seven consecutive state titles dating back to 2015.
In a testament to the talent within Severna Park's community, four different head coaches have won state titles at the school since the first one in 1999. Severna Park has also finished as state runner-up four times. That means that, in 17 state tournament appearances, Severna Park has made it to the state championship game 15 times.
10. Salesianum School — 11 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Wilmington, Delaware
State championships (11): 1995, 2007, 2009, 2011-13, 2015-18, 2021
Bottom line: Longtime Salesianum head coach Bob Healy won his 300th career game in April 2023. In 18 seasons at Salesianum — Healy was at Dover for five seasons before that — he's won 10 of the school's 11 state titles, including seven titles in eight seasons from 2011 to 2018. Salesianum has also finished as state runner-up four more times under Healy.
9. Summit High School — 12 State Championships
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Location: Summit, New Jersey
State championships (12): 1981, 1983, 2005, 2009-12, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021
Bottom line: After winning a pair of state titles in 1981 and 1983 — the first two in school history — Summit High ended a 22-year drought by winning the 2005 state title. That state championship kicked off the greatest run in school history. Summit won four consecutive state titles from 2009 to 2012 and eight state championships from 2009 to 2019.
8. Cape Elizabeth High School — 13 State Championships
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Location: Cape Elizabeth, Maine
State championships (13): 1998-2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2013-15, 2017, 2021, 2022
Bottom line: Accuse us of recency bias all you want, but 2022 Cape Elizabeth grad Tiernan Lathrop might not just be the best lacrosse player in school history, he might also be the best athlete in school history.
Lathrop, 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, won two state titles in lacrosse for Cape Elizabeth and was named an All-American in 2022, along with being named the Varsity Maine Player of the Year. Lathrop also won a state championship in downhill skiing in the Class B slalom — know anybody else who gets down like that?
7. Darien High School — 14 State Championships
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Location: Darien, Connecticut
State championships (14): 1997, 2000, 2005-10, 2012, 2014-17, 2019
Bottom line: Connecticut isn't on par with the rest of the country in a lot of high school sports — mainly because of its size — but you can't say that about lacrosse. Darien won its first state championship in 1997 but really hit its stride in the 2000s, winning six consecutive state titles from 2005 to 2010 and adding another six state titles in the 2010s. The 2008 team earned some national recognition when it finished the season No. 4 in the U.S. in the STX/Inside Lacrosse National High School Rankings.
4. Mountain Lakes High School — 15 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Mountain Lakes, New Jersey
State championships (15): 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2006-08, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021
Bottom line: In lacrosse-crazed New Jersey, Mountain Lakes has been the rare public school dynasty, winning 15 state championships. That run includes multiple state titles in five consecutive decades dating back to the 1980s, including five championships in the 2010s.
Mountain Lakes head coach Tim Flynn has been with the team since 1979 and is one of the most respected high school lacrosse coaches in the nation. Flynn, who won his 700th career game in 2022, is a member of the NJSIAA Hall of Fame and led the U.S. to the gold medal at the U-19 World Championships in 2012 in Finland.
4. West Genesee High School — 15 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Camillus, New York
State championships (15): 1981-83, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2002-05, 2008
Bottom line: West Genesee head coach Mike Messere led the lacrosse team from 1975 to 2018, winning all 15 of the school's state championships in that time, including a staggering nine times where they finished the season No. 1 in various national polls.
The really impressive thing about West Genesee under Messere's tenure — other than the 15 state titles and 52 All-Americans — was the consistency. West Genesee won five state titles in three consecutive decades in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Messere's 841 career wins are a national record.
4. Brother Rice High School — 15 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Bloomfield Township, Michigan
State championships (15): 2005-18, 2021
Bottom line: Brother Rice won its first state championship in 2005, kicking off a run of 14 consecutive state titles through 2018. The crown jewel of that dynasty was likely former midfielder and two-time High School All-American Sergio Petrovic, who won four state championships and was the Michigan Player of the Year as a junior and senior. Petrovic, who was also All-State in football, won two state titles in football as well.
Petrovic went on to star at Notre Dame, where he was a three-time All-American and three-time All-ACC selection and finished his career No. 6 in goals (111) and No. 12 in points (134), setting the record for most points by a midfielder in Irish history.
3. Delbarton School — 16 State Championships
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Location: Morristown, New Jersey
State championships (16): 1999, 2000, 2002-09, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016-19
Bottom line: High school lacrosse is a way of life in New Jersey, and no program has done it better than Delbarton School, which won eight consecutive state championships from 2002 to 2009 and won 10 of its 16 state titles from 1999 to 2009. The high school also won four consecutive state championships from 2016 to 2019, and its 2018 title team finished the season ranked No. 1 in the U.S. by MaxPreps and Laxpower.com.
Delbarton's greatest player of all time was likely Ned Crotty, who won New Jersey Player of the Year in both lacrosse and hockey while leading Delbarton to four state lacrosse titles. Crotty went on to star at Duke, leading the Blue Devils to the 2010 NCAA Division I championship. Crotty was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 MLL Draft and played 13 seasons of pro lacrosse before retiring in 2022.
2. Upper Arlington High School — 17 State Championships (Tie)
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Location: Upper Arlington, Ohio
State championships (15): 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004-08, 2010, 2012-14, 2016
Bottom line: Upper Arlington's lacrosse dynasty began with the school's first state championship in 1994, kicking off a stretch of 11 state titles over the next 15 years, including five consecutive titles from 2004 to 2008.
One player stands above the rest in that stretch — 2000 All-American and Ohio Player of the Year Brett Hughes. Hughes, who was inducted into the Ohio Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2021, was a two-time All-American and four-time letterwinner at the University of Virginia, where he led the Cavs to the 2003 NCAA Division I national championship. Hughes was selected No. 1 overall in the 2005 Major League Lacrosse draft by the New Jersey Pride.
1. Longmeadow High School — 20 State Championships
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Location: Longmeadow, Massachusetts
State championships (20): 1970, 1974-77, 1979-81, 1983-86, 1988-90, 1992, 1997, 2008, 2013, 2022
Bottom line: The greatest high school lacrosse dynasty in the U.S. resides at Longmeadow High, where the team has won at least one state championship in six consecutive decades dating back to the 1970s. Longmeadow, which has produced almost 40 All-Americans in its history, won its first state title in a decade in 2022.