Boys and girls' lacrosse preview: Five story lines for 2016

Ten returning regulars should keep the Eden Prairie girls' lacrosse program near the top. Fast and deep, the Eagles boast elite players at several positions. They reached the championship game in eight of the nine state tournaments to date, winning it all in 2007, 2009 and 2015. White Bear Lake made its title-game debut count by earning the boys' trophy last year. Four players return to guide the Bears toward a repeat. White Bear Lake coach Brandon Husak credits his team's "preparation and how we break the game down into multiple segments."

At least 24 boys and 12 girls playing varsity lacrosse have made Division I college commitments, numbers that coaches believe reflect Minnesota's growth as a recruiting destination. "Minnesota is no longer flyover country when it comes to recruiting," Blake boys' coach Frank Clark wrote in an e-mail. Lakeville North girls' coach Danica Cutshall, who played at Regis University in Denver, wrote in an e-mail, "I know from experience that more college coaches are looking to Minnesota for strong, competitive lacrosse players than ever in the past."

Linda Hokr, coach at girls' lacrosse power Blake, took a leave of absence for the 2016 season after giving birth to a son in January. "Due to the addition to my family and to accommodate my maternity leave, my assistant coach, Sarah Fellows, will be taking over as interim head coach for the 2016 season," Hokr wrote in an e-mail. Hokr, a former Blake assistant, took the head coaching job last season.

Registration to become a lacrosse official is open until April 19, and Jason Nickleby, Minnesota State High School League coordinator of officials, hopes the numbers improve. Getting enough officials has been a "struggle more on the girls' side," he said, adding, "At this point, I've received no panicked calls from either coaches association saying it's impossible to cover games."

With three games decided by two goals or fewer and a championship game won in double overtime, the girls' state tournament "was really good for our game," Chanhassen coach Rachel Aiken said. In addition, Blake missed the title game for the first time last season, ending five consecutive years of championship rule. Lakeville South stepped in, battling Eden Prairie through two extra sessions. Section realignment could bring forth new teams such as Edina, which moved from a loaded Section 2 with Eden Prairie to a more winnable Section 6.

David La Vaque