2026 Season Preview: Section 4
Boys
There was a time when the Section 4 boys lacrosse bracket felt like a formality — a procedural obstacle between Mahtomedi, Stillwater, and a state tournament berth. Two programs, one section, and everyone else hoping to crash the party.
That era is over.
What's emerged in its place is something more interesting: A heavy favorite with some strong contenders and a new arrival poised to shake things up even further. Heading into 2026, Section 4 has it all.
Let's break it all down.
Stillwater
There is no diplomatic way to say this… the Ponies are in a tier by themselves.
Stillwater went 18-1 last season, marched all the way to the state championship game falling only to Edina in a game that, depending on who you ask, could have gone either way. They weren't just a good team. They were one of the two best teams in the entire state.
They graduated Grant Giese (80 points), Luke Geisbauer (59 points), and a pair of defensive starters. A reasonable person might have wondered if this was finally the year the window cracked.
It hasn't cracked.
The anchor of this program is senior goaltender Casey Mork, a Division I commit to LeMoyne who has been a wall in net since 2023. Elite goaltending is the great equalizer in lacrosse. Even when you don’t play your best, great goaltending can carry you. Just ask the Team USA Hockey Team! Mork is as good as it gets between the pipe and beating Stillwater doesn't just mean generating quality looks. It means beating him.
Behind Mork, the returning talent is quietly staggering. Kieran Jones (59 points), Aiden Sargent (55 points), Easton Abrahms (37 points) and Bobby Appert (26 points) form one of the deepest offensive cores in the section. LSM Wyatt Wells anchors the midfield with 70 ground balls last year and Peter Wimberger returns as a proven starter on defense.
And that's before you factor in the pipeline. Stillwater's youth program is deep and perpetually producing varsity-ready talent. The players suiting up in second-line roles last season would be featured players almost anywhere else in Minnesota.
This is what a dynasty looks like. Until someone figures out a way to beat them, the Ponies set the bar.
White Bear Lake
If Stillwater is the juggernaut, White Bear Lake is the program that has come closest to dethroning them and has made a habit of it. Coaching stability matters in high school sports and WBL has it. Year after year, the Bears show up prepared, play hard for 48 minutes and find ways to compete when the lights get brightest. Last season, they nearly knocked Stillwater off entirely.
They do have holes to fill. The graduation of Lockwood (57 points), Karni (48 points) and LSM Ziccardi — one of the top at his position in the whole state with 83 ground balls — is a significant loss on paper. But the returning core is genuinely exciting.
Sophomore sensation Wyatt Raleigh put up 68 points as a sophomore last year. That kind of production, that early, is rare. The Bears didn't just luck into a talented kid, they have a potential program-defining player in the making. Around him, Gavin Huot (45 points), Liam Moloy (36 points), and Colton Butts (18 points) provide experienced depth. On the back end, Eicher, Olson, and Rauchendorfer anchor the defense, with starter Vickstrom returning in goal and Eicher also doubling as a 51% faceoff weapon.
What makes WBL particularly intriguing is the age of this core. Many of these key contributors are 2027s. This isn't just a strong 2026 team — it could be the foundation of a multi-year contender. The Bears have a nice window here and should be every bit as capable of getting back to state and chasing another title.
Hill-Murray
Few programs in the section had a more interesting 2025 than Hill-Murray. The Pioneers went a perfect 13-0 in the regular season under a coaching staff that had methodically built the program into a genuine contender only to fall to a strong WBL squad in the semis. Now they face a new chapter. Head coach Regan, the architect of that rise, has departed for a new role with the Red Knights. Tristan Turner steps in with a different kind of challenge: inheriting a program mid-ascent and keeping the trajectory pointed upward.
The graduation losses are real. Jackson Murphy (50 points), Emmet Johnson (43 points), Anthony Millet (42 points) and Nick Myhre (36 points) represented the offensive core of that regular-season juggernaut. LSM Cam Frattalone also moves on.
But Hill-Murray isn't starting from zero.
Goaltender Grant Hennen might be the most underappreciated story in the section. A junior who has been the starter since eighth grade, Hennen is a big, athletic keeper who brings an unusual level of experience for his age. His save numbers — 63% and 7.66 GAA — this kid is the real deal.
Rockhurst commit Jake Godbout (52 points) leads the offense and is a legitimate playmaker. The defensive unit of Frosch, Hayes, and Duffee gives Turner something to build around. The question for the Pioneers isn't whether the pieces exist but whether new contributors emerge fast enough in a loaded section.
The core is there. The ceiling remains high. But 2026 might be a year of refinement rather than arrival.
Mahtomedi
There's no sugarcoating this one.
The Zephyrs were stacked with Division I talent last season, and the results — a solid 10-5 — left many wondering what might have been. Now the other shoe drops. Mahtomedi loses arguably the deepest graduation class in the section: Ned Whitney, Mason Peterson, Sam Knapp, two D1 commits to Bellarmine (Sam Churchill at 78% on faceoffs, Oskar Magnusson at 30 points), Landon Kruse (D1 Detroit Mercy) and multiple defensive starters including their starting goalie.
That is an enormous amount of production and infrastructure to replace in a single offseason.
The returners — Seth Erickson (15 points) leading the offense, with Theunick and Cisek anchoring the defensive rebuild — are real contributors. But the depth behind them is young and there's little illusion about what this season likely represents for the Zephyrs.
Rebuilding years aren't failures. They're investments. Mahtomedi has shown before that they can develop talent and compete at a high level. The 2027 and 2028 classes will get invaluable experience this year, and if the program navigates it well, they could be a force again in short order. But for 2026, patience will be required.
Irondale
Here's a name to write down: Irondale.
The Knights were the five seed last year and lost a 6-5 nail-biter to Mahtomedi in the section quarters. On paper, a narrow first-round exit sounds like an afterthought. But the roster construction heading into 2026 tells a very different story.
Yes, they lose Freddy Bankston (D2 Colorado Mesa, 48 points) — a legitimate impact player — along with two defensive starters. That stings. But almost everything else is coming back.
Defensive starters Dahm (D2 Colorado Mesa) and Remore return on the backend. The offensive group — Shaver (31 points), Manchik (29 points), Vang (20 points), Jacob Bankston (16 points), O'Brien (12 points), and Dojan (11 points) — is intact and a year more experienced. That's a lot of returning firepower for a team that many won't be circling on the schedule.
The outstanding question is goaltending. Three netminders split time last season; two graduated. The freshman who got some run in 2025 is now a sophomore with real game experience, and sometimes that's all a young goalie needs. If he takes a step forward, Irondale's ceiling rises considerably.
This is the kind of team that can quietly put together wins before anyone notices. In a section where several programs are in transition, that matters.
Centennial
Centennial moves over from Section 7 and they're not arriving as a passive participant. The Cougars went 10-4 last season and pushed Anoka to overtime in the section semis. They are physical, athletic and accustomed to competing.
The transition matters, though. Section 4 is a significant step up from what Centennial faced in Section 7. They'll find that out quickly.
Like Irondale, they lose key contributors — Krage (48 points), Marshall (D2 Lewis, 42 points), and two defensive starters — but the returning core is legitimately impressive. Gavin Cunningham (57 points) is a genuine offensive weapon. Midfielder Isaak Adams is a D1 commit to St. John's (NY) at 40 points. David Moran (30 points) and Kasey Burgwald (14 points) add depth. LSMs Searles and Becker anchor the middle of the field.
The familiar refrain applies here too: goaltending is an open question. Three players shared time in net last season; one graduated. The two returning seniors have an opportunity to seize the role and elevate this team. If either does, Centennial could surprise people in a section they're just getting to know.
The Bottom Line
Section 4 in 2026 is a layered story. Stillwater is the juggernaut — experienced, deep, and anchored by one of the best goalies in the state. White Bear Lake is the most complete challenger with a superstar in the making. Hill-Murray and Centennial have the talent to be factors if their transitions go smoothly. Irondale is the kind of quietly dangerous team that upsets seedings. And Mahtomedi, for perhaps the first time in a while, is looking to the future rather than the present.
The Ponies remain the team to beat. But in this section, getting beaten has never been more possible.
The race is on.
Girls
The section's top tier remains elite. The teams chasing them are more interesting than ever. And somewhere in there is a saga that has nothing to do with what happens on the field.
If you watched the 2025 Minnesota girls lacrosse state championship game you already know what Section 4 is capable of producing. Stillwater played Prior Lake for the title and lost a hard-fought 13-8 decision to one of the consensus #1 team all season. That's not a consolation prize. That's a program operating at a top tier level.
What makes 2026 compelling is everything that surrounds the Ponies. A perennial challenger returns nearly intact and hungrier than ever. A program that has been knocking on the door for years finally looks like it might kick it down. A young team is getting younger in ways that could pay dividends for years.
Let's get into it.
Stillwater
State runners-up. Fifteen wins.
By any reasonable measure, 2025 was a resounding success for the Ponies — and 2026 doesn't look like a drop-off year.
Yes, they lose three significant seniors. Mady Richert (75 points, Maryville) was the section's top scorer. Rayna Malmberg (64 points, CSB) wasn't far behind. Gretchen Wenner (22 points, Missouri Western) anchored the draw circle with 30 draw controls. That's a meaningful group to replace.
But watch Stillwater's returning roster is a reload.
The headliners are two Florida State commits in the same senior class. Marit Wolden is the defensive anchor of this program and if you saw her in the state championship game, you understand why she's headed to Tallahassee. Physical, composed, unintimidated by any moment — she is exactly the kind of player that sets a tone for an entire team. Indi Capelle is the draw circle weapon, returning with 72 draw controls from a season ago. Draw control doesn't always make headlines, but it dictates possession, and possession dictates outcomes.
Offensively, Grace Young returns with 72 points (35 goals, 37 assists) and is among the best two-way players in the state. That's your second, fourth, and fifth leading scorers coming back.
Then there's Jacky Richert in goal. A 2027 commit to University of Tampa, she posted a 4.72 GAA and 59.1% save percentage last season while still developing. Tampa is not a throwaway offer. Jacky is mobile, aggressive and still even getting better.
Nine seniors. Ten juniors. A ton of experience at the top. Stillwater doesn't just remain the team to beat in Section 4 — they're one of the teams to beat in the entire state.
Roseville
Eight graduates. That number is going to make some people count Roseville out before the season starts.
Those people would be wrong.
The Raiders lost their top scorer in Olivia Martin (55 points), their fourth in Sophie Martin (30 points), and their fifth in Elizabeth Grosse (23 points). That's a lot of production walking out the door. But what's walking back in is worth your full attention.
Mia Huntley (46 points, 36 draw controls) is a Division I commit to Radford and the kind of player opponents have to account for every time she touches the ball. Claudia Rawitzer (32 points, 20 draw controls) is another proven threat. Their goaltender, Julia Gutierrez, is a 2028 — a sophomore this year — who already logged 70 saves and a 43.5% save percentage in her first varsity action.
That last detail matters. A young goalie who has already been tested at this level is different from a young goalie walking into her first varsity game. Gutierrez has the reps. She's only going to be better for them.
Roseville finished 12-4 last year on before running out of gas against Stillwater in the section finals — a result that flatters neither team's scoreline for how competitive parts of that game actually felt. The Raiders were a darling story in 2025. They didn't lose because their program was overachieving. They lost because Stillwater is Stillwater. Not many people expected the Raiders to be the ones facing the Ponies in the section final, but, as we always say on the pod, prove us wrong.
With their second, third, and sixth leading scorers from last year returning — as a junior, senior, and freshman, respectively — Roseville's window isn't closing. If anything, it's just opening.
Hill-Murray
Let's be candid: there's a version of this preview that has been written before. Hill-Murray has the pieces. Hill-Murray is ready. Hill-Murray is this close.
And every year, something gets in the way.
So let's just lay out the facts and let them speak for themselves.
Hill-Murray is returning their top six scorers from last year's team. Their top two — Alayna Deering (74 points, Eastern Michigan commit) and Mac Murphy (48 points in just 10 games, Towson commit) — are both Division I athletes who will be among the most talented players in the section this spring. Regan Hayes (35 points) and freshman standout Ayden Fitzpatrick (33 points, 50 draw controls) give them legitimate depth behind two elite contributors. They're returning their goalie in Phoebe Ackley, a sophomore who posted 115 saves and a 52.0% save percentage as a freshman. That's a sophomore with a full season of varsity experience already banked.
The losses are real, too. Frannie Primoli's leadership and defensive intensity — she's off to Wellesley — will be genuinely felt. And there are questions about depth on the defensive end, as well as a possible void in the draw circle if a key athlete pivots to another spring sport.
But come on. Top six scorers back. Two D1 commits at the top of the lineup. A developing goalie who has already been through the fire. The Pioneers don't need a perfect scenario. They just need to stay healthy and let this roster do what it's capable of.
For the people who have been waiting on Hill-Murray: this might be the year.
Gentry Academy
This one is harder to write.
Gentry went 9-5 last year, fell to Mahtomedi in the section quarterfinals, and entered the offseason with what looked like a loaded returning core anchored by one of the most remarkable individual talents in the state. Sam Hohn — a Clemson commit — put up 119 points (67 goals, 52 assists) and 63 draw controls in 2025. She is, by any measure, an elite lacrosse player. Zoey Anderson (61 points, committed to South Florida) is equally impressive.
Then the offseason happened.
Their goaltender, Ava Davis — a 58.1% save percentage, 126 saves, committed to Missouri Western — transferred to a prep school in Massachusetts. Their third leading scorer, Eva Berg (59 points), transferred to a school in Florida. Their fourth leading scorer, Rowynn Martens, transferred to Stillwater. A highly regarded D1 commit who had transferred to Gentry for her senior year reportedly returned to her original school within a week of arriving. There are additional reports — less confirmed, but circulating, about co-op changes affecting at least two more players.
What's left is Sam Hohn, Zoey Anderson, and a program that has to figure out how to compete while leaning heavily on a younger pipeline that wasn't expected to carry the load this soon.
It's hard not to feel for players like Sam and Zoey, who by all accounts have stayed put and are ready to compete. They deserve better than the circumstances surrounding them. The full picture of what happened this offseason will likely become clearer as the season approaches. Until then, the honest assessment is this: 2026 is probably a survival year for Gentry. The foundation of young talent is still there. And with two superstars, there’s always a chance.
Mahtomedi
Seven graduates. Zero returning juniors.
Mahtomedi is walking into 2026 with nine returning seniors from last year's roster and — for the moment — no returning junior class behind them. That's a peculiar roster construction that makes this season something of an experiment: experienced seniors alongside a wave of younger players who will be asked to grow up quickly.
The returners who stand out are Brooklyn Kragness (24 points) and Lizzy Churchill (23 points as a sophomore), who will be asked to carry an offense that graduated Annie Tanner (60 points, Niagara) and lost its starting goaltender to Addie Demars (Missouri Western).
The Zephyrs went 5-9 last season and were bounced by Hill-Murray in the section quarterfinals. This isn't a team with a clear path to a deep playoff run. But the youth infusion could make them genuinely interesting in a year or two, and the seniors who remain provide a bridge for the younger players coming in to learn from.
Right now: patience. Down the road: keep an eye on this program.
White Bear Lake
The section's fourth playoff seed is very much an open competition,and White Bear Lake has a legitimate case to claim it.
The Bears lost three seniors, most notably second leading scorer Grace Castro. But what they're returning is substantial. Cayla Helmberger (51 points, 51 draw controls) is a 2028 — a sophomore this year — who already looks like a program centerpiece. Kylee Lehman (28 points, 38 draw controls) is a Division II commit to Lewis. Carlie Griffen (25 points) rounds out a capable offensive core.
The goaltending conversation is worth having carefully. Harper Laden is now a freshman and was between the pipes as an 8th grader last season. This is a tough section to be thrown into the fire like that. But here's the thing about a young goalie getting run: those reps are invaluable. The player who walked off the field at the end of 2025 is not the player who will walk onto it in 2026. Every hard game she played is experience she carries into this season.
The pieces are there. The fourth seed is wide open. White Bear Lake has everything they need to make a real run at it.
The Rest of the Field
Mounds View is worth mentioning by name, because they're going to matter at some point soon. Their second, third, fourth, and sixth leading scorers are all returning 2028s. Their goalie is a 2028. This is a program with its core class still in the building for two more years. Expect them to upset someone this season and make the jump to contender status in 2027. Watch this one.
Irondale has their second and third leading scorers returning — both 2029s. That's a program with a young core that could develop quickly.
Tartan/North St. Paul has ten returning seniors, which gives them a veteran-heavy squad going into the spring.
Totino-Grace rounds out the section without enough information available to assess.
The Big Picture
Section 4 in 2026 is a top-heavy section where the race for the title runs through Stillwater — as it almost always does — but the chase behind them is more compelling than the scorelines might suggest.
Roseville has the returners to stay relevant. Hill-Murray has the talent to finally break through. White Bear Lake is building something. Mounds View is coming. And a couple of programs are in the early stages of a reset that could look very different a year or two from now.
The Ponies are the standard. Everyone else is figuring out how to close the gap.