BOYS Top 20 Preview: #9 Wayzata

Wayzata was on our “buy stock now” list last season as we saw how much they had returning. They had a fantastic season and won the Lake Conference before ultimately falling to the state champion, Red Knights, in section playoffs.

“Tale of the Tape”

*according to LaxNumbers

**according to MN Lax Hub

• 2024 Record: 14-2

• Strength of Schedule: 74.03 (19th in MSHSL)*

• Team Offense: Averaged 10.19 Goals For per game (29th in MSHSL)**

  • Graduated Senior Production: 21.5%

• Team Defense: Averaged 4.75 Goals Against per game (4th in MSHSL)**

  • Graduated Defensive Personnel: Alec Score (LSM), William Schneider (D), Thomas Brunner (D), Jacob Mattson (SSDM), Henry Kirt (G),

Offense Returning

• Cullen Britz (23/43)

• Bennett Brown (39/14)

• William Malecha (18/15)

• Cameron Johnson (12/18)

• Ryder Alstead (28/2)

Defense Returning

• Odin Schon (Pole)

• Ben Weekly (Pole)

• Tyler Schuman (SSDM)

2025 Schedule

Lake Conference Schedule will produce some big ranked matchups against Edina (#10), Eden Prairie (#8), Minnetonka (#16) and STMA (#19).

Their OOC schedule is not posted yet but last year they played: CDH, Armstrong, Rosemount, Hermantown/Proctor, Duluth, Orono and Hudson. Curious if they will keep the Hermantown/Proctor & Duluth games as that was a team trip up to the twin ports. Not sure if those teams will come down this spring.

Either way, Wayzata should have no issue pulling in top opponents this spring and once and contend in a tough section 5.

Final Thoughts

Wayzata proved to be a strong team last year with their Lake Conference championship and multiple trips to the “DTA top 10.” Their defense was phenomenal and led by some outstanding players that have moved on to the next level of lacrosse. I don’t think the Wayzata defense got enough credit last year, averaging under 5 goals against per game, as one of the top defenses in the public eye. The handful of times I saw them play, it was clear that scoring against them was a full-time job and they really wore teams down over the course of a game. I also think their goalie Henry Kirt was one of, if not the most, underrated goaltender in the state last year. Replacing him will be a big task.

The good news for the trojans is they get their top 5 scorers back, all who produced 30+ points a year ago. They were middle of the pack (29th in the MSHSL) in Goals per game, but looking at their game schedule, they really didn’t need to push the pace as they weren’t giving up many goals. Maybe they really just protected the ball/possession time as much as they could as to not generate transition offense for the other team - given that scoring on their defense 6v6 was going to be a tough task. Where I am going with this is, in 2025, having to replace a handful of top end defensive talents, maybe they push the tempo and lean a bit more on offense, which clearly has some dudes who can produce. I guess we will find out.

Another thing to note is their sophomore face-off specialist Brandon Wiener should get full-time work this year. He is a stellar FO/S in the 2027 class and may be one of the best in the state. I think he will shine this season with the graduation of the player he split time with, when he was a freshman, in 2024.

Overall, I see the Trojans picking up where the left off and being a top 10 caliber team in 2025.