The 2023 GHSA Lacrosse State Championships open this week with three DeKalb County teams making appearances including a first ever playoff bid for the Lakeside Lady Vikings.

Lakeside (10-7-1) earned a bid in the Class 5A-6A state playoffs as the No. 4 team out of Area 1 as the Lady Vikings won a program best 10 matches on the season.

Senior Emma Linscott leads the team with 104 goals and 22 assists on the season for 126 points accounted for the year. Reagan Flanagan follows with 100 goals and 11 assists for a 111 points total on the season. Senior Riley Taylor leads the team in assists with 26 while adding 22 goals.

Linscott leads the team in ground balls with 48 (2.7/game) while Taylor follows with 47 (2.8/game)

Junior Kate Haynes has played 870 minutes in goal allowing 141 (7.8/game) and collecting 159 saves in net.

Lakeside travels to Area 2 No. 1 seed Lassiter (9-6) on Wednesday for a 6:30 pm faceoff. Lassiter averages 11.2 goals per game and the Lady Vikings average 15.0.

The Dunwoody Wildcats return to the state playoffs after missing out in 2022 as a No. 4 seed out of Area 1 with a 13-5 record. The Wildcats had a four-year run (2017-2021, no season in 2020) in the playoffs before missing in 2022.

After a great start to the season getting out of the gate at 10-0, some close loses in the final three Area 1 games of the year coupled with some late season injuries had them dropping five of their last eight games.

Dunwoody goes on the road to face Area 2 No. 1 seed Allatoona (11-6) on Tuesday at 6:30 in the opening round of the Class 5A/6A boys’ state playoffs. The teams are similar scoring wise with Allatoona averaging 12.5 goals to Dunwoody’s 11.8. Senior Jack Pankey leads the Wildcats into the playoffs with 100 career goals in his four seasons. Senior goalie Will Levy has put up over 550 career saves in net and senior Casey Bloom anchors the middle and faceoff slots.

Both teams faced Riverwood this season and both won. Dunwoody downed Riverwood 15-5 while Allatoona won 19-2.

Class 1A-4A Girls
The Southwest DeKalb Lady Panthers return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019 when they became the first all African American girls’ squad to make the state playoffs.

Southwest DeKalb (1-11) is the No. 3 seed out of Area 7 and received a bye in the first round and play at Fellowship Christian (15-3) on Thursday (April 27) at 6:30 pm.

Iyahanna Murphy leads Southwest DeKalb with 28 goals on the offensive end. Goalie MaKenzie Hughes has 131 saves on the season.

DCSD LACROSSE STATE PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
Tuesday 4/25
CLASS 5A/6A BOYS
Dunwoody (13-5) vs. Allatoona (11-6), 6:30 pm

Wednesday, 4/26
CLASS 5A/6A GIRLS
Lakeside (10-7-1) at Lassiter (9-6), 6:30 pm

Thursday, 4/27
CLASS 1A-4A GIRLS
SW DeKalb (1-11) at Fellowship Christian (15-3), 6:30 pm