Jesuit Dallas will continue its hunt for a fourth Texas High School Lacrosse League (THSLL) State Championship on Saturday as the top-seeded Rangers are set to square off with fourth-seeded St. Mark's at 12 p.m. Jesuit advanced to the state semifinal with a 15-5 win over Austin on Apr 30, while St. Mark's edged Southlake, 13-12, to punch its ticket to Dripping Springs.
 
The matchup will be the first time this season that the two teams have met and will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2018. Jesuit has won three straight games against the Lions, with St. Mark's last win in the series coming via a 6-4 decision on March 25, 2015. The two teams have never met in a THSLL semifinal, and St. Mark's will look to capture its second THSLL state championship and first since 2013 this weekend. Jesuit Dallas has won three titles in the past six seasons (2016, 2017, 2021) and enter the matchup ranked atop of the USA Lacrosse Magazine south regional rankings along with a national ranking from Inside Lacrosse.
 
The Lions are led by Princeton commit Ian Mize, a midfielder who looks to complete his career by helping St. Mark's advance to their second championship game appearance in the last four years. St. Mark's finished the regular season with an 11-2 record.
 
However, Jesuit Dallas is anchored by experience across the field, forged by experienced senior leadership. Senior goalkeeper Connor Knight returns to the state's biggest stage after earning Tournament MVP honors last season and begins his final weekend in a Jesuit lacrosse uniform with 120 saves, a 10-2 record, and an 8.05 goals against average this season. The Ranger defense is complimented by senior Tyler Gazzam, who leads the team with 12 caused turnovers this year, and a flurry of young talent that have continued to cause opposing offenses problems throughout the 2022 campaign.
 
At attack, senior McAllister Hobbs, a Penn State commit, is in the midst of a season for the record books with 56 goals and 61 points on the year. Hobbs' historic run has been complimented by a breakout year from sophomore Beckett Foley, who has 40 goals and 13 assists to his credit. Foley recently joined Hobbs and Knight as Rangers who have earned USA Lacrosse Magazine Player of the Week honors this season after scoring seven goals in last week's THSLL Quarterfinal against Austin. Seniors Charlie Metz and Charles Moran, respectively bound for Rollins College and Sewanee, have secured at least 20 assists apiece this season, while junior Charlie Schmidt has erupted for 12 goals over the last five games.
 
Senior Will Reading, who is set to continue his lacrosse career at Babson College following graduation, has made a massive impact at the face-off "x" for the Rangers this season. Heading into this weekend's action, Reading has won 61.3 percent of his face-off attempts this season (187-305), and has won 69 percent of face-offs against in-state opponents in 2022.
 
The winner of Saturday's 12 p.m. showdown will face off against the winner of the 2:30 p.m. semifinal between ESD and Westlake. The Eagles upended The Woodlands, 18-5, to advance to Dripping Springs while Westlake upset third-seeded Highland Park, 9-7, to become the only team to secure an upset during quarterfinal weekend. The championship game will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 8.