Boys high school lacrosse: Henry Clay gains perspective from spring break trip
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- Henry Clay traveled to LaFayette, New York, for a lacrosse trip.
- Henry Clay lost 14-4 to LaFayette/Onondaga and 17-5 to Cicero-North Syracuse.
- Kentucky has 40 boys lacrosse teams in its second sanctioned season; New York has 387.
While nearly all of its Kentucky boys high school lacrosse rivals took spring break off from competition, Henry Clay ventured north to its head coach’s hometown of LaFayette, New York, where the sport of lacrosse is more passion than pastime.
“I thought our trip to New York was such a valuable lesson to them. In New York, everyone just plays at a faster pace,” said Henry Clay coach Ben Ternosky, who had his LaxNumbers.com Kentucky No. 7 Blue Devils play his alma mater, LaFayette/Onondaga, a small school with deep ties to and players from the Onondaga Nation, and a much larger school, Cicero-North Syracuse. “They know what fast pace and physicality looks like. … The teams ahead are going to be pretty good tests for us, but I don’t think we’ll be intimidated.”
With about three weeks left in the regular season, Henry Clay and Lexington’s eight other boys teams will be vying for postseason positioning. Many began returning to action last week after a nearly two-week hiatus. The Blue Devils’ 6:30 p.m. face-off on Wednesday at Lexington Catholic will be their first in-state contest since March 30.
Henry Clay’s 8th Region rival Sayre ranks as the No. 4 team in the state, according to the latest LaxNumbers.com ratings. Defending 8th Region champion Frederick Douglass is No. 13. A glance at all nine of Lexington’s teams:
‘Up there, it’s like a lifestyle.’
Henry Clay’s trip to upstate New York got feature-story treatment from Syracuse.com.
Lacrosse’s origin goes back more than 1,000 years as a Native American tribal game and is considered sacred by the Onondago Nation south of Syracuse, New York. Ternosky said about half of LaFayette/Onondaga’s team is Native American.
In New York, fervor for lacrosse is as intense as Kentucky’s love of basketball. To compare, New York has 387 boys lacrosse teams, according to LaxNumbers.com, while Kentucky, in its second season of KHSAA-sanctioned lacrosse, has 40 teams.
“Growing up, we would play lacrosse five days a week, whether it was on a field or in a box arena or just going to an empty field,” Ternosky said. “Because for us, that was a priority. Moving down here, this is the least priority of anything I’ve ever heard of, which is fine. It’s a perspective thing, right?”
The Blue Devils lost 14-4 to LaFayette/Onondaga and 17-5 to Cicero-North Syracuse and saw firsthand how fast and physical the game could be played by teams with players who were practically born with a lacrosse stick in their hands.
“Up there, it’s like a lifestyle,” said Henry Clay junior midfielder Max Thayer, the Blue Devils’ leading scorer. “It’s a huge part of their culture, part of their everyday lives. It was cool to see how it’s more than just a sport up there. It kind of changed our perspective on the game.”
The Blue Devils believe their experience in lacrosse’s heartland will help them reach their goals this season.
“We met with a lot of (Native Americans) and people that are coaching up there,and they explained how they played the game,” senior Leland Bayne said. “They practice hard. They push each other to their limits to make everyone better. And our coach has been preaching that the past few weeks to … make sure we reach our full potential.”
Henry Clay aims for next level
Marriage brought Ternosky to Kentucky. He found a home at Henry Clay as a teacher and lacrosse coach. The Blue Devils had won six state championships from 2013 to 2021 during the days when Central Kentucky and the Louisville area each had separate club-level leagues.
Louisville’s teams, however — especially St. Xavier and Trinity — have played lacrosse at a higher level for years. The Tigers and Shamrocks are ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the latest LaxNumbers.com ratings. Right behind them is No. 3 Woodford County, the defending 8th Region champions and a chief nemesis for Lexington’s schools in recent years.
“I took over a program that had been established, but I want to get to where we can compete with Trinity and those guys,” Ternosky said. “These guys understand now the time it takes and the level we need to be at.”
Lexington boys high school lacrosse
Here’s a look at Lexington’s nine boys lacrosse teams with a couple of weeks left in the 2026 regular season. Teams are listed in order of their latest LaxNumbers.com ranking. Stats are according to the latest reported to the KHSAA. Coach comments are from Herald-Leader’s preseason survey, which seven of the city’s nine coaches returned.
No. 4 Sayre
Record: 8-1, 2-0 in the 7th Region.
Top scorers: No stats reported to KHSAA.
Between the pipes: No stats reported to KHSAA.
Big games ahead: at No. 13 Frederick Douglass, Wednesday; vs. No. 7 Henry Clay, May 1.
Notes: Fell 8-6 to Henry Clay in last season’s 7th Region semis, but graduated only three seniors from that squad. Top scorers Will Moore and Gage Pennington, who also led the team in assists, returned.
Coach Jon Simon says: “We look to build on a successful 2025 that fell short of our goals and expectations … and set our sights on advancing through the playoffs.”
No. 7 Henry Clay
Record: 7-2, 1-0 in the 7th Region.
Top scorers: Max Thayer, 24; Joseph Martinez, 19; Leland Bayne, 11.
Between the pipes: Hyrum Purcell, 34 saves, 4.8 goals against average (GA); Noah Gute, 24 saves, 4.2 GA.
Big games ahead: at No. 15 Lexington Catholic, Wednesday; vs. No. 3 Woodford County, April 28, at No. 5 Sayre, May 1.
Notes: Finished 7th Region runner-up to Douglass last season. The Blue Devils have 13 seniors and eight juniors. Face off Get Off (FOGO) specialist Zac Hoellein, a junior whose role is to win a faceoff, get the ball to a teammate and get off the field, has won them at a 72% rate for his career. Will Kite, Adam Belcher and Logan DiNardo anchor the defense as two-year starters.
Coach Ben Ternosky says: “I told my guys this year that they have to earn everything. Make every practice and rep game-like scenario and intensity.”
No. 9 Lexington Christian
Record: 4-5, 3-1 in the 8th Region.
Top scorers: Parker Ray, 30; Mason Gehring, 21, Gabe Smith, 9.
Between the pipes: Andy Lyle, 117 saves.
Big games ahead: vs. No. 19 Ryle, Thursday; vs. No. 13 Frederick Douglass, May 2; at No. 12 Kentucky Country Day, May 6.
Notes: The Eagles have not reported stats for either of the two KHSAA-sanctioned seasons. They have 10 seniors and seven juniors on their 23-player roster.
No. 13 Frederick Douglass
Record: 6-6, 3-1 in the 7th Region.
Top scorers: Jimmy Hooks, 17; Nicholas Anderson, 12; Chase Upchurch, 11.
Between the pipes: Will Hart, 128 saves, 6.4 GA.
Big games ahead: No. 3 Woodford County, April 28; No. 5 Sayre, May 1.
Notes: Senior goalie Hart, a second-team all-state selection last season, is committed to the College of DuPage. Junior defenseman Landon Davis also earned second team all-state honors and was reelected captain by the team. Coach Chris Schaefer called Davis “one of the best on-ball defenders in the city.”
Coach Schaefer says: “As long as we’re bought in and willing to put in the work when things get hard, I think we’ll be a competitive team. We need to stay true to our culture.”
No. 15 Lafayette
Record: 9-2, 2-2 in the 8th Region.
Top scorers: Fisher Hale, 33; Brody Ault, 30, Zach Ashley, 13.
Between the pipes: Bryson Winchester, 34 saves, 1.5 GA; Dylan Hunt, 26 saves, 3 GA.
Big games ahead: No. 19 Ryle, April 28, No. 15 Lexington Catholic, May 4.
Notes: The Generals returned 90 percent of their starters, including Hale as their top scorer. Senior midfielder Gavin Noe has overcome two knee surgeries in his career to become one of state’s leaders in face-off percentage. Juniors Charley Kerns and Dominic Zehnder lead the defense.
Coach Steven Sommer says: “We are optimistic about hopefully a deep playoff run this season. … Our team has a renewed commitment to playing with discipline and grit.”
No. 16 Lexington Catholic
Record: 3-4, 0-1 in the 8th Region.
Top scorers: Will Carman, 16; Quinn Bernotas, 13; Conor Quinn, 10.
Between the pipes: Sam Evans, 80 saves, 10 GA.
Big games ahead: No. 7 Henry Clay, Wednesday; No. 3 Woodford County, April 30; No. 16 Lafayette, May 4.
Notes: Two of the Knights’ top scorers from last season, seniors Carman and Bernotas, returned. Bernotas is committed to Transylvania. Sophomore keeper Evans “has the ability to make big saves.” Sophomore Tyler Banks is “a role model for other defensive players on our team.”
Coach Matt Cervoni says: “We will be a lot younger but also more talented than past teams. Our focus this year is on ourselves. We know that we’ve got a very capable group that can win the big games.”
No. 24 Tates Creek
Record: 3-7, 1-3 in the 8th Region (stats from six games reported).
Top scorers: Tristan Kallio, 14; Avery Cooper, 6; Cole “Chase” Church, 4.
Between the pipes: Vraj Kapadia, 100 saves, 6.7 GA.
Big games ahead: No. 20 Collins, May 4; No. 15 Lexington Catholic, May 6.
Notes: The Commodores have already matched their win total from last season. Church elected team captain “because of the leadership and example he sets day-in and day-out.” ).
Coach Thomas Brummett says: “We have an extremely young team this year with no seniors and new coaches, so we are looking to build a solid foundation.” Kallio has “all-state” talent. Kapadia has “great work ethic that will allow him success at the toughest position.”
Bryan Station
Record: 0-7, 0-2 in the 7th Region.
Top scorers: Harry Hilton, 12; Alex Yost, 3, Charles Durbin 3.
Between the pipes: Robert Manna, 84 saves, 11.2 GA; Jacob Caudill, 33 saves, 8.8 GA.
Big games ahead: No. 5 Sayre, Thursday; No. 9 Lexington Christian, April 28; No. 7 Henry Clay, May 5.
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Record: 0-7, 0-3 in the 8th Region.
Top scorers: Brock Overton, 7; Luca Brajuha, 4.
Between the pipes: Finn Gallivan, 20 saves, 11.2 GA.
Big games ahead: No. 15 Lexington Catholic, May 2; No. 9 Lexington Christian, May 4.
Coach Sean Scheler says: “We are rebuilding and reestablishing the lacrosse program at Dunbar.”
