A year ago Centennial’s boys lacrosse team went 13-5, racing out to a hot start but missed the state playoffs after losing a number of close matches down the stretch in area play.

As the weather warms on another lacrosse season in north Fulton the Knights have come out hot again, winning their first five games by a combined score of 92-27 and standing a perfect 4-0 in Area 3AAAAAA play.

With a much more experienced roster on the field Centennial coach Bryan Wallace hopes the momentum from this year’s strong start will carry them over the playoff hump in May.

“We are returning all but one player, have a great nucleus and are very excited about this spring,” said the Centennial coach. “We have a wealth of experience on offense and defense this year and our expectations are very high.”

The Knights’ experienced returners includes the veteran midfield of Brendan Hall, Britton Board, Brad Mals, Alex Prescott and Austin Prescott — which Wallace described as the heart and soul of his team.

Defensive standouts Jake Sadd, Roy Martin, Pat Risse, and Cole Woodward have helped goalie Joe Delia form a stingy backfield that is yielding just 5.4 goals per game and athletic sophomores Nathan Solomon and Brendan Spence have developed into a dynamic scoring duo at the top of the Knights’ attack.

“We rely a lot on our entire team, all 23 players are huge part of what we do in practice and games,” said Wallace, whose team is ranked No. 2 in Laxpower.com’s Class AAAAAA power rankings. “Our defense is much improved and even our faceoff man Zach Levy is winning 90 percent of his face-offs which gets us extra possessions.”

Because of his well rounded roster, Wallace said the Knights had their “sights set on an area title,” a daunting task in what is shaping up to be a strong 3AAAAAA.

Centennial’s chief competition in area play is expected to be familiar foe Alpharetta, who they saw in area play a year ago, along with newcomers Johns Creek, Chattahoochee and reigning two-time (AAAA) state champion Lambert.

“There is a good mix of teams [in Area 3] and we feel that we can compete at a high level with them this spring. We just have to continue building off the foundation we started last year, build some depth and win those big games when they count most,” said Wallace.

The Knights will have big games in their next three, hosting Chattahoochee tomorrow, playing at Alpharetta next Tuesday then hosting Lambert March 23.