Butler boys lacrosse coach Ed Swierczyk said he believes his team is capable of big things in 2010.

Considering the talent he has coming back, who can blame him?

The Golden Tornado return 10 starters from last year's WPIAL playoff team that reached the Division II semifinals.

"We do have expectations for this season," said Swierczyk. "We've made the playoffs and won a playoff game two years in a row. With all we have back this year, it will be a disappointment if we don't win a championship."

In a sport that features plenty of scoring, Butler prides itself on playing tough defense.

That unit returns seniors John Noel, Nick Elliot, Ryan Soule and goalkeeper Alex Hill.

"Defense is huge for us," Swierczyk said. "It's the anchor of our program."

Senior midfielder Tyler Kotch returns after leading the Tornado with 42 goals in 2009. He will be joined by senior midfielders Cole Harvey and Pat Hitchan, senior attacker Cody Conklin, junior attacker Nathan Barthlow and sophomore attacker Cody Bachman.

Seneca Valley

A lot of new faces can be found wearing Columbia Blue and Black, but the Raiders' high expectations remain.

"I feel we have a strong enough team to compete for a championship again," said SV coach Pete Hoffman.

The heart of the team lies with the eight seniors who were starters in 2009: goalie Brian Bohn, defender Joe Chowansky, midfielders David Gibbons, Sam Jarrett, Rob Fyock, Joe Natoli and attackers Sean O'Rourke and Jake McAndrew.

McAndrew tallied more than 30 goals and 40 assists last year, which saw the team lose in the WPIAL Division I semifinals.

"We have a pretty balanced team and should be strong all over the field," said Hoffman. "The big difference is that last year we had a lot of depth. This season, we've got a lot of younger players and how they develop will be a big key to what kind of season we have."

Girls Butler

The Golden Tornado are hoping to get back to the WPIAL Division II playoffs, but the squad's goals don't stop there.

Coach Annie Succop has eight starters back from last season's team that lost to Quaker Valley in the district quarterfinals.

Butler's top two scorers return: senior midfielders Amanda Huey and Liz Manuel. Also in the mix are senior midfielder Chelsey Rock, senior attacker Brianna Harvey and junior attacker Brittney Miller.

The team also has its starting defense: senior Rachel Calhoun, and juniors Cameron Horwat and Allie Houk.

Cara Moses, a senior goalkeeper, will be a first-year starter at the varsity level.

"We should be solid on both ends of the field," said Succop. "We're not only hoping to make the playoffs, we want to go further."

Seneca Valley

Missing the playoffs is the exception for the Raiders and coach Dina Hughes is hoping to keep it that way.

The team stumbled to a 1-9 section record that was part of a 5-10 overall mark and missed the playoffs for the first time in four years.

Hughes will be looking for solid play and leadership from her two returning defensive starters: senior wing Ally Zezinka and junior goalkeeper Lauren Moran.

"Ally's got good leadership qualities and she's really motivated," said Hughes. "Hopefully, the younger players will see that and can follow that example.

"Last season was Lauren's first as a starter and she improved a lot during the course of the season," she added. "She is a very intelligent lacrosse player and can be a leader as well, letting the players know where they need to be on the field."

Returning to lead SV up front are senior attacker Jen Cwik, junior midfielder Taylor Mayeda and sophomore attacker Morgan Midkiff.

Knoch

The Knights are in the midst of a youth movement.

Eighteen players with no previous lacrosse experience are now part of the program.

"Most of them will end up being junior varsity players this season," said third-year coach Garett Butler. "But they're enthusiastic about playing lacrosse and maybe a few of them can step up and see some varsity time this year."

Known commodities include seniors and returning starters Stephanie Eagal (midfield), Brooke Balliet (midfield) and Katie Sefton (defense).

Two other seniors, attacker Katie Imhoff and defender Alex Crist, started in spots last year and will shoulder more responsibility in 2010.

Senior goalie Nikki Binnie is a first-year starter.

With young players looking to fill key holes in the roster, Butler still hopes this season proves to be an improvement over last year, when the Knights finished 3-5 in the section and 6-12 overall.

"With the players we have coming back, if they play to their potential, I think we can compete for a playoff spot," he said. "And we want to develop the new players. Hopefully, we can blend everyone together."