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The word of the spring for Montgomery County boys lacrosse teams in 2010 is "expectations." On paper, the major players all look stronger than last year.

On the public-school side, four-time defending regional champion Wootton has earned the right to begin the conversation. But this year, the Patriots are not clear-cut favorites.

The team scaring everyone in preseason is Sherwood. The reigning 4A/3A East Division champion is stacked at every position after giving Wootton a run for its money in both of their meetings last year.

The Warriors return a ton of scoring with second-team All-Gazette selections Michael Begley (37 goals) and Kevin Laskin (40), along with attackman Scott Fricke (20). Also back: a veteran core of defenders and a budding star in sophomore goalkeeper Connor Welch.

"I think it's obvious that expectations are pretty high," said Sherwood coach Chip Steel.

Other than Wootton, the only team to beat Sherwood last year was Whitman. After a brief rebuilding era, the Vikings reclaimed their usual place among the county's elite with 11 wins and their first trip to the regional semifinals since 2006.

Their blueprint looks much like the Warriors', with stud senior attackmen Pat Slawta (37 goals), Ross Koehn and Jordan Karr, Will Deutsch, and twin brothers with far from identical roles, Larry and Carson Kline. The former is a speedy, game-changing midfielder, while the latter came of age in net towards the end of the season.

Churchill could return to glory just as the Vikings did a year ago. It was solid at 8-4 last spring, but ended its streak of five straight seasons of double-digit wins.

Ten-plus is a realistic goal with the return of the Bulldogs' best offensive threat, Lehigh (Pa.) University commit Matt Risk (24 goals), Colorado College-bound middie Will Ellis and standout defenders Ben Gloger and Jake Dockser.

While Walter Johnson lost all-everything attackman Daniel Cohen, its starting backline and goalkeeper, do not cry too much for the Wildcats. They will be just fine offensively, with junior attackmen Colin Dabney (32 goals) and J.P. Brennan (23) and a slew of returnees behind them marked by senior defenders Anders Rocha and Alec Stirling and middies Sheng Fan and Jay Chung. If junior goalie Parker Smith plays well, watch out.

Quince Orchard lingers as a dark horse. The Cougars bring back arguably the premier offensive weapon in the county, junior Eric Simon (53 goals), along with middie Chris Hower (25) and long pole Stuart Nystrom, who collected 119 ground balls a season ago.

But when it comes down to it, they are all chasing Wootton. It has the most explosive set of attackmen in the county in All-Gazette first-teamer Jeff Zifrony (41 goals), senior classmate Tim Lenardo (39) and junior Chris Doran (39). Colgate (N.Y.) University commit Reid Shepard should be one of the county's best defenders, while seniors Gordie Gold (Michigan) and Michael Brailovsky (Delaware) will also go on to play Division I lacrosse.

Are they good enough for the county's first-ever state title? It is no longer a pipe dream.

The Interstate Athletic Conference's Montgomery County schools are strong as always, but the biggest mover and shaker might be Good Counsel, which could be "the best team I've had in four years," according to head coach Matt Durkin.

That's nothing to scoff at, considering the Falcons played for their first-ever league title two years ago.

Expect the Olney school to contend in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. Six-foot-7 attackman Sean Wright, a Providence (R.I.) College commit, and 2009 All-Gazette first-teamer Nick Gorman are already established stars. Middies Pat Townsend (St. Joseph's, N.J.) and Bobby Kusbit (Drexel, Pa.) lend capable support. The player to watch is junior goalie Patrick McEnerney, who started in the WCAC final as a freshman.

"I think DeMatha is still the team to beat," said Durkin. "But this group has a chance to be special."

Being special in the IAC is a given, especially at Georgetown Prep and Landon. The Little Hoyas rebounded from a regular-season loss to their rival with one of the finest performances in their distinguished history, an 11-3 romp in the league title game.

The names are new, but that's never a worry in North Bethesda. Prep is once again littered with college signees, led by attackman Pat Glading (Virginia), middie Matty Collins (Notre Dame) and defender Robert Posniewski.

The Bears won the regular-season matchup in a thriller, thanks to a last-second goal. Per usual, Landon figures to challenge for the crown, led by junior Joe Paoletta, one of the best players in the county. Its staple this year will be physicality, with rugged gridiron stars Kiel Wiegmann (Delaware) and Austin Dodson and solid complementary pieces like senior attackman Harrison Archer.

Bullis has lagged behind in recent years, but always has solid individual pieces. That is the case again, with middies Jake Starke (Bates College, Maine), Will Abbott (St. Joseph's) and Robert Fleming (Providence).

Fast Facts: Boys LAcrosse 2010

-Blair Blazers

2009 record: 8-7

Players to watch: G Kip Durban, D Lukas Petersen

Outlook: "We lost our two best players, both playing in college. But we have our goalie back, a good guy to center our defense around." — Bob Gibb

-Einstein Titans

2009 record: 3-9

Players to watch: D Shawn Flynn, D Landon Adams

Outlook: "I'm thinking this year could be the year we break the school record for wins. I believe we've only gotten to five in the regular season." — Brian Elliott

-Good Counsel Falcons

2009 record: 10-8

Players to watch: A Sean Wright, M Nick Gorman, G Patrick McEnerney

Outlook: "We have talent that matches two years ago, and might even surpass that. I don't want to make any lofty assumptions, but the sky's the limit for this team." — Matt Durkin

-The Heights Cavaliers

2009 record: 7-10

Players to watch: G Zach Blewett, LSM Jim Ryan, M David Pim

Outlook: "We're returning seven starters and 13 letter-winners." — Mark Pim

-Northwood Gladiators

2009 record: 1-12

Players to watch: D Tristan Pomeroy, G Victor Lajoya, M Thomas Miller

Outlook: "Fifteen of our 20 boys are juniors. But I don't know, I think this is going to be the best season that they're ever going to have. I see no reason why we can't beat any team in our local division." — Robert Hokanson

-Paint Branch Panthers

2009 record: 6-7

Players to watch: A Jordy Silverman, A Tyler Lamper, M Jake Bradshaw

Outlook: "Though we lost a lot of scoring, we have much better depth in past years and a veteran defense." — Kevin Eagan

-Rockville Rams

2009 record: 3-8

Players to watch: D Kevin O'Brien, D Mike Spahn

Outlook: "We're looking to avenge one-goal losses against Clarksburg and Richard Montgomery." — Kurt Kohler

-Springbrook Blue Devils

2009 record: 4-10

Players to watch: M Joe Galeano, D Seun Akande, D Charles Mwalimu

Outlook: "I have a bunch of good individuals out there. They need to come together and become a team." — Darren Murray

-Wheaton Knights

2009 record: 2-11

Players to watch: M Michael Robles, D Giovanni Castellanos, A Ignacio Valdivia

Outlook: "We are faster, more athletic and grittier than last year. ... We will surprise some teams." — Jeremy Gelling