3d Rising - Player Evaluations from 3d Lacrosse, 5/28
3d Lacrosse specializes in superior training for individuals and teams and operates events and tournaments as well as select travel teams. The organization, founded by former Division I coach Jamie Munro, assists players and coaches using a comprehensive system of lacrosse development that exposes young players to the tactics and strategies implemented at the NCAA level. 3d Lacrosse applies the "Box/Field Hybrid™ Development System," which Munro pioneered at the University of Denver.LaxPower will carrying periodic player reports from 3d Lacrosse. Field staff attend high school games around the country and provide player evaluations and ratings. The ratings are either legit (likely a Division I scholarship player), player (likely a Division I recruit), and watch list (has the potential to be a Division I player; need to see more, needs to grow, mature, or develop to be sure-fire D1).
This report covers players on high school teams in northern California: Saint Ignatius Prep, Sacred Heart Prep, Marin Catholic, San Ramon Valley, and Bellarmine Prep.
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Saint Ignatius Prep
Head coach Chris Packard has built a juggernaut in San Francisco. Saint Ignatius Prep is loaded with upperclassmen talent. They are highly athletic and disciplined group who do not hurt themselves by making mistakes. SI plays great team defense, and even better team offense. Everyone on the field has bought into the system and everyone gets their looks as a result.
#12 Charlie Ford, 2013
Saint Ignatius Prep, California
Position: Defense/ LSM
Sub-Position: On-Ball/ Shutdown/ With-Ball
College Commitment: Georgetown
Rating: Legit
Charlie has to be on the short of best long poles in the country. He is a great athlete, who moves gracefully for a big dude. He throws strong disruptive checks, and never looks out of position whether he is playing LSM or close defense. Charlie handles the ball with confidence and rarely makes bad decisions in the clearing game. I would like to see Charlie be more aggressive with the ball in transition.
#31 Cyrus Scott, 2014
Saint Ignatius Prep, California
Position: Goalie
Sub-Position: Quick
College Commitment: Colgate
Rating: Player
The backstop of Saint Ignatius Prep' defense is junior goalie Cyrus Scott. Cyrus is quick in the goal, does a great job of matching sticks one on one, and makes the saves from distance that he should. He throws and accurate and timely outlet pass, creating transition when it's there or exercising restraint and patience when it's not. Cyrus is big time athlete and a major asset for the defense; SI uses him to shut players so they can double off the end line.
#9 Spencer Evans, 2013
Saint Ignatius Prep, California
Position: Midfield
Sub-Position: Two-Way/ Alley dodger
College Commitment: Harvard
Rating: Player
Spencer is big, fast, athlete who uses all that size and athleticism to dodge down hill and bury the ball in the net. He is a strong alley dodger, with a textbook high to low shot on the run.
#2 Joe Lang, 2014
Saint Ignatius Prep, California
Position: Attack
Sub-Position: Wing/ X Attackman
College-Commitment: Harvard
Rating: Legit
Joe Lang was built to destroy defenses. He is incredibly polished for a high school attackman and possesses a diverse skill set. Joe has a greasy quick change of direction, straight line speed, a laser shot with time and room, and spectacular vision. He is comfortable dodging from anywhere on the field but does most of his work from X or the left wing. Joe has no problem getting his topside move and is devastating with his side arm shot on the run. As one SI athletic trainer told me, and I witnessed for myself, "Joe scores at will."
#4 Matt Emery, 2013
Saint Ignatius Prep, California
Position: Midfield/ Attack
Sub-Position: Two-Way/ Alley Dodger
College Commitment: Virginia
Rating: Legit
Matt is the most impressive athlete on the field in any game, but not the most dominant lacrosse player as he seems content to just be on the field for long stretches. The result is that Matt has not come close to maximizing his potential. At other times Matt decides he wants to be a game changer. One play sticks out in my mind: Matt slid from the crease, flattened the ball carrier, picked up the groundball, raced away from the pack, and roped a shot into the top corner. It was an incredible play! Matt is a match up nightmare for any team: he has a quick first step, a big shot, and vision.
#20 Jack McGovern, 2013
Saint Ignatius Prep, California
Position: Defense
Sub-Position: Cover-Guy/ On-Ball/ With-Ball
College Commitment: Holy Cross
Rating: Legit
Jack is a fast, athletic defenseman. He is aggressive in all aspects of his game: on-ball defense, groundballs, and clearing/ transition. Jack moves his feet well and maintains topside position which allows him to throw strong disruptive checks without losing position He handles the ball and uses his speed to run by riding attackman/ middies in transition to create scoring chances for himself and team mates.
#10 Chad Bell, 2013
Saint Ignatius Prep, California
Position: Midfield
Sub-Position: Two-Way/ Wing
College Commitment: Boston University
Rating: Player
Chad is a shooter. Whether it is on the run or with time and room he is capable of unloading a hard accurate shot. Chad has a lightning quick first step and the straight line speed to accelerate past defenders off his move. He moves intelligently off the ball to find space and as a result finds himself with good looks at the goal.
#19 Peter Alimam, 2015
Saint Ignatius Prep, California
Position: Midfield
Sub-Position: Two-Way/ Alley-Dodger/ Face-Off
College Commitment:
Rating: Legit
Peter might only be a sophomore but he does not take a backseat to anyone on this loaded SI team. He is an athlete who wears many hats. Peter is an effective face-off man, has a big time and room shot, and can create off the dodge for himself or others. When the opportunities are there Peter is ready to throw timely and accurate skip passes.
#14 Marcus Holzberg, 2013
Saint Ignatius Prep, California
Position: Midfeild/ Attack
Sub-Position: Off-Ball
College Commitment:
Rating: Watch List
Marcus is listed as an attackman but was used as a midfielder when I saw him play. He has a big shot with time and room, and likes to rip it side arm high. Marcus moves effectively off ball and sets himself to score by having his feet and body turned ready to unload when he catches the feed.
#22 Riley Burke, 2013
Saint Ignatius Prep, California
Position: Defense
Sub-Position: On-Ball Cover-Guy/ Off-Ball
College Commitment: Colby
Rating: Watch List
Riley is not big by defenseman standards. However, what he is missing in size he makes up for in speed, quickness, savvy, and stick skill. Riley moves his feet well and plays excellent position defense.
#8 Moore Harris, 2013
Saint Ignatius Prep, California
Position: Midfield
Sub-Position: Alley Dodger/ Two-Way
College Commitment: Washington and Lee
Rating: Watch List
Harris must be a scary sight for defensive midfielders when he gets a head of steam from up top. He is a big physical presence on the lacrosse field. Harris dodges hard down the alley and creates good opportunities for himself to score. However, he needs to improve his decision making and reduce his turnovers.
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Sacred Heart Prep
The Gators are coached by two former Cavaliers, Joe Thompson and Johnny Christmas, who clearly have instilled in their team the desire and grit necessary to succeed in lacrosse. Sacred Heart Prep follows the lead of do everything midfielder Sean Mayle and plays hard-nosed scrappy lacrosse.
#7 Sean Mayle, 2014
Sacred Heart Prep, California
Position: Midfield
Sub-Position: Two-Way / Wing/ Off-Ball/ Face Off
College Commitment: Denver
Rating: Legit
Sean is the man! There is no other way to say it. He does more for his team than any other player I saw in the Jerry Langkammerer tournament, and I would bet he does as much for his team as anyone in the country. Sean is an impressive athlete with superior speed, a quick change of direction, and a powerful frame. His skills are on par with his athleticism: right and left hands are indistinguishable from each other, he shoots hard and accurately on the run or with time and room, he is a great low angle finisher, and he faces off successfully with multiple moves. Despite his skill and athleticism, Sean's most notable asset is his relentless work ethic. The kid plays hard from whistle to whistle and never comes off the field. By the end of the game Sean's number is barely visible through the grass stains on his uniform. When the best player on a team is also the hardest working you have something special.
#1 Andrew Daschbach, 2016
Sacred Heart Prep, California
Position: Midfield
Sub-Position: Two-Way/ Wing
College-Commitment
Rating: Legit
Andrew is going to be a monster. He is only a freshman but is already built like a man. Andrew is a strong dodger, whether down hill from up top or working from the wing to get his topside move. After Andrew runs by his defender he can finish on the run.
#17 Noah Kawasaki, 2014
Sacred Heart Prep, California
Position: Attack
Sub-Position: X/ Off-Ball
College Commitment:
Rating: Watch List
Noah is a high-quality finisher both in tight and with time and room. His time and room shot is a text-book high to low shot buried in the far corner. When it comes to finishing inside Noah works hard to get angle and is not afraid to sell out and dive. He drives hard from behind, has a quick change of direction, and runs through checks. Noah is also effective with out the ball and often finds himself open with a good look at the goal.
#23 Brian White, 2014
Sacred Heart Prep, California
Position: Midfielder
Sub-Position: Wing
College Commitment
Rating: Watch List
Brian is a shifty dodger who can run by his man with ease. Once he beats his man he is ready to unload a powerful time and room shot, find the slide and split the double, or hit the open man with a feed.
#9 Frankie Hattler, 2014
Sacred Heart Prep
Position: Attack
Sub-Position: Wing
College Commitment
Rating: Watch List
Frankie is a dodger who looks to create offense for himself from behind with his strong topside move. He has a big time and room shot that he blows by goalies. When it comes to inside finishing Frankie has room for improvement; he is great at getting to the goal, not so great at burying the shot when he is there.
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Marin Catholic
Marin Catholic is an athletic lacrosse team that likes to push the ball in transition, play aggressive defense, and create offense with the team's two workhorse midfielders. I had the opportunity to watch them play several times during the Jerry Langkammerer Invitational tournament at St. Ignatius and then again against San Rafael.
#4 Chris Hill, 2014
Marin Catholic, California
Position: Midfield
Sub-Position: Two-way mid, Wing
College Commitment: Navy
Rating: Player
Heading into the JLI Chris was hampered by a leg injury which limited his playing time in the first two games. Despite not being full strength Chris was still productive. In the third game, when he was finally healthy, Chris showed himself to be a strong athlete. He has good speed, a quick change of direction, and a hard accurate shot on the run. Chris can run by defenders from multiple positions in the offensive zone (up top, wings, and from X) as well as catch and shoot with time and room.
#8 Nick Hallmark, 2014
Marin Catholic, California
Position: Midfield
Sub-Position: Two-way mid, face off
College Commitment:
Rating: Player
Nick is a really athletic two-way middie. His fingerprints are all over the game; he faces off, plays stout 1 on 1 defense, clears the ball, creates offense with his dodging, and finishes plays with his shooting. Nick has a big shot with time and room but can also finish on the run or dump the ball to the open man off a dodge. Nick relishes contact and seeks it out both on offense and defense.
#7 Shane Kunst, 2015
Marin Catholic, Marin Catholic
Position: Goalie
Sub-Position: Quick
College Commitment:
Rating: Watch List
Shane is an enigma, or maybe just young. Within the course of a game Shane will make some incredibly athletic saves that show off his absurdly quick hands, then turn around and let in a softy. My theory is that there are some shots too slow for Shane. He is there and back before the ball actually arrives (like an overzealous hitter out ahead of a breaking ball). Because of Shane's athleticism and quick reaction time he makes some game changing one on one saves on the crease. As Shane matures and becomes more consistent (saves and clears) he has the potential to be a big time goalie.
#20 Sawyer Cairns, 2015
Marin Catholic, California
Position: LSM
Sub-Position: On-Ball/ Cover guy, With-ball
College Commitment:
Rating: Player
Sawyer is a kid who plays a lot bigger than his measurables. He has a high lacrosse IQ that allows him to seemingly always be in the right place. Sawyer has impressive straight line speed as well as a quick change of direction that allows him to stay with change of direction moves from up top. When the ball goes to offense Sawyer is comfortable handling the ball and is proficient at creating offense in transition. On one play in the San Rafael game Sawyer picked up the groundball from the wing, carried into the box, and then proceeded to shoot off the crossbar and into the net. Sawyer has a very active stick when the ball is in the air and does an awesome job of getting a piece of anything going across the middle.
#22 Sean O'Keefe, 2016
Marin Catholic, California
Position: Midfielder
Sub-Position: Two-way mid
Rating: Watch List
Sean made me do a double take when I checked his age on the roster. To say that Sean does not look like most freshmen would be a gross understatement. He is a big, fast, athlete with decent skill. Look for Sean to be moving off the Watch List as his skill approaches the level of his athleticism.
#25 Austin Colvin, 2014
Marin Catholic, California
Position: Attack
Sub-Position: Wing Player, X Attackman
College Commitment
Rating: Watch List
Austin is a slick Canadian style dodger who is loath to use his left hand. He dodges hard from X and regularly gets the topside. Austin is adept at finding clever ways to get the ball into the net including diving, one hand wrap arounds, and behind the backs. Feeding generally seems to be an afterthought for Austin. However, he had several good looks and put his teammates in positions where they could catch and finish.
#13 Paul Callahan, 2015
Marin Catholic, California
Position: Defense
Sub-Position: On-Ball/ Cover-guy
College Commitment:
Rating: Watch List
Paul is an intimidating, physical defenseman. Whether it is with his stick, or with his big frame, Paul seems hell bent on the physical destruction of whomever he is covering. Paul moves his feet well to maintain his topside position and throws solid checks onto his attackman's gloves and then leaves them there for a bottom hand lift. Paul has the size and attitude to be a solid defenseman; however, he needs to improve his lacrosse IQ, and his foot speed.
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San Ramon Valley
The Wolves played Corona Del Mar on a cold night in mid April in what turned out to be a great back and forth contest between two athletic teams led by two hot goalies. San Ramon relies heavily on its trio of studs (French, Tagliaferri, and Roberts).
#4 Austin French, 2015
San Ramon Valley, California
Position: Attack
Sub-Position: X/ Wing Dodger
College Commitment:
Rating: Legit
Austin is a really slick attackman. He is a shifty face up dodger with a quick change of direction who can get up field with either hand. Austin is comfortable dodging to his topside, slipping underneath, or creating for others. He uses fakes, hitches, and fake roll backs effectively in tight to create space. Austin is a relentless rider and created several turnovers in his game against Corona Del Mar. The most impressive thing about Austin is his poise under pressure. With less than two minutes left at the end of the CDM game with his team down a goal Austin drove hard and scored to tie. The next play went through Austin as well and this time after beating his man and drawing a slide he found an open midfielder who buried the game winner.
#7 Aran Roberts, 2013
San Ramon Valley, California
Position: Defense
Sub-Position: On-Ball Cover-Guy/ With-Ball
College Commitment: Princeton
Rating: Legit
Aran is a big, mean, violent defenseman. He moves his feet exceptionally well for someone his size and rarely finds himself out of position. In his game against Corona Del Mar Aran had several "yard sale" hits. He handles the ball and is aggressive pushing the ball into the offensive end helping to create scoring opportunities for his team's attackmen by forcing slides.
#23 Peter Tagliaferri, 2014
San Ramon Valley, California
Position: Midfield
Sub-Position: Face-Off/ Two-Way
College Commitment:
Rating: Player
Peter is a powerful, fast, athletic playmaker who leaves his mark all over the game. He faces off, plays awesome defense, clears the ball, and scores goals. Peter has a powerful, accurate shot on the run or with time and room. He is dangerous as a wing dodger or coming down hill into the alley and has the ability to split double teams. Peter also leads his team with huge physically destructive hits.
#8 Cameron Bowlby, 2013
San Ramon Valley, California
Position: Goalie
Sub-Position: Quick and Reflexive
College Commitment:
Rating: Player
Cameron made the play of the game against CDM. He stuffed an attackman on the crease on a save he had no business making, threw an outlet pass that led to a fast break that the Wolves were able to finish. This was not the only play Cameron made; it just happened to be the most important play in the game and changed momentum when it looked as though CDM was going to be able to finish San Ramon off in the third quarter. For the game he had 14 saves! Cameron is an athletic goalie who sees the ball well.
#10 Nick Garlieb, 2013
San Ramon Valley, California
Position: Midfield
Sub-Position: Off-Ball Catch and Shoot
College Commitment: Northern Colorado
Rating: Watch List
Nick is catch and shoot guy! He moves intelligently off ball and finishes at a high rate both on the move or with his feet set. Nick has top end speed and uses it to be an asset for Wolves in transition. Although Nick does not manufacture many looks for himself his movement and accurate shooting allowed him to end the night against CDM with three goals and an assist.
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Bellarmine Prep
The Bells are a highly athletic team with impressive over all team speed. Head Coach Joe Romano does an awesome of getting his boys to maximize their athletic potential by playing an aggressive, up-tempo style.
#28 Larry Zhou, 2013
Bellarmine Prep, California
Position: Goalie
Sub-Position: Quick Reflex
College Commitment:
Rating: Player
Larry reminds me of former Johns Hopkins goalie Brian Carcaterra; he is an awesome athlete who makes ridiculously athletic saves and then jumps out of the crease to try and clear the ball himself. Larry is lively in net, rarely making a save without both feet leaving the ground or his body sprawling across the goal line. Because of his quick reflexes Larry is tough to beat high and even tougher low.
#15 Alex Abiog, 2013
Bellarmine Prep, California
Position: Midfield
Sub-Position: Two-Way
College Commitment: Manhattan
Rating: Player
Alex is a big, fast, North-South dodger. He uses a change of direction move to get a step and then lets his speed takeover to get him time to unload his powerful shot. Defenders would be well advised to not allow him the space and time to set his feet as he has a devastating time and room shot. And any ball carrier would be smart to keep his head up as Alex is not afraid to deliver bone jarring hits.
#29 Conor Towne, 2013
Bellarmine Prep, California
Position: Midfield
Sub-Position: Off-Ball/ Catch and Shoot
College Commitment: Stephen's
Rating: Watch List
Some guys just have a nose for the goal; Conor is one them. He is capable of creating his own shot using alley dodges but does most of his damage in catch and shoot situations. Conor sees the ball in traffic, has soft hands, and an accurate shot.
#2 Joe Rodrigues, 2014
Bellarmine Prep, California
Position: Attack
Sub-Position: X Attackman
College Commitment: Fairfield
Rating: Player
Joe is a tall, athletic attackman who can dodge both from X and from up top when the game dictates. He has a quick change of direction and uses his big frame to lean on defensemen to get topside. Joe can score from distance as well as finish inside. My favorite play that Joe made in any of the games in which I saw him play was a slick no look feed that resulted in a lay up on the backside.
#20 Tyler Mackin, 2015
Bellarmine Prep, California
Position: Attack
Sub-Position: Wing Dodger
College Commitment:
Rating: Player
Tyler is a hard driving face up dodger who punishes defenders with his quickness in space. He has no problem getting topside using his greasy change of direction moves. Once inside Tyler is an adept finisher with good poise and patients.
#8 Chase Bunce, 2015
Bellarmine Prep, California
Position: Defense
Sub-Position: LSM/ On-Ball Cover Guy
College Commitment:
Rating: Legit
Chase is an impressive defenseman with top end speed and athleticism. On the ball he has quick feet and an active stick. For the most part, Chase plays intelligent position defense but sometimes takes chances relying on his athleticism to cover up for any mistakes. He can handle the ball and is dynamic on groundballs. Against Redwood, Chase lined up opposite a highly talented player in Brown bound attackman Pat Tracy and clearly won the match up.
#11 Henry Armistead, 2014
Bellarmine Prep, California
Position: Midfield
Sub-Position: Two-Way
College Commitment:
Rating: Player
Henry is fast, athletic midfielder with an explosive first step. He is a proficient dodger from up top or from the wing. Henry uses his speed to great affect in the transition game and helps create easy scoring chances for his teammates. He can also score himself and is a strong finisher on the run.
