NJ two-way sophomore midfielder Smith verbals to Virginia
Possession is the name of the game in lacrosse. And the perfect way to describe David Smith’s game. Faceoffs and groundballs are the specialty of the sophomore from Shawnee High School in New Jersey. He’ll be taking those skills to the major Division I level after verballing committing this past week to the University of […]
Rundown of this month’s premier HS matchups
High school lacrosse fans in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut tristate regions may be the first ones to set their clocks ahead this weekend when Daylight Savings Time starts at 2 a.m. on Sunday. After all, with some of the big early season matchups set for the opening weeks of the season, who can blame them? […]
Player’s perspective: Joe Varello, Smithtown West (NY) midfielder
It was a day Joe Varello and thousands of players from through Long Island had been anxiously awaiting. And it came today. Varsity practices and tryouts officially got under way. For Varello, the 2013 season comes with especially high expectations. After all, the senior faceoff midfielder plays for Smithtown West, which has emerged into one […]
St. Augustine Prep (NJ) FOGO Fox finds the right fit in Fairfield
Chalk up another one for St. Augustine’s Prep. We reported yesterday that the New Jersey power, which has averaged 17 wins per season the last five years, saw sophomore midfielder James Kitchen verballed to Hofstra. Another Hermits’ player has also decided his Division I future. He’s Will Fox. The 5-foot-8, 185-pound junior faceoff midfielder has […]
ESG postponement, big recruiting commitments top tristate news
The Empire State Games’ planned 2013 return will not be happening. The relaunch of the Games after a two-year hiatus has been postponed until 2014 because of lack of funding. There were also some major recruiting commitments this past week, including two-time New York State Class C semifinalist Bronxville’s fifth Division I commit and a […]
Kaser will take his stick skills and smarts to Binghamton
It’s been a sweet week for SweetLax. If you’ve been following Twitter.com/joe_lombardi, you know that the travel program has had three Division I commitments in just over 24 hours. Matt Kaser is among the trio. The senior attackman/midfielder from Spencerport High School (N.Y.) in the Rochester area committed to Binghamton University. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound right-hander, […]
Player’s perspective: Justin Diamond, Jamesville-Dewitt (NY) attackman
Predicting Jamesville-Dewitt will once again contend for a New York state championship is hardly going out on a limb. After all, the Red Rams have won three state titles the last five seasons. How does JD look heading into 2013? For a look, we turn to Justin Diamond. The senior attackman is bound for Boston […]
Georgetown-bound Behrens gives Bronxville (NY) five D-I commits
Two-time New York State Class C semifinalist Bronxville has a record. Junior attackman Matt Behrens’ verbal commitment to Georgetown University, which was first reported on Twitter.com/joe_lombardi, gives the Broncos five Division I-bound players. Behrens, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound lefty, is an effective feeder/finisher with a strong shot, good field vision and the ability to use either […]
Ohio football star Berning commits to Richmond for lacrosse
He runs a 4.65 in the 40-yard dash, squats 415 pounds and bench presses 245. If it sounds like Ryan Berning is a college football prospect, it’s because he is. The 6-foot, 180-pound senior at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati (shown at right in both photos above), in fact, had 17 tackles from his […]
Rye (NY) junior Chavez verbally commits to Syracuse
Rye (NY) junior Laz Chavez, an athletic, on-ball defender who excels in transition, has verbally committed to Syracuse University. The 6-foot, 195-pound Chavez, who also plays football, enjoyed a strong summer playing for former Yorktown High School and Division I collegiate standouts Chris Watson (Johns Hopkins) and Mike McCall (North Carolina) with the Westchester Predators. […]
Big sophomore commitments, more team outlooks top week’s tristate lacrosse news
Two of the top sophomore standouts in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut region gave verbal commitments to Duke and Towson. That, along with the latest batch of preseason player perspectives, are among the topics in Joe Lombardi’s latest column for InsideLacrosse.com. Have a recruiting commitment to report? Email us at info@laxlessons.com. LAXLESSONS Links Schedules scanner Links […]
Webster Thomas sophomore standout Hill picks Penn State
It’s been a busy stretch for sophomore commits. In just the last week, we told you about three of them: Mountain Lakes (N.Y.) midfielder Brad Smith (Duke), Arlington (N.Y.) attackman/midfielder Brendan Sunday (Towson) and Trinity-Pawling (N.Y.) attackman Thomas Bianchin (Providence). Chalk up another one. For this commitment, we head out to western New York, just […]
Player’s perspective: Brian Ward, Bayport-Blue Point (NY), attackman
Bayport-Blue Point was one of the surprise teams in the high school lacrosse universe in 2011, making an unlikely trip to the New York State Class C championship game. Last year, the Phantoms finished 12-6, and again ended the season by losing to the eventual state champion — this time it was against Shoreham-Wading River […]
Trinity-Pawling (NY) faceoff specialist, LI native Shapiro set on Siena
Jake Shapiro’s road to Division I lacrosse began in Lido Beach on Long Island. It has now taken him to Trinity-Pawling School in New York’s Hudson Valley en route to his ultimate destination — Siena College. Shapiro, who is a post-grad student at Trinity-Pawling, is currently competing in the 170-pound weight class as a wrestler. […]
Garden City (NY) sophomore Borges opts for Ohio State
Matt Borges is part of the next generation. Borges is a defenseman/long-stick midfielder for defending New York State Class B champion Garden City. Twelve seniors on that team are currently playing on college team. Seven current GC seniors and two juniors have committed to play at the next level. There are more on the way. […]
Player’s perspective: Jake Marino, Harrison (NY) midfielder
Harrison hopes to take the next step in 2013. The Huskies broke through by winning a playoff game in New York’s Section 1 last season, winning at Ossining 10-6. And Harrison has much of its team returning intact. Leading the returnees is junior Jake Marino, who verbally committed in July to UMass. Marino, who is […]
Player’s perspective: Joe Fraietta, Hen Hud (NY) LSM
Hendrick Hudson’s 2012 season ended in the Section 1 Class C title game where the Sailors fell to two-time New York state semifinalist Bronxville 12-6. The Class C race figures to once again be an interesting one. That’s among the topics discussed by one of the Sailors’ leading players, Stony Brook University-bound senior longstick midfielder […]
St. Anthony’s Concannon will make his stops for Hofstra
Jack Concannon’s journey to the world of Division I lacrosse started at age 4 when he first started playing the sport. That early start helped the St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) junior goaltender develop exceptional stick skills and quick hands. When he developed athleticism and size to go with those skills — he’s now 6-foot-2 — he […]
Garden City’s Leto eager to help Richmond launch D-I lacrosse
Sometimes, a player’s outlook on the college he is planning to join changes after making a college commitment. But few have experienced the scenario Matt Leto did. The senior midfielder at defending New York State Class B champion Garden City decided to continue his lacrosse career at the University of Richmond. The decision was based […]
College commits by HS freshmen drawing more attention
When Syosset (N.Y.) senior goaltender Ryan Feit verbally committed to Johns Hopkins in October, 2010, a decision first reported here at LaxLessons.com, it signaled the start of a trend. One that was the talk of the lax world for months — until it was no longer unique. Now, sophomore verbal commitments are almost commonplace. But […]
Marino is latest Smithtown East standout off to Army
What do you get when you combine good size with great stick skills? The essential ingredients of a major Division I attackman. Tommy Marino has those attributes — and then some. “I would say I have a big frame, good work on the crease, fast outside shot and good inside finishing,” the Smithtown East (N.Y.) […]
Michigan breaks into sophomore class with Sorenson’s decision
The newly launched Division I program at Michigan enjoyed a breakthrough recruiting weekend, securing its first-ever verbal commitments from sophomores in the nation’s No. 1 hotbed for lacrosse, the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut tristate region. Both were reported in real time on Twitter.com/joe_lombardi, starting with Pingry School (N.J.) midfielder JC Sorenson’s decision. That was followed by […]
‘X’ marks the spot for Delaware-bound attackman DiSimone
If you’re looking for a letter that best describes Dean DiSimone’s game, there’s really only one that would work. X. That’s because the feeding attackman from St. Augustine Prep in South Jersey is especially effective from the X position. It’s one of the reasons the 5-foot-11, 175-pound junior drew interest from a variety of Division […]
There’s lots more to ‘rock star’ goaltender Chung than lacrosse
Since moving from midfield to goaltender in seventh grade, Nate Chung has loved everything about his new position on the lacrosse field. He’s developed so much so, in fact, that the junior at Ramapo High School in New Jersey is looking forward to continuing to play the game at the College of Holy Cross. But […]
Hubler will take his lunch-pail work ethic to Hopkins
If you’re looking to find an image that be shows what Chris Hubler brings to the lacrosse field, a lunch pail would be just perfect. “I am a blue-collar middie who is at my best between the restraining lines,” said the junior at Rumson-Fair Haven High School (N.J.) and Team United travel team standout. “I […]
College-by-college breakdown for Class of 2013
When it comes to lacrosse hotbeds, the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut tristate region is, of course, No. 1. So now that National Letter of Intent Fall Signing Week, which runs from Nov. 14-21, is upon us, the question is: What college is No. 1 when it comes to landing commitments from tristate seniors? The answer is […]
