Lawrenceville (N.J.) Newcomers Worth Keeping Tabs On

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winning 18 straight games to finish the year as consensus national champions, Lawrenceville capped off its 19-1 season with an epic four-overtime win over Brunswick (Conn.) in the Prep Nationals championship game and went into the offseason with momentum. <br><br>Headlined by a pair of New Balance All-Americans, the Big Red's departed senior class will certainly be missed, with all 10 grads set to play college lacrosse this spring. Although some critical pieces have moved on, the cupboard is far from bare, with the staff bringing in a wealth of talent from all over the U.S. and Canada to complement a highly accomplished group of returners and put the program in excellent shape going forward. <br><br>This fall, I was able to catch Lawrenceville in person on multiple occasions and came away bullish about several uncommitted newcomers, including a phenomenal trio of scorers from north of the border, among others. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["16718"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Watching Peck in his first outing with the Big Red at Jersey Strong in June, all it took was a few possessions (and a few absolute bombs from the wing) to see how perfectly he fits with the way Lawrenceville plays. Following the graduation of lefty sharpshooter Hunter Chauvette, Peck's arrival also comes at the right time. Of course, there's no such thing as a 1-for-1 replacement in this case, not to mention their skill sets are rather different even if they look similar physically. A transfer from Albany Academy (N.Y.), he packs a punch despite his lanky 5'10, 155-pound frame and has powerful wrists that allow him to put a ton of zip on his shots. He cocks his stick head way back to hide his release and isn't afraid to let it go from 12 to 15 yards, often before goalies even see it coming. Dynamic as a dodger with the craftiness of a Canadian, he changes directions on a dime and is constantly able to get a step to create his shot or set teammates up. Whether he's at attack or running out of the box, Peck should find himself on the stat sheet quite a bit this spring.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["16724"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"A crazy slick lefty out of Oakville (Ont.), Morgan came out guns blazing with a four-goal showing in Lawrenceville's Red-Black scrimmage in mid-November, including a pair of pretty tallies early on. Although he's not the type to flat-out run by his guy, Morgan is off the charts in the way that he utilizes deception and hesitation moves on his way to the rack. Like the other Canadians highlighted in this piece, his upside is so high in part because he's still relatively new to the field game, so he'll only become more comfortable dodging in space while applying his box skill set on turf. Stick checks seldom work against him, as he uses his 6'0 frame to elude and swim defenders, catch everything thrown his way, and finish in sensational fashion. In addition to his offensive game, he's also outstanding off the ground and makes an impact on the ride. There will be more mixing and matching at the midfield this year since several key pieces return, but Morgan has to be an option to play a role on the second line at the very least.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["16721"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"I'd buy Richardson's stock now while it's still cheap, as the incredibly talented left-hander from Coquitlam (B.C.) has the type of game that blue-blood DI programs will drool over when the time comes. Recording a hat trick in the Red vs. Black scrimmage, he's already built an impressive body of work in both field and box for a young guy, becoming the first Western Canadian to join Jon Posner's Lawrenceville program since he came over from Culver in the spring of 2020. With silky mitts and fantastic stick skills, he's able to freeze opposing defenses with multiple fakes and toe-drag his way through multiple poles before finding the back of the net. The fact that he has four years left is a scary thought, so I'm very intrigued to keep following his progress as he continues to develop confidence in the outdoor game.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["16726"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"With the least amount of field lacrosse experience among the Canadian trio, Ponting has a massive upside, moving exceptionally well for someone who is every bit of 6'3 or 6'4. According to the Big Red staff, he can dunk a basketball, which speaks volumes about the type of athleticism he possesses. This fall, Ponting showed off his burst of speed and nifty playmaking ability, displaying Mark Matthews-esque face dodges, toe drags from the wing, twisters, and doorstep dunks. He dodged with purpose and was constantly willing to take on double teams, also standing out by gobbling up hard-nosed groundballs in traffic and finishing several big-time finishes off of rebounds. Forgive me if I sound like a broken record, but Ponting's another prospect who will be hard to keep off the field despite a loaded roster in 2024.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["16729"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Relative to his fellow newcomers, Sturtevant is somewhat of an outlier with his two-handedness and is the type of player who could become a highly capable complementary piece for the Big Red. The burly 6'1, 190-pound Springfield (Va.) native reclassed after beginning his career at St. Andrew's Episcopal (Va.), playing club ball with Next Level yet still flying under the radar as a '25 prospect. Likely to see shortstick matchups, Sturtevant takes what the defense gives him and plays hard, shooting a heavy and accurate ball with either hand. Sturtevant was superb in a November playday against Taft and Loyola, scoring multiple goals in each scrimmage and producing both in transition and 6v6.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["16730"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Lawrenceville has the good fortune of returning one of the nation's best netminders in Cornell-bound Timmy Piacentini, a four-year starter. However, Stake is up next. A fiery Team 91 LI product from Massapequa (N.Y.), Stake may not have prototypical height, but he compensates with a command that belies his age, paired with exceptional hand speed. Evaluating Stake this fall, it quickly became apparent that he's the type of keeper who allows his defense to play with a ton of confidence, which is that much more impressive considering he's new to the party. Energetic and vocal, Stake will likely see plenty of quality reps as the second-string before eventually taking over starting duties following the graduation of Piacentini.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["16777"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"This spring, it'll be difficult for underclassmen to see significant playing time on the Big Red defense, a unit that lost graduated five-star cover man Quintan Kilrain (Hopkins) but brought back everybody else. Even so, Stamnes is a name worth keeping an eye on. A member of the varsity roster at Darien (Conn.) as a freshman, the lefty is physically and athletically gifted to the point that he looks more like a senior than a sophomore. Stamnes has an awesome motor and hunts down opposing ball-carriers, throwing the type of flashy takeaway checks that usually end up on Instagram and highlight reels. He's got excellent hands and is a threat to score from his spot at LSM, but also has good enough feet to excel covering down low when called upon, pushing dodgers off their line and making life difficult.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6595d2f87e977"} /-->