Promising Class of 2027 Attackmen Suddenly On My Radar

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'll start by saying that I'm not exactly going out of my way to watch Class of 2027 players these days, nor did I expect to be in a position where I'm writing about the top freshmen from my early spring evaluations. <br><br>That being said, stumbling upon talent by accident tends to be commonplace in the world of scouting. I've watched many of the best programs in the country so far this season, and I can't help but be impressed whenever I see a freshman getting quality minutes for some of these talent-laden powerhouses. Maybe there's a dash of recency bias here, but I've felt it more than I have in recent years, at least since the Class of 2022 came through as high school freshmen. <br><br>So, as a result, I figured I'd highlight some of the '27 attack prospects that I've been impressed by throughout the first few weeks of the high school season, and next, I'll dive into the middies, a group that includes a few natural attackmen asked to run out of the box as freshmen. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["23626"],"_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":"Unfortunately for the rest of the FCIAC, a third Colsey brother is coming up the ranks. Suiting up on varsity for his father Roy, a four-time All-American at Syracuse, Chris is the youngest of three and follows in the footsteps of Ryan - a redshirt freshman at Virginia who is running on the 'Hoos top midfield line - as well as 5-star senior Kyle, who will join his older brother in Charlottesville in August. With that kind of lineage, Chris is as skilled and savvy as you'd expect. Another lefty, he's explosive and elusive with the ball in his stick and is constantly making plays that freeze the defense, showing the ability to finish under duress or unleash a big mid-range shot when appropriate. Over the summer, he posted four goals in the One Percent Showcase All-Star Game and was named Offensive MVP.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["16428"],"_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":"My familiarity with Holbrough comes from him formerly being a member of the Class of 2026, and a highly accomplished one at that, having racked up 55 goals and 26 assists as a Brighton (N.Y.) freshman. When I've seen him on the club circuit, he has consistently caught my eye with his sensational handle, shiftiness, and crafty goal-scoring ability. His box background translates to him being a worthy recipient of passes in front of the net, however, he's also plenty capable of blowing past his man off the end line and making opponents miss with his COD. I love the variety of moves Holbrough has in his repertoire and how he's always dipping into his bag of tricks and trying something new throughout each game.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["23606"],"_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":"Given the fact that the Fords returned three of their top four attackmen from a year ago (plus several more veterans on offense), I was caught off-guard to see a freshman out there in Haverford's biggest non-conference tilts. At 6'0, there's no doubt that Morsell looks the part. Watching him on live streams, the lefty possesses soft hands, active feet, a strong understanding of spacing, and a knack for setting great picks. Against Taft, I marked him down as forcing the Rhinos into two failed clears, including an interception. I'm already a big fan of the way this kid plays the game, and while his numbers won't wow you, he's got big-time ability for a program known for producing top-flight offensive recruits.\u003cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003e \u003c/span\u003e","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["23607"],"_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":"When I heard rave reviews about Shaw's ability in February and then watched him live throughout March, I was under the impression that this was just another promising young Laker attackman out of Lutherville or somewhere else nearby. As it turns out, the ultra-smooth 6'0 lefty is from Austin, even if his skills, IQ, and poise give off the impression that this is someone who grew up in a hotbed with a stick in his hands since learning how to walk. Shaw, a member of BL's EMO and the first attackman off the bench, has stood out with his comfort level in big moments and for what he's able to do without the ball, which is the role that's been asked of him as a freshman. When given the opportunity, Shaw has shown off a nasty release and accurate mid-range shot — in a thriller against Malvern Prep at the end of March, he buried a second-quarter goal to put the Lakers ahead. I'm looking forward to seeing more of #77 in the years to come.\u003cspan class=\u0022Apple-converted-space\u0022\u003e \u003c/span\u003e","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["23638"],"_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":"Lucovich has worked his way into a role as Malvern's fourth attackman, which speaks volumes about how talented he is considering how deep and experienced that roster is this year. The sample size is still small, but he got significant minutes in top-five showdowns with St. Anthony's (N.Y.) and Lawrenceville (N.J.), registering an EMO goal against the Friars and out on the field for two of Malvern's goals in Saturday's 9-4 loss to the Big Red. Watching him on film, it was quickly evident how many things Lucovich can do at an exceptional level despite his youth, as he's the type of player who can be moved around and asked to play different roles without ever skipping a beat. Dazzling individual efforts are frequent when he's got the ball in his stick, but more than anything, he plays within himself and knows how to make the right play, which is among the reasons why he's gotten PT and is a part of the Friars' extra-man unit this spring.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["23603"],"_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":"Upon hearing from people I trust that Cross could be one of the most promising players in the '27 class, I made sure that I got eyes on his film since I wasn't able to check out Valor Christian during the Eagles' Philly swing last month. The first noticeable attribute when watching Cross is, of course, his 6'2 frame. Size like that will catch anybody's attention, however, it's not as if he's a matchup problem simply because he's a bear who grew earlier than his peers. Cross moves around impeccably well and is fluid in every sense, from his footwork to his wrists to his hands, and he can do it with both his left and right without a noticeable drop-off, though that kind of thing tends to be harder to judge when only watching highlights. What also stood out is how much of a weapon Cross is when he gets to 5x5. It is evident both how hard he's worked on his game and how well he's been coached, as he's got subtle head fakes and hesitation moves in his arsenal. As a shooter, he never gets lackadaisical and does a stellar job of changing levels and hiding the stick head to make his release hard for goalies to pick up. Quite frankly, a lot of what he does is advanced - I'll be curious to watch the evolution of his game as he gets closer to becoming recruitable.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661619c3e5c26"} /-->