Long Island Lacrosse Showcase: Class of 2026 Standouts

Some of Long Island's top 2026 prospects showcased their talents at Hofstra last week. The county's best went head-to-head in the final event at the Long Island Lacrosse Showcase. Here's a look at some of the standouts:   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">MVP's</h2>    The goalies stole the show in the Class of 2026 game at Hofstra. [player_tooltip player_id='42135' first='Aiden' last='Derupo'] started strong and made a statement in the two quarters he played, making four saves on five shots in the opening frame. This featured two saves on the doorstep including one golden chance at the buzzer to give his team momentum. He also could handle high heat and get down to make a save on a low laser for his other two early stops. He added three more saves and showed his outlet passing ability in the third quarter. He ended up with seven saves on nine shots on goal.       The Co-MVP was the other netminder for Team Nassau. We saw flashes of Passaro when he had opportunities during his sophomore year and he'll be a key factor for Wantagh's success in the future. The lefty netminder also started off hot, registering three saves on the first three shots he saw. He made the saves he was supposed to and also stole a few throughout the game. Passaro had a doorstep save and threw an outlet pass which turned into an assist for the Wantagh goalkeeper.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players that Impressed</h2>    "Vacuum" is one word to describe the Bethpage product, who was by far the best groundball guy in this entire event, and likely one of the best in all of Nassau County. He was dominant on the wing and scooped up more GBs than I could count. Explosive and highly skilled, Waxer also handled and moved the ball very well to ensure that his team got an offensive possession. He also netted a goal in this game, sprinting upfield in the clear and hauling in an outlet pass that set him off to the races. Nobody slid to him and he made the defense pay with the goal.     Cabrera is an athletic two-way midfielder who was all over the field at this event. I liked his game between the lines and his ability to create offensively. He has quality speed and showed flashes of good lacrosse IQ. He can create transition chances on his own, his ability to turn defense into offense is exciting and he did that a ton for a great Northport team in the spring. Besides scoring a nice catch-and-shoot goal, it was picking up loose balls, connecting the dots in the clear game and athletically winning matchups.     Waxer has been a well-known name on Long Island for three years now. Even in the showcase, the opposition made sure that a long pole was guarding Waxer at all times because of how dangerous he is. It seemed like each time Waxer had the ball, he created offense for Team Nassau. The Syosset native had two goals in this defensive-oriented game. His first goal came on a time-and-room shot where he drifted to a good shooting spot and rifled one home. His second goal came off a great dodge, where Waxer pulled his defender out to the wing, stopped on a dime, and fought his way inside for the goal.     The defender from Half Hollow Hills had a breakout season in the spring and followed it up with a terrific showing at this event. He is not afraid to press out and had quite a bit of success doing it. Caiazzo is aggressive and poised while going after the ball carrier and he usually makes life annoying for the player he's guarding. Caiazzo also provided good help defense to make plays on the ball.     Plenty of colleges will be interested in Loughman, who has some very impressive tools to work with. The lefty stands at 6'3 and 190 pounds with a cannon of a shot. When Loughman has a shortstick guarding him, the defense better be ready to go. Loughman has a scary lefty sweep that does a ton of damage. He moves well for his size and shows the ability to get into defenders and fire absolute lasers towards the goal. I thought Loughman was one of the best shooters at this event and his ceiling should excite a lot of people.     The Islip product was one of the top offensive players at this event. He is a versatile player that could be impactful from the attack or the midfield. He had an invert opportunity in this game, showing his great footwork, which allowed him to create easy separation. DeGennaro had his head up ready to feed and nearly had a nice assist. He had a goal late in this game, ripping a sidearm shot that banged off the pipe and in. DeGennaro will be a force for Islip in these next two years.

Some of Long Island's top 2026 prospects showcased their talents at Hofstra last week. The county's best went head-to-head in the final event at the Long Island Lacrosse Showcase. Here's a look at some of the standouts: