Long Island Lacrosse Showcase: Class of 2027 Standouts

<p>The 2027 final game at the Long Island Lacrosse lived up to expectations. Some of these players greatly impacted their varsity teams as freshmen and they looked amazing during this game at Hofstra. Here's a look at some of the standouts:</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">MVP's</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">The poles were very impressive in this game and Calloway earned MVP honors after a terrific performance. Calloway had a great season for Westhampton Beach and was a lockdown defender at the Long Island Lacrosse Showcase. He made his presence felt early as he slid very hard, laying a clean hit to cause a turnover. Calloway was physical and aggressive when he had to be, but he also displayed his patience in 1v1 defense. He was a great on-ball defender and forced some of Nassau's top players to take poor shots.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">After this contest concluded, I think just about everyone would've named Schwarz the MVP. He had a special offensive performance in a game that featured so many talented 2027 prospects on Long Island. He finished with four goals and he did it in impressive fashion. His first two goals came in transition. Schwarz got to a good shooting spot and displayed that smooth release into a hard shot that found the back of the net twice. His next goal came at the first-half buzzer. He was aware of the time and dodged hard to the middle of the field, he spun through two defenders and ripped a low shot in. Schwarz is a crafty dodger who can beat high-level defenders and had one of the best shots at this event.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players That Impressed</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">In the spring Dengler made a name for himself with Garden City. It's not often you see the Trojans give a freshman the nod in their starting close D, but Dengler got it and he performed well. Now he's playing against other freshmen, you could really see his size and athleticism be a factor. Dengler is a classic Garden City defender: he's mean but also very disciplined. I was impressed with his awareness and positioning. He's another Garden City defender that we will talk about a lot for the next few years.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">The two years of varsity experience already under Hannigan's belt are evident almost every time he steps on the field. The East Islip native is an elite decision-maker and has shown his ability to be a quality feeder at the varsity level. As time moves on, watch out for his shooting ability to get better and better. In transition, he stung a high laser right by the goalie. And with his high lacrosse IQ, he gets into the right spots and has soft hands that allow him to be a great finisher.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Trizzino was one of the more physical poles I saw at this event. He wasn't afraid to lay some checks and he did a great job on the ground. On the man-down unit, he did a good job approaching the ball and keeping his stick active. He knocked down a pass and made sure to get the ball going toward his team's direction of the field. I was impressed with Trizzino's motor - it felt like it never stopped, and he impacted the game greatly for the Suffolk defense.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">I was excited to see McCaffery in action and he didn't disappoint. The lengthy defender from Comsewogue has some big time potential. McCaffery is a great fundamental defender with tremendous range. He had great approaches and played great on-ball defense. He was very poised with the ball and was easily one of the most skilled defenders at the event. He has that classic Comsewogue toughness, and when you combine that with his current frame and skill level, we could be seeing an elite defender for years to come.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Another freshman who played varsity for Garden City, Robertiello set the tone right away. He won the opening faceoff forward to himself, went right down the middle, and fired one home for the first goal of the contest just six seconds in. He did a pretty good job at the X, but what honestly stood out was the mentality Robertiello plays with. He goes to war every single rep that he's out there and his effort turns into positive results for him and his team. He showed his offensive ability with the goal, but he also caused a turnover on defense. He played some ferocious D and also came away with some key groundballs.  </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Taff was one of the top freshmen during the high school season here on Long Island. He had over 30 goals and after seeing him play in this showcase, I can see why, as Taff is one of LI's biggest and strongest prospects in the ‘27 class. The lefty midfielder uses his size very well. He lowers his shoulder into defenders and is constantly able to fight his way to the middle of the field to get off a shot. Taff shoots the ball very hard and can get a quality shot off through contact. He has a high ceiling and is a player college coaches should take early notice of.</p>

The 2027 final game at the Long Island Lacrosse lived up to expectations. Some of these players greatly impacted their varsity teams as freshmen and they looked amazing during this game at Hofstra. Here's a look at some of the standouts: