Fall NHSLS Takeaways: Ohio's Western Reserve Academy

Another program on a rapid incline, Western Reserve is coming off of a 14-3 season, having strengthened its national brand in 2024 by <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2024/04/maznik-wells-lead-western-reserve-ohio-on-3-0-run-through-miaa/">going 3-0 against the MIA</a>A and splitting with powerhouses Culver and Hill Academy. Despite graduating over a dozen Division I commits, the Pioneers will enter the spring with plenty of momentum after thriving on the fall circuit, where a plethora of transfers and PG's dazzled to supplement a talented group of returners. This past weekend, WRA's Green squad went 6-0 and eeked out one-goal wins over top programs like Lawrenceville and Calvert Hall, among others. I was on hand for the Pioneers' wins over Lawrenceville and St. Anne's Belfield. Here's a look at a few of the PGs on offense and more storylines, including notes on a top uncommitted '25, promising underclassmen, and Western Reserve's specialists.    Physically, Bichelmeyer is an absolute bear. Tailor-made for the Big 10, the Kansas native and Rockhurst (Mo.) graduate likely projects as an offensive midfielder at the next level, however, he played attack this past weekend and looked incredibly comfortable both above and below GLE. Against Lawrenceville, he executed a nasty inside roll while covered by a highly touted Michigan commit and was a highly productive matchup problem all weekend. There's obviously a considerable amount of power in his game, but also he moves impeccably well and dodges with fluidity, plus he's cool under pressure when the slide inevitably comes. Bichelmeyer made things happen off the re-dodge on multiple occasions and was a force on his wing dodges and sweeps across the top.     Teaming back up with Bichelmeyer, his longtime club and high school teammate, Komenda is another formidable dodging presence with a strong reputation from his time on the circuit. A superb athlete, the lefty regularly won his matchups and didn't hesitate to attack Division I-bound shortsticks and poles. Even when guys were on his hands, Komenda still found a way to generate offense thanks to his slickness and ability once he puts his foot in the ground. He's incredibly explosive out of his rollback and has a fine-tuned shot on the run that he put on display while providing a ton of pop for the WRA midfield. Having been super impressed with how well Komenda's skills have developed over time, it appears as if he's poised for a big-time postgrad year before he heads off to Denver, where his style of play will be a perfect fit for how Matt Brown's teams like to play offense.     Watching Roach, you'd have no clue that this was a kid who underwent brain surgery shortly after his 17th birthday and was told by doctors that he'd never play sports again. After a long recovery, he helped Torrey Pines (Calif.) win two more championships and has since joined Western Reserve as a postgrad for the 2025 season. At NHSLS, Roach was one of the most dominant shooters I saw all weekend. He shoots the heck out of the ball from the outside and has a downright beautiful release, catching the ball loaded and hiding his stick head to make it tough for goalies to get a read. It looks like he has gradually gained back weight and put on more strength, which is evident in his physicality and shooting ability. Roach was particularly productive in catch-and-shoot opportunities and off of ball movement, dodging hard downhill and canning shots on the run while mixing up his release points and placement.    — Among Western Reserve's 2026s, Lafayette commit [player_tooltip player_id='37809' first='Hunter' last='Harris'] looks like he's made the biggest jump. An imposing offensive weapon at 6-foot-2, Harris is incredibly skilled and knows how to use his frame to his advantage, habitually initiating contact as a dodger throughout the weekend. However, he doesn't need the ball to be successful, as he also set himself up well with some precise and timely cuts before demonstrating a great handle and slick finishing ability. It's clear that he's playing with a ton of confidence - given the talent that he'll be surrounded by on the offensive end, Harris should be able to feast on shortsticks this spring. — The Pioneers' specialists (both old and new) were very impressive. Cleveland State signee [player_tooltip player_id='123120' first='Tavin' last='Jones'] saw limited big game face-off reps a year ago but played like a veteran this past weekend to supply the offense with extra possessions, excelling against a number of tough matchups to help lift the Pios to an undefeated weekend. When it comes to shortstick play, Western Reserve is in tremendous shape. [player_tooltip player_id='22874' first='Caden' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='22281' first='Luke' last='Jaeger'] are both outstanding and look the part of two SSDMs who could play early once they get to Ohio State and Providence, respectively. A dynamic athlete who made an impact all over the field at NHSLS, Smith is just as useful as a pole when it comes to 1-on-1 play and groundballs off the wings. In goal, there are new faces following the graduation of Joe Budington (Michigan) and Tyler Coryea (Maryland), who split time and offered different styles of play. A postgrad out of Denver South HS, Utah commit [player_tooltip player_id='123116' first='Ethan' last='Jaffe'] was rock-solid both in and out of the goal, stopping shots cleanly and backstopping a new-look defense with consistency. Fellow Colorado native [player_tooltip player_id='123124' first='Sam' last='Beach'], a Bryant commit who is also new to the program, struggled a little bit during Lawrenceville's comeback but will push for playing time. He's a great athlete who is excellent out of the cage with his run-outs and assertiveness while leading the clear.   — Defensively, Western Reserve graduated several pivotal contributors from last year's backline, so this unit will look very different from the way it did in the spring. Fortunately, [player_tooltip player_id='22861' first='Gavin' last='Gall'] appears to be ready for the toughest of assignments and was lights out as the No. 1 cover man last weekend. While undersized at 5'8, he's a tough matchup with his active stick, physicality, and sound footwork, holding up well against both smaller, quicker guys and bigger bodies. I have yet to see a better uncommitted '25 recruit   2027 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='123122' first='Zane' last='McGruder'] caught my eye right away and is a name to watch going forward. Possessing a big upside, the Alpharetta (Ga.) native is long and rangy, disruptive in the passing lanes, and smooth off the ground. He looked a bit more comfortable up top, but that's not to say he couldn't factor in on the close defense as well.

Another program on a rapid incline, Western Reserve is coming off of a 14-3 season, having strengthened its national brand in 2024 by going 3-0 against the MIAA and splitting with powerhouses Culver and Hill Academy.

Despite graduating over a dozen Division I commits, the Pioneers will enter the spring with plenty of momentum after thriving on the fall circuit, where a plethora of transfers and PG's dazzled to supplement a talented group of returners. This past weekend, WRA's Green squad went 6-0 and eeked out one-goal wins over top programs like Lawrenceville and Calvert Hall, among others.

I was on hand for the Pioneers' wins over Lawrenceville and St. Anne's Belfield. Here's a look at a few of the PGs on offense and more storylines, including notes on a top uncommitted '25, promising underclassmen, and Western Reserve's specialists.