Terp Classic '27s: Standouts from New Jersey and Pennsylvania

Last week, <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2024/11/terp-classic-27s-top-attack-performers-from-the-dmv-and-miaa/">I highlighted a handful of the top local attackmen in attendance at Terp Classic on the first Sunday of November</a>. Now, we're heading north to highlight a long list of '27s out of Philly and New Jersey, with evals on a trio of the best players I saw and a notebook-style, club-by-club rundown of 13 more names that impressed. Use code ‘PREP30′ at checkout to receive 30% off your annual or two-year subscription!    Thurber was hands down the most dominant offensive player I watched on Sunday. He does not look or play like a first-semester sophomore and could easily have been confused for an upperclassman bound for an ACC program. Thurber was particularly outstanding while putting up a hat trick in an 8-6 win over the Crabs, kicking things off with a textbook question mark. A highlight reel play occurred when he won a gritty 3-on-1 groundball in a scrum with a trio of Crab defenders, emerged from the madness, then nailed a jumper to fire the sideline up. An absolute bear when turning the corner or working at 5x5, he's got two hands, a big outside shot, and poise beyond his years.     I tend to be cautious with such proclamations about young defensemen until I've gotten the full scope of a class. However, Zemachson looks like he's next up in a long line of outstanding defensive prospects for Leading Edge. A bonafide possession-ender, he roams the backline and wreaks havoc with precise checks, a mean disposition, and phenomenal stick skills. He's always in the right position and can match feet and erase just about anybody. Also a highly talented hockey player, Zemachson had some ridiculous caused turnovers throughout the day and was just a ton of fun to watch. He's now at Seton Hall Prep after spending his freshman year at Millburn HS, and he'll get to work with newly minted Pirate head coach John Svec, who came to SHP after 20-plus years as a Division I defensive assistant and head coach.       A big-bodied keeper who exudes confidence when he's in the crease, Meredith forms an excellent goalie tandem with lefty [player_tooltip player_id='121318' first='Will' last='Hayes'] for Leading Edge. On Sunday, I saw two halves of Meredith and left extremely impressed with what he brought to the table. He plays angles well and has lightning-quick reflexes and hand speed, attributes he used to get a piece of just about everything and disrupt opponents' offensive rhythm. Meredith is tough for opposing shooters to solve, as he not only fills up the ton of net, but moves impeccably well from pipe-to-pipe and makes guys work to get anything past him. Once he made the save, he was decisive with his outlets and led the clearing game with poise.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"> More on Leading Edge's Top Performers </h2>   After LE took it on the chin and suffered a trio of losses on Saturday at Terp Classic, the boys from New Jersey bounced back on Sunday and went 3-0 against DC Express, Team 91 Maryland, and Orange Crush. As is often the case, this roster is built on the defensive side of the ball, where Meredith and Zemachson are far from the only high-end Division I prospects. Two recent Lawrenceville transfers, [player_tooltip player_id='121315' first='Luke' last='St. Pierre'] (6'2) and [player_tooltip player_id='121313' first='Sean' last='Currie'] (6'7), bring a ton of size and potential, with Currie checking in at a whopping 6-foot-7. St. Pierre stood out with his combination of physicality and strong defensive fundamentals, sitting in his stance and making his presence felt with his well-rounded skill set. He also caught my eye with his leadership in directing traffic on the back line. Having joined the Big Red as reclasses after transferring in from Don Bosco Prep and CBA, respectively, St. Pierre and Currie will only get better with three more years in Lawrenceville's program, where they'll face a ton of top-flight offensive weapons every day in practice. Offensively, [player_tooltip player_id='121307' first='Jonah' last='Ziv'] and [player_tooltip player_id='121311' first='Derek' last='Sabel'] were the two most productive and impressive prospects on the roster. If you've been following recruiting in Jersey over the past few years, their last names might sound familiar: Jonah is the younger brother of Asher, a Yale recruit, and Derek is the younger brother of Nolan, who is headed to Villanova. The younger Ziv, who was one point away from finishing with 50 last year for Pingry, had a ton of success last Sunday and had little trouble generating offense against his matchup. A bouncy dodger with a strong lacrosse IQ, he did a great job of getting to high-percentage areas, where he utilized his craftiness and took what the defense gave him. Up at midfield, Sabel's dynamic skill set was a nice complement. A smooth operator at the top of the boxes, Sabel has a great first step and elite vision. He was calm under pressure when the slide came and opened up things for his teammates with his passing ability, but also looked to be plenty assertive as well, scoring on a beautiful high bouncer in one instance. Another Leading Edge middie, Westfield's [player_tooltip player_id='121322' first='Harrison' last='Rekemeier'], also showed flashes and weaved his way through traffic for a pretty goal late in the day.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Checking in on Philly's Young Guns</h2>   — Team Ten's known commodities — Haverford's [player_tooltip player_id='23606' first='Conor' last='Morsell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='24324' first='Finn' last='French'] and Malvern Prep's [player_tooltip player_id='23638' first='Danny' last='Lucovich'] — all continued to live up to the hype they received in the spring for their respective Inter-Ac powers. Morsell is a dynamo at attack who bounced back from a tough first game and was his usual self in tight games against Thunder and Next Level, while French was an athletic force between the boxes and on both sides of the ball. During the time I watched Team Ten, however, Lucovich was the most impressive and consistent of the bunch. He threw a few nasty skip passes and got to his spots with the ball in his stick, scoring on a pretty face dodge in transition then unleashing a beautiful stepdown shot. I also liked what I saw out of Malvern Prep middie [player_tooltip player_id='121320' first='Jamie' last='McCracken'], who is undersized and unassuming but packed a punch offensively. He put in two goals against Next Level and showed off a crafty and energetic dodging style, making a habit out of getting back to his right hand on rollbacks to create separation. Playing up with the 2027's, Malvern freshman LSM [player_tooltip player_id='121345' first='Max' last='Delvescovo'] was excellent off the ground and in 1v1 coverage. An athletic presence with a high motor, he made some head-turning plays off the wings and was quick to trigger transition. Given the fact that the Friars graduated several multi-year contributors on their rope unit, Delvescovo could be someone in the mix for playing time at LSM, or perhaps even at shortstick. — With all of the buzz that Thurber was getting among evaluators on Sunday, a number of recruiters made their way to watch a Brotherly Love squad that has a considerable amount of promising recruits, including a handful of reputable rostered players who were not in attendance. In addition to Thurber's huge campaign, Episcopal Academy (Pa.) midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='23840' first='Colin' last='McGrath'] was particularly excellent, having already put together a stellar spring for a freshman in the Inter-Ac.   McGrath went hard downhill and swept across the top for prime scoring opportunities, displaying his athleticism, fundamentally sound shot on the run, and elite hands. On one occasion, he hit a pipe so hard that it shook the cage and created a sound that could be heard from a considerable distance away. Throughout the day, McGrath beat his man cleanly or cashed in after taking advantage of bad approaches, and he took some excellent shots from tough angles as well, even if they didn't always go. Overall, he's a really smart and confident young player who has a lot of tools that will excite college coaches. — In one of the final games I watched before leaving Liberty Sports Park, a gritty Philly Freedom squad eeked out a 7-6 win over a super talented Madlax team and really struck me with their intangibles and overall toughness. Freedom fought for contested groundballs, slung it in transition, made hard-nosed stops on defense, and got the ball to their top weapons when they needed a play the most. I was particularly impressed with Malvern Prep's [player_tooltip player_id='121358' first='Jake' last='Krause'] and Dawson Krause, as they accounted for at least two goals each by my count. Jake, who is listed as an attackman and middie, was a constant threat above the cage and has a dialed-in shot on the run as well as a knack for getting back to the middle of the field. Dawson, who is listed as an attackman, scored by getting underneath of the defense on a S-dodge then added another, while Jake scored two fairly similar goals.

Last week, I highlighted a handful of the top local attackmen in attendance at Terp Classic on the first Sunday of November. Now, we're heading north to highlight a long list of '27s out of Philly and New Jersey, with evals on a trio of the best players I saw and a notebook-style, club-by-club rundown of 13 more names that impressed.

Use code ‘PREP30′ at checkout to receive 30% off your annual or two-year subscription!