Fall NHSLS Takeaways and Spring Lookahead: Spalding (Md.)

I couldn't help but walk away from NHSLS feeling extremely bullish on Spalding and what the Cavaliers could accomplish in 2025. After all, this is the same program that went from 6-12 in 2023 to 12-5 last spring and earned a first-round bye in the MIAA playoffs before falling in the semifinals to eventual champion McDonogh. Now, they'll go from the 'hunter' to the 'hunted' and will be among the preseason favorites to hoist a trophy in 2024. With 18 seniors and four juniors set to play at the next level, Spalding's talent is undeniable, and more importantly, the chemistry they have together is off-the-charts. Sure, it was fall ball, but I felt as if they played with something to prove and brought a different level of competitive energy and grit that set them apart from the overwhelming majority of the teams I saw at NHSLS. A huge reason for Spalding's breakthrough last spring was the Dingers' lights-out play in the middle of the field. 2024 graduate and First Team All-County pick Jameson Coffman (UMBC) was a major factor with his physicality as a shortstick defensive midfielder and knack for triggering transition with his hard-nosed clearing ability. While the SSDM unit will be a work in progress, five-star senior LSM [player_tooltip player_id='14553' first='Robby' last='Hopper'] is back in the fold as a disruptive catalyst between the boxes and on the offensive end.    At NHSLS, the 6'5, 190-pound Virginia signee was his usual self, corralling groundballs in traffic with frequency, stripping opposing middies, putting the ball in the back of the net, and making impactful plays in tight games. He'll need to work on channeling his aggression and emotions — Hopper put himself in the penalty box several times — but when he's playing disciplined and within himself, his team feeds off of his playmaking ability. Last year, he finished with 55 groundballs, 36 caused turnovers, three goals, and five assists.     At the offensive midfield position, Spalding has no shortage of options, which will help alleviate the graduation of Connor Wilbur, an energetic initiator who broke out for close to 60 points as a senior and flipped from St. John Fisher to Loyola after the season. This spring, senior Gordie Bennett is likely to see more assignments from longpoles, and passed the test when matched up with LSMs down the stretch last year. A steal for the Hobart Statesmen, Bennett had an impressive junior year and has taken another step forward based on the summer and fall he put together. He was assertive and dynamic with the ball in his stick, comfortable attacking tough matchups, and calm under pressure when the slide came. He still needs to develop his off-hand, but when he wasn't showing off his snappy release as a shooter, Bennett showed particularly well as a passer and found the open man on some pretty assists throughout the weekend.     In a highly entertaining and competitive matchup with Loomis Chaffee to kick things off on that Saturday, Garza was Spalding's most productive midfielder, posting two goals and an assist. A creative and crafty goal-scorer who has an excellent first step, Garza has proven to be capable of beating his man off the dodge, often feasting on shortsticks. In this game, however, he was often the beneficiary of superb ball movement and consistently finished stepdown looks from teammates. He placed his first goal, a sidearm take, right over the goalie's head and nearly went bar-down. From there, he finished another stepdown and had a nice find to a teammate on the extra-man. Having recently flipped to Richmond after decommitting from Navy, Garza has gained quite a bit of experience during his years on the varsity but appears ready to take on a larger role within the offense in his last hurrah.     Bursting onto the scene as Spalding's offensive leader with 27 goals and 37 assists, Mollot played beyond his years as a sophomore and will be a marked man as a junior. The Terp legacy was excellent in an NHSLS win over Haverford, thriving when he got to 5x5 after exploding to space on his dodges from X. Despite his small frame, he's tough as nails and is great at working to find the right matchup and the right time to go at them. Possessing outstanding vision and an advanced feel for the game, he's just as dangerous as a feeder but was more impactful as a goal-scorer during my time watching the Cavaliers.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Additional Notes </h2>   — The combination of Mollot and senior lefty [player_tooltip player_id='22649' first='Joey' last='Matassa'] was once again a lot of fun to watch. They look even more acquainted playing with each other and equally comfortable sharing the ball-carrying responsibilities. Matassa, a Bucknell recruit who entered the '24 postseason with 33 goals and 16 assists, just doesn't seem to ever make many negative plays. He takes care of the ball, is formidable in the two-man game, and doesn't force passes or shots. — Elsewhere on the offense, Fairfield recruit [player_tooltip player_id='123352' first='Jackson' last='Newell'] is another talented left-hander with significant experience. My notes were limited since I believe he was wearing a number other than the one he was marked as in the book, but I do believe he was rocking No. 52, as I learned by going back to the film. He served as an above-the-cage presence, attacking from the wings and doing more downhill dodging than he has in the past, but also regularly made his presence felt with opportunistic and sneaky off-ball play. Another name to watch on offense is senior [player_tooltip player_id='123346' first='Ethan' last='Ostrowski'], who showed a lot of flashes and looked great on EMO. Yet another lefty, he's strong without the ball and puts himself in the right spots, sets great picks, and plays with a lot of confidence. I can see the VMI recruit making an increased impact this spring. — Between [player_tooltip player_id='123349' first='Ryan' last='Criswell'] at the face-off X and [player_tooltip player_id='123355' first='Jacob' last='Neuman'] in goal, Spalding is in really good shape at the specialist positions. In addition, the Cavaliers also have a highly versatile defensive weapon in [player_tooltip player_id='28099' first='Greyson' last='Dunn'], a First-Team All-County pick last spring. Often winning the ball out the front and getting the ball to the appropriate man, the quick-handed and athletic Navy recruit has developed nicely in terms of his technique and ability to adjust as each game progresses. In goal, Neuman is underrated on a national level - it wouldn't surprise me to see him earn the starting job at Mercer early in his career. Standing 5'11 and 190 pounds, he moves well from pipe to pipe and is patient yet explosive, getting better as the spring wore on. At NHSLS, I was just as impressed with what he did out of the goal, and it looks like that's an area of his game that he's grown since the spring. Tasked with covering the other team's No. 1 attackman, Delaware recruit [player_tooltip player_id='28099' first='Greyson' last='Dunn'] is someone who I'm intrigued to watch as a senior. Simply put, not many defensemen in the neighborhood of 6'3 and 200 pounds move like him. He's incredibly disruptive and uses his stick impeccably well to lodge the ball free then gobbles the ball up to trigger transition, where Dunn is known to excel given his background as a shortstick from earlier in his career. While I feel as though he's better above the cage, the presence of Hopper up top makes it necessary for Dunn to bump down low at close.

I couldn't help but walk away from NHSLS feeling extremely bullish on Spalding and what the Cavaliers could accomplish in 2025. After all, this is the same program that went from 6-12 in 2023 to 12-5 last spring and earned a first-round bye in the MIAA playoffs before falling in the semifinals to eventual champion McDonogh. Now, they'll go from the 'hunter' to the 'hunted' and will be among the preseason favorites to hoist a trophy in 2024.

With 18 seniors and four juniors set to play at the next level, Spalding's talent is undeniable, and more importantly, the chemistry they have together is off-the-charts. Sure, it was fall ball, but I felt as if they played with something to prove and brought a different level of competitive energy and grit that set them apart from the overwhelming majority of the teams I saw at NHSLS.

A huge reason for Spalding's breakthrough last spring was the Dingers' lights-out play in the middle of the field. 2024 graduate and First Team All-County pick Jameson Coffman (UMBC) was a major factor with his physicality as a shortstick defensive midfielder and knack for triggering transition with his hard-nosed clearing ability. While the SSDM unit will be a work in progress, five-star senior LSM Robby Hopper Robby Hopper 6'5" | 190 lbs | LSM/D | Right Hand Spalding | 2025 #5 Nation MD is back in the fold as a disruptive catalyst between the boxes and on the offensive end.