NE West I: Taft's Young Guns To Watch In 2025

No stranger to significant roster turnover on an annual basis, Taft graduated another excellent class of seniors and postgrads last spring and will have a plethora of new faces in the mix between its crop of underclass transfers and talented postgrads. Here's a look at a few freshmen and sophomores who could factor in this spring:    Taft's been fortunate enough to have a strong track record at the defensive midfield position, and Fisch looks to be next in line. Despite not having prototypical size for the position at 5'9 and 170 pounds, he plays a lot bigger than he is and doesn't seem to have any trouble covering middies that have several inches and 20-plus pounds on him. His speed is off-the-charts, and he's dangerous with the ball in space, frequently factoring in with punt return clears. He's got great punch and can run with anyone, showing the footwork of a defensive back while making life difficult for opposing dodgers.     Another baby giraffe of a defender for ADVNC and West Coast Starz, Gordon is a talented 6'5 lefty from San Francisco. With his long arms and pure strength, he's able to steer his matchup away from high percentage scoring areas and stay heavy on the hands. His stick is always out and in the right position, and just about every slide, approach and close-out is on point. Gordon possesses the right balance of aggression and discipline, and once the ball's in his stick, he's great at rolling away from pressure and making the correct decision with the ball. He's got excellent hands but won't throw too many takeaway checks, instead relying on his footwork and position. Expect to see him on the field for the Rhinos this spring, as he could be an intriguing piece of the puzzle on man-down, at the very least.     There's little to no film on Lent, which is understandable given that he's just a freshman—though at a rock-solid 6'1, 190 pounds, he certainly doesn't look like one. A big and strong downhill dodger, Lent is intelligent and well-coached and makes a living getting to his spots, doing a particularly nice job of getting back to the middle of the field for high-quality looks. Talking to several people familiar with what Lent brings to the table, he could be a force in the Founder's League for years to come, even if freshman playing time is hard to come by at a place like Taft.     A Richmond native whose father played for Virginia's 1999 national championship team, the younger Oakey is a promising quarterback type who does much of his damage when operating from X. The smooth operator is blessed with an innate field sense and superb vision, doling out beautiful assists due to passing ability that is beyond his years, even mixing in underhand passes. Oakey, who played with Eclipse before recently switching over to Madlax, shoots a pretty ball from mid-range when he's not distributing or beating his man off the dodge, something he's able to do with frequency as a result of his quick first step.     Having produced the top-ranked goalie in the class twice in three years (Thomas Ricciardelli '22 and Ben Friedman '24), Max Rosner's program will have a new face in goal this spring, with Oh contending with Richmond-bound postgrad John Fisher. It's still early, but expectations for Oh are sky-high, as he looks primed to ultimately become one of the highest-ranked netminders in a loaded '27 class. Patiently waiting, reading, and reacting, he's tall, fundamentally sound, and has an explosive top hand. Though he's an imposing figure with a wide base, he's lights out on low shots and is outstanding when it comes to controlling rebounds. Additionally, he's a tremendous asset in the clearing game, starting fast break opportunities with poise. There's a lot to like across the board.

No stranger to significant roster turnover on an annual basis, Taft graduated another excellent class of seniors and postgrads last spring and will have a plethora of new faces in the mix between its crop of underclass transfers and talented postgrads. Here's a look at a few freshmen and sophomores who could factor in this spring: