NE West I Young Guns: Avon Old Farms and Hotchkiss

As our series on underclassmen in one of the country's top leagues comes to a close, today's post focuses on Hotchkiss and Avon Old Farms, with the latter having just announced that Millbrook School (N.Y.) head coach Taylor Pirie will take over the program after the 2025 season.    I really liked what I saw out of Bock the few times I saw him live this fall. He's not the biggest, but you always feel him on the field, a byproduct of how hard he plays and how much he brings to the table. The only freshman to make the Winged Beavers' varsity roster a year ago, Bock is a perfect complementary guy on a midfield line. He goes hard to the cage, always gets underneath defenses, and can bang shots from 10 to 12 yards out. He's really impressive when he puts his foot in the ground, attacking with a considerable amount of shake. On the defensive end, he's able to make stops and dart upfield in transition by getting from one restraining line to the other in the blink of an eye.     A native of Bow (N.H.) who was formerly a member of the '26 class, Commerford spent last spring on Avon's JV and will bump up to varsity, though minutes might be hard to come by given who's back in the fold. That being said, however, he's got good skills and puts himself in spots where he can be successful, doing an excellent job of keeping his feet moving. He has a knack for picking up big GB's and can finish inside with slickness, racking up BTB's. He's strong on the island and can finish appropriately within 8 to 10 yards of the cage.       Lopes joins JR Mastro's program after beginning his career as a '26 at Rhode Island's La Salle Academy. Big and athletic, the lefty has ideal size and has a powerful outside shot, showing the ability to get back to the middle with regularity. He has really good hands and wrists, snapping shots off with just a little flick. When Lopes has been back on defense, he's held his own and turns stops into fast breaks, often bringing a willingness to stick his nose in the dirt and pick up key GBs.     A boon of a recruit for Hotchkiss, Mercadante was named an All-Star at Maverik Showtime this past summer. Excellent off the ground, he can bump back and forth between close and LSM without skipping a beat and has performed at a high level at both spots, impressing with his sound footwork, stick skills, and position play. Mercadante never fails to get all over his matchup's hands and throws precise takeaway checks to jar the ball loose, though he's selective about when he throws him. I'll be curious to follow his progress this spring into the summer.     I'm just a few months into proper evaluations of '27s, and given that Root doesn't have a highlight reel available, it's hard to get a sense of his game outside of the one time I saw him at IMLCA, though highlights only say so much about close defensemen. Now that he's re-classed from a '26, I think he could turn into a strong defensive prospect, especially as he continues to learn the intricacies of off-ball defense, an area where there's room for improvement. He possesses above-average size and footwork, and after watching a few full games of his team online, I was impressed with the amount of complementary plays he makes and the flashes he showed on-ball.

As our series on underclassmen in one of the country's top leagues comes to a close, today's post focuses on Hotchkiss and Avon Old Farms, with the latter having just announced that Millbrook School (N.Y.) head coach Taylor Pirie will take over the program after the 2025 season.