A. L. L. Summer Championships: Attackmen Shooting the Lights Out

This past weekend, the A. L. L. Summer Championships in Boyds, Maryland proved to be a great event with high skill levels across the board which made for a fun and extremely competitive weekend of lacrosse. This tournament featured over 90 degree heat, thunderstorms and extended weather delays, but every team battled through adversity, buckled down, and fought hard until the last whistle, showing no quit in front of a slew of Division 1 college coaches on hand to watch it all unfold.   While there were a ton of very talented players in the 2027AA division, I took a look back at the top attackmen that I was able to see play and what made them stand out from the rest.    Nixon is a dynamic and creative player who plays fast and physical at his lefty attack spot, displaying a hard shot whether on the run or with time. When dodging, he does a good job of using his speed and strength to hitch upfield to the middle for a high percentage look at the cage, but also displays great patience with the ball and doesn't force shots or passes. The West Haven, CT native finished with 2 goals and an assist vs 3D Garden State and did a great job of creating offensive chances for his team. Other than filling the stat sheet, he also puts in a lot of time and effort on working hard on rides and clears for his squad, making it tough on his opponents and was apart of a few caused turnovers for his team this weekend.     Blekicki showed a lot of toughness on the field this weekend, absorbing hard checks and taking big hits while trying to create for his team. In his game vs 2Way, he took a huge hit that knocked his helmet off and left him shaken up initially, but the next possession he was right back out on the field ready for more. He finished with a goal and an assist in that game and displayed good fundamentals and dodging technique whether from X or the wing. The Pingry product does a great job of creating space from his matchup to get his hands free and from there can unload a well-placed rocket or has the vision to dump it off to an open teammate. It will be fun to continue to watch his development over the next couple of years.     Lynch is an impact player for the 3D Georgia offense and with his ability to beat his matchup cleanly, he puts a lot of pressure on defenses to slide early and attempt to recover. With his agility and quick burst of speed out of his dodge, he is able to get a step on his defender and does so with his head up, surveying the field for skip lanes or cutters. He was the facilitator offensively in the game against Mad Dog East Elite and netted two goals in the process, while also keeping his teammates involved when he drew a slide. The Alabama native has a physical dodging style and likes to feel the defender so he has an idea of when to roll underneath or power forward for a good look at the cage.     Althouse is a very productive player and with the ability to play both attack and midfield, he has shown to be efficient anywhere on the field and a guy to count on. He is a very active individual offensively, always looking to generate offense with his dodges and works to get the defense moving and out of position. He has a smooth dodging style and displays a quick first step out of his move to create space from his defender to find a teammate or let it fly. When shooting, the Salesianum product can beat you on the run or with time and room and does a good job of mixing up his shot locations to keep goalies on their toes. He finished with a goal vs BBL, the eventual champion, but he had many other chances that were either saved or barely missed the mark.     Lee is a quick and shifty attackman and his moves were on full display in his game vs Annapolis Hawks where he notched a pair of goals and an assist on Friday afternoon. When at X, he utilizes his speed and quick change of direction to get his matchup out of position and curls around the crease looking for a teammate or to increase his angle for a shot. He likes going low to high with time and room or when coming upfield from X and is lethal with his shot selection and locations. The Illinois native plays hard and fast and is always continuing to move to keep his defender in check and mostly what makes him so tough to guard is his ability to do equal damage with the stick in either hand, showing off his strong fundamentals and work ethic.     Ranieri is a 2028 playing a grade up, but you would never know it with the confidence he shows and his lacrosse IQ. He can create chances with or without the ball, proving to move well without the rock and stays active off-ball. When dodging, he has an elusive style of play, with the ability to fend off pressure and work his way to the middle of the field for a good look at the cage and does a great job of placing his shots in precise spots when in tight. He plays fast and works hard when riding, never giving up on the play. In the limited gametime that I saw, the Manorville, NY native tallied an assist vs Upstate and worked his tail off trying to put his team in a position to win late. Ranieri is a great young talent and it will be fun to watch what he has in store as his game continues to grow.     Tedesco is a solid lefty attackman who shows that he can impact the game in numerous ways for his squad. In his first game vs Tri-State, he helped as a dodger for his teammates and aided with initiating offense to get the defense moving, while in another game vs 3D Georgia, he scored three goals in a row. The Bergen Catholic product is a crafty playmaker and even scored on a slick toe drag from the left wing to get under his defender and fake out the goalie. He is just as productive from distance and can stretch the field with his power, as he showed on a man-up goal, letting one fly from the outside and hammering top-shelf. He changes planes to keep goalies guessing and has great accuracy on his time and room shots.     Randazzo has good size at 6'1" and uses his body as well an his speed to get a step on his defenders and then facilitate. He sees the field well, always dodging with his head up looking for chances, but he can also do damage 1v1, muscling his way into the middle of the field for a high percentage opportunity. He has quick hands and works well on the crease to slip to the far post for a quick shot or finding the soft spots in the defense. When left alone, he has a fast step down shot and does a good job of shooting around his defender to challenge the goalies. The Bullis product tallied two goals and an assist vs South Shore, but also proved to be a hard working and unselfish attackman with high lacrosse IQ and good instincts.

This past weekend, the A. L. L. Summer Championships in Boyds, Maryland proved to be a great event with high skill levels across the board which made for a fun and extremely competitive weekend of lacrosse. This tournament featured over 90 degree heat, thunderstorms and extended weather delays, but every team battled through adversity, buckled down, and fought hard until the last whistle, showing no quit in front of a slew of Division 1 college coaches on hand to watch it all unfold.