Five Days on Long Island: Southern Standouts in the 2027 Class

Last week, I ended the summer club circuit with a lengthy trip to Strong Island for two of my favorite events of the July calendar: the National Lacrosse Federation Summer Championships and the LI Summer Showdown. Upon going through my notes and contemplating the rising juniors most deserving of being written up, I couldn't help but notice a strong Southern flair, from Oklahoma to Texas, through Alabama and Georgia, then up to North Carolina.    At one point midway through NLF weekend, a coach from an NCAA Tournament team asked me for my opinion on the 2027 prospect who had raised their stock the most at the event. Without hesitation, my answer was Stockton Steward, and The Woodlands product went on to be named MVP while helping his squad to a championship win. In the first game I saw that weekend, Steward pumped in five goals, utilizing his quick first step, aggressive slashing dodging style, and precise shooting ability. A high-energy and relentless player, he puts a ton of pressure on opposing defenses, who had no choice but to adjust by sending help early, but often to no avail. He was as good as anyone during the month of July and is sure to reap the rewards in a few short weeks when the recruiting window opens up.     As one of the top face-off specialists in the '27 class, Hedley checks a lot of boxes, possessing the size, athleticism, hand speed, and ball skills that top college programs tend to covet. In addition, he seems to have all of the right intangibles, particularly when it comes to his compete level. When there was a 50-50 ball, more often than not, the ball wound up in Hedley's stick. He's super quick off the whistle, yet disciplined. Candidly, he dealt with extremely poor refereeing in one morning game that I saw, and handled it better than the average teenager would, continuing to focus on what he could control and going to work each time out.     Constantly disrupting possessions at LSM, Riordon and close defenseman Hudson Higbea (a name we've highlighted before) were excellent on the back end of the field for 91 South. I was impressed with Riordon's feet and hips, which allowed him to move around and change directions at a high level to put him in a position to hinder ball-carriers. On the first possession I saw from him, he came flying out of the box like a mad man, causing a turnover, picking up the groundball, then putting up an assist. The lefty did great work on the wings of face-offs on the occasion that Hedley didn't win the ball to himself. He won groundball battles with authority and generally played a mean brand of lacrosse.     I love the way Siegfried embraces and plays the SSDM position — simply put, he's an ideal fit for Army, a program familiar with developing players at the position. The Oklahoma native plays with hunch and punch, quick to initiate contact and bound to take away the strong hand of dodgers. It feels as if he's been incredibly well-coached in how he plays the ball, prevents rollbacks, and plays his angles. Making a habit out of sticking nose in the proverbial dirt and getting hard-nosed groundballs, he's also quite the asset in the clearing game, where his grit and athleticism tend to be on full display. After liking what I saw from him on tape with Culver this spring, he popped at The Countdown in Maryland and again on Long Island.     The type of defenseman who will follow you into the parking lot, Roach loves to press out and harass the ball-carrier with punishing checks to the hands. He blends his physical gifts with a bruising style of play, setting the tone as a 1v1 cover man, all while setting the standard as an effective communicator. His voice can always be heard, and his presence is always felt. Though he can often be found pressing out on the perimeter, Roach plays strong interior defense and is impactful when sliding. I seldom saw his matchup get a step on him or get quality shots off, though it got to the point where attackmen didn't really want to go at him. The Lambert standout helps make up what is a promising defensive class down South, and I'll be intrigued to see where he winds up playing at the next level.     Nichols was a top performer in one of the more entertaining games I saw all weekend, a battle between Team 91 Long Island and Thunder, which won 7-6 thanks in part to his two goals. The 'Bama boy routinely found himself at the end of plays throughout the weekend, whether that meant dodging through traffic and putting shots on net or finishing feeds with a pretty mid-range shot. He's got a snappy release, and though he'll need to polish his off-hand going forward to become more of a dynamic threat, he looks to be another talented attack prospect from down South and asserted himself nicely at NLF.     Hailing from Mobile (Ala.) and boarding at MIAA powerhouse Boys' Latin during the school year, Lynch showed a lot of flashes this spring and seemed to get more and more comfortable as the spring progressed. He thrived both up top and as an invert middie, showing off his explosive first step, crafty finishing ability, and toughness around the cage. This summer, he's continued to develop his game and has polished his IQ and passing. I've been particularly impressed with how consistently he scores with guys draped all over him, as Lynch has a knack for netting beautiful backhanders in tight. In addition, he's made an impact in the riding game, where his athleticism and relentless nature tends to be on display.     Coming from an area of the country that has produced a number of high-profile offensive players at the Division I level, Johnson had quite a summer and could be next up. A dynamic dodger who gets to his spots, Johnson has proven to be difficult to limit when he's matched up with a shortstick, but he also possesses a fearlessness that is apparent when he's dodging poles. His movements are sudden, and he dodges with purpose and gets shots off with a pretty release, constantly getting back to the middle of the field or to his sweet spot on the right-handed wing. He fits as an attackman at this level, but if I had to guess, he might be someone who runs out of the box in college depending on where he winds up.     Given that Coluzzi was born and raised on Long Island before settling in Alpharetta (Ga.) and boarding in the Mid-Atlantic, I'm cheating a bit here from a geographical standpoint. However, Coluzzi was far too good in July not to be highlighted. Stacking impactful play after impactful play, Coluzzi was a big reason why 91 LI bounced back from a tough loss on Friday to make a run into the championship game, then looked strong once again at the LI Summer Showdown. As an offensive initiator, he constantly made his way to high-percentage scoring areas and was tough to get hands on, scoring big goals at key moments. In addition to his ability as a dodger, he displayed soft hands and unselfishness on the fast break, where he racked up points on the fast break while sharing the ball appropriately. Coluzzi also rides the ball back relentlessly and won back possession on several occasions.

Last week, I ended the summer club circuit with a lengthy trip to Strong Island for two of my favorite events of the July calendar: the National Lacrosse Federation Summer Championships and the LI Summer Showdown.

Upon going through my notes and contemplating the rising juniors most deserving of being written up, I couldn't help but notice a strong Southern flair, from Oklahoma to Texas, through Alabama and Georgia, then up to North Carolina.