IMLCA Players Summit: Top 2028 Middies, Part I

Ahead of the high school season and the pressure cooker that is rising junior summer, the IMLCA Players Summit has become a pivotal proving ground for the sophomore class, serving as the Division I recruiting calendar's final live evaluation before the spring. Held on the heels of the annual coaches' convention outside Orlando, the event brought many of the top Class of 2028 club teams to Davenport, Fla., where they competed in front of a long list of college coaches in a fiercely competitive Sunday playoff bracket.   For the fourth straight year, I made the trip to Florida with a focus on the sophomore class. This time, I was joined by Prep Lacrosse scout Michael Campanile, who has already published his first of several Class of 2028 recaps coming away from the event, <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2025/12/imlca-player-summit-2028-brick-walls-in-the-making/">highlighting a few of the top goalies in attendance</a>. In this piece, we take a look at some of the top midfield prospects on site, with an emphasis on promising Class of 2028 players from East Coast high school programs that have become household names. Tomorrow, we'll turn our attention to the Midwest, South, and beyond.    On my radar since the spring, Baras ran on the Bruins' top two midfield lines as a freshman and showed high upside, athleticism, and an all-around game reminiscent of past ‘Wick middies. He's the type of prospect who is critical in the biggest matchups, and Baras excelled on playoff Sunday. Baras stacking plays on both ends, whether it was a timely goal, a key GB off the wing, or an interception and a clear. At his best between the lines and when going from defense to offense, I was particularly impressed with how quickly Baras processed things and made decisions, along with his ability to play both ways without tiring. He's dangerous when initiating with his strong hand, but is also effective as an unselfish passer who can open things up for his teammates and raise their play. Baras looks the part of a midfield recruit who will become one of the more coveted '28s eight months from now.     Simply put, Giordano has ice in his veins: the bigger the moment, the more he raises his level of play. He's a fiery competitor whose presence is always felt between the lines and when he's making his way to the rack. As a shooter on the run, the ball explodes out of his stick and consistently finds spots goalies can't get to — including the bar-down beaut he hammered against 2Way to tie it up with seconds left. Off the OT face-off, Giordano was the one to come up with possession, to no one's surprise. Tough as nails and cool under pressure, he's a total throwback middie who does the little things exceptionally well and competes his tail off. Because he does so many things well on both sides of the field, I'm intrigued to see where he fits for Delbarton at the varsity level and how his game grows going forward.     Netting consecutive goals in the third quarter, Hristoforatos' hat trick was a huge reason why Team 91 LI pulled away from 2Way in the second half. On his first tally, he put his shoulder down and shrugged off a top '28 middie to create separation, then quickly fired off a shot past the goalie. Shortly thereafter, he initiated his dodge with his left hand, got inside, got back to his strong hand, and scored while falling down. On his third, he dropped a pass, collected the ball, spun off a shortstick, and found the net with his left hand. That's all to say that he can get it done in a multitude of different ways, and he's at his best when the lights are the brightest. Endearing himself to recruiters all weekend, Hristoforatos is an impressive athlete who can get to his spots with relative ease and has a downright nasty release that's tough to pick up. In addition to his offensive ability, he routinely legged it in the clearing game when called upon, getting from restraining line to restraining line in a hurry. Three-year contributors are rare at a place like Chaminade, but Hristoforatos looks like he could be a candidate to make a splash as a sophomore.     A phenomenal athlete, Saunders brings all of the necessary intangibles to the shortstick defensive midfield position. Relative to his peers, the way he moves is just flat-out different, as he has the footwork and discipline to match up with top-flight dodgers and ensure that they don't generate high-quality looks. On top of his blinding speed, I was particularly impressed with how disciplined and dialed he was on slides and how well he played angles. When his man felt like they had a sliver, he closed in on them and took away their ability to get to their desired spot. Quite frankly, I just didn't see him get beat this weekend. Saunders was physical when he needed to be, but didn't get himself in trouble. The Calvert Hall program has produced some stellar SSDM prospects, and Saunders appears to be next in line, especially as he continues to develop his stick work.     All it took was one blistering take for Savarese to catch my eye. Between his size, twitchy athleticism, and big-time shot, he quickly left an impression—albeit in a smaller sample size than I usually prefer. Armed with powerful wrists, the West Islip (N.Y.) native boasts an absolute cannon both with his feet set and on the run, and he's perfectly comfortable banging shots from 12 yards and beyond. He's confident with the ball in his stick and gritty between the lines, winning some big 50-50 groundball battles and quickly sparking transition. Ending his weekend by scoring the GWG in overtime to beat Delco, Savarese is certainly someone to keep tabs on going forward.

Ahead of the high school season and the pressure cooker that is rising junior summer, the IMLCA Players Summit has become a pivotal proving ground for the sophomore class, serving as the Division I recruiting calendar's final live evaluation before the spring. Held on the heels of the annual coaches' convention outside Orlando, the event brought many of the top Class of 2028 club teams to Davenport, Fla., where they competed in front of a long list of college coaches in a fiercely competitive Sunday playoff bracket.