IMLCA Players Summit: Who Owned the X in the 2028 Division

The 2028 faceoff class has already started to separate itself, with names like [player_tooltip player_id='166416' first='Andrew' last='Grosso'] (3d New England / Noble & Greenough), [player_tooltip player_id='166611' first='Luca' last='Santucci'] (Shore 2 Shore (27) / Chaminade), [player_tooltip player_id='166469' first='Colton' last='Raio'] (Team 91 Long Island / Half Hollow Hills), [player_tooltip player_id='120663' first='Ethan' last='Suwankosai'] (BBL / Newark Academy), and [player_tooltip player_id='171339' first='MJ' last='Maraglino'] (2Way / Brunswick) in the conversation. These guys have been consistent all fall and continued to show why they're trusted at the X against high-level competition.   At the IMLCA Players Summit, Suwankosai flashed his hand speed and counter game against Project Midwest. Side note—how lucky is Newark Academy? Suwankosai and [player_tooltip player_id='172196' first='Zuva' last='Chakabva'] (featured below) split reps, and both are legit faceoff guys in the 2028 class. Maraglino also played a major role in 2Way's championship run, battling through one of the deepest faceoff brackets of the weekend.   Faceoffs in Florida aren't easy—multiple games, heat, loose whistles, and constant wear on the body—but these specialists pushed through it and proved they can dominate when it matters. Here are the specialists who owned the X in the 2028 division and showed they can control games at the IMLCA Players Summit.    Zuva is shaping up to be one of the hottest commodities in the 2028 class when it comes to faceoff specialists. He's dominated every event I've seen him at this fall—Terp Classic, NAL, and now the IMLCA Players Summit—and he hasn't slowed down once. When you're evaluating FOGOs, the first thing you look at is hand speed, and Zuva's are about as fast as it gets. He's the first one to the clamp almost every time. If he lines up at the X, odds are he's winning the clamp and popping it forward. Once he does, he reads the defense really well. If nobody slides, he'll happily stick it—he's scored plenty of times this fall.   When he doesn't go forward, he's still incredibly reliable. His exits are clean, he's a junkyard dog on 50/50s, and he handles pressure without panicking. And on the rare occasion he doesn't win the clamp outright, he's got a deep bag of counters and leans on his wrestling background for ground control. At this point, Zuva has a legitimate case as the top faceoff specialist in the 2028 class.     In his freshman season, Cole Bradford pulled in just about every honor you could get in South Carolina—Faceoff Player of the Year, First Team All-State, Rookie of the Year, broke the single-season faceoff wins record, and even earned an All-American nomination. That résumé showed up again at the IMLCA Players Summit, where he was absolutely dominant in Team 91 South's one-goal win over Long Island Express in the quarterfinals.   Bradford's hand speed and reaction time are what set him apart. When he lines up at the X, there's a good chance he's popping it forward and putting his matchup in the back burner. His speed forces defenses into early slides, and in that quarterfinal game alone, he had at least two assists after drawing pressure and hitting the point man in transition. When he's not winning it forward, he's got the awareness to pop it out to himself or use his wings when needed. Bradford was already a known name in the South, but his IMLCA showing officially put him on the national radar.     Salisbury landed Connor Wambach's understudy in Colton Korpan after his transfer from Wilton (Conn.), and he showed exactly why at the IMLCA Players Summit. Korpan went toe-to-toe with one of the top faceoff guys in the 2028 class and came out on top, winning it in a bunch of different ways. His versatility at the X really stood out. He won clamps forward, got it out to his wings, used his swipe effectively, and battled through plenty of 50/50 groundballs. When Korpan wins possession, he's calm under pressure. He's not the fastest guy out there, but he's comfortable with contact and can still get the ball out when a defender is draped all over him. If teams try to lock off the attack, he's confident keeping it himself and dunking it on goalies. Even when he doesn't win the clamp clean, Korpan makes life hard on the other specialist. He turns a lot of draws into scrums, ties guys up, and gives his wings a chance to come up with the ball. That ability to grind out possessions is a big reason he's so effective at the X.     Another name to know in the 2028 faceoff class is Drake Smoter. He's gone head-to-head with — and beaten — many of the top specialists in his class during his time with Mad Dog National, True National, and the Faceoff Academy. This fall, he transferred to Culver, where he'll be able to train year-round against a deep group of specialists, which should only accelerate his development.   His bread and butter is winning the clamp and pushing it forward, or getting it out to his wings when teams try to counter. With the ball, he has enough speed to win the race to groundballs, pull away from opposing specialists, and escape pressure with defenders on him. Right now, he's pretty automatic inside five yards, and as his range continues to grow, his offensive value will follow. Smoter is trending toward being a Division I prospect in the 2028 class.     Although he's no longer a 2028, [player_tooltip player_id='169220' first='Beau' last='Dillmeier'] stepped in for Team 91 Long Island with [player_tooltip player_id='166469' first='Colton' last='Raio'] sidelined and did an outstanding job helping them during their championship run at the IMLCA Players Summit. A recent transfer to Lawrenceville, Dillmeier now has plenty of time to continue developing his game at the X. In the championship game, the faceoff battle came in waves. From my count, he opened the game winning four straight, dropped a few during the middle stretch, but finished strong—going 12-for-19 against his former club team, 2Way. The weekend showed he can compete and win in big moments, even with the wear and tear that comes from multiple games in the heat.   When he gets hot at the X, he smokes opposing specialists to the clamp and uses his quickness in transition, forcing defenders to slide to him. He's confident using his wings and makes good reads in transition, whether that means keeping it himself or dumping it off to his attackmen. When he doesn't win cleanly, his speed allows him to recover, apply pressure, and use crafty checks to regain possession of the ball. Dillmeier still has time before the recruiting process ramps up, but performances like this already have him on college coaches' radar.

The 2028 faceoff class has already started to separate itself, with names like Andrew Grosso Andrew Grosso 5'11" | 180 lbs | FO/M | Right Hand Noble and Greenough | 2028 MA (3d New England / Noble & Greenough), Luca Santucci Luca Santucci 5'11" | 170 lbs | FO/M | Right Hand Chaminade | 2028 NY (Shore 2 Shore (27) / Chaminade), Colton Raio Colton Raio 5'9" | 165 lbs | FO/M | Right Hand Half Hollow Hills West | 2028 NY (Team 91 Long Island / Half Hollow Hills), Ethan Suwankosai Ethan Suwankosai 5'7" | 155 lbs | FO/M | Right Hand Newark Academy | 2028 NJ (BBL / Newark Academy), and MJ Maraglino MJ Maraglino 5'8" | FO Brunswick School | 2028 NY (2Way / Brunswick) in the conversation. These guys have been consistent all fall and continued to show why they're trusted at the X against high-level competition.