The Northeast's Top 75: New 5-Stars and Three '26s on the Cusp

Last week, <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/high-school-lacrosse-2026-class-northeast-region-player-rankings/">we released our ranking of the Top 75 seniors in the Northeast</a>, a list that featured [player_tooltip player_id='37803' first='Ted' last='Budreski'] (Winchester, Mass.) and [player_tooltip player_id='72103' first='Kieran' last='Walsh'] (Chaminade, N.Y.) climbing from four to five stars ahead of the upcoming national update. In this piece, we break down those two new five-stars along with three more '26s who surged up the rankings and are strong candidates to earn five-star status as seniors: [player_tooltip player_id='45420' first='Dylan' last='Casillo'] (Belmont Hill, Mass.), [player_tooltip player_id='45414' first='Griffin' last='Cepiel'] (Deerfield, Mass.), and [player_tooltip player_id='74280' first='Bryce' last='Privateer'] (Choate, Conn.).    Among the most two-handed players in the class, Budreski tormented defenses all summer with his dynamic skill set and ability to impact a game in countless ways. In October, he dazzled in front of Prep Lacrosse's scouts at Project 9 — where he was named co-Midfield MVP — to solidify five-star status, which he likely warranted coming away from the summer. He can shoot the daylights out of the ball both with his feet set and on the run, and as a passer, Budreski has a tremendous knack for sending through passes to open teammates. Beyond that, he's a gifted picker who doesn't need the ball to be successful, and he's comfortable filling virtually any role within an offense. Budreski looks every bit like a Day 1 contributor at Georgetown and a player poised to keep leveling up each year, just as he has so far.     The Liam Entenmann comparisons have followed Walsh, and while they're lofty for any young goalie (and Walsh won't turn 18 until the very end of his senior season), they've been apt. He's continued to grow like a weed, going from 6'3 and a wiry 175 pounds or so as a rising junior to somewhere in the ballpark of 6'5 and 200-plus pounds. With that being said, he moves even better than he did at that time and is just flat-out difficult to score on, controlling 61 percent against Chaminade's rigorous 2025 schedule. Under control and unflappable at all times, Walsh's rebound control is exceptional, and he has a penchant for stymying would-be scorers from in tight, even with the odds stacked against him. He's ridiculous when targeted offside, often making it look easy, then getting the ball up and out. Walsh is college-ready and deserving of the top '26 goalie spot, though it will be interesting to see how those rankings shake out with senior seasons still to come.     Every time I tuned into Belmont Hill's live streams, it felt like Casillo was constantly finding a way to be involved in scoring plays. After sparking BH by posting 17 goals and 27 assists as a sophomore middie, Casillo's junior season was sublime down at attack, where he racked up 37 goals and 64 assists for the ISL champions. His speed allows him to get through the first level of the defense with ease, and he's outstanding in scrum situations. Casillo's mid-range shooting is a thing of beauty, as he's versatile with his release points and heady and accurate as can be with his placement. Simply put, he's always in attack mode, getting to his spots at will and creating offense in a multitude of ways. While Casillo's vision has long been a hallmark of his skill set, he took his passing ability to another level as a junior and made it look pretty along the way.     Playing on a club team that featured four offensive weapons ranked inside the Northeast's Top 50 seniors, Cepiel was a major reason the Tomahawks were so tough to defend. Over the past year, he's taken his game to another level and has been a bell cow in the spring and summer. The Concord (N.H.) native dodges with elite bounce and possesses outstanding hands, with his stick operating like an extension of his body. Slick and creative, he's unafraid to go behind-the-back or between-the-legs — both as a scorer and a passer — and he converts the overwhelming majority of those chances. He's a fearless dodger who absorbs contact exceptionally well, on the rare occasions defenders actually manage to get their paws on him. Count on Cepiel to have a huge spring for the Big Green.     Incredibly fun to watch, Privateer made a massive jump in last week's Northeast rankings release, going from No. 36 in the region last fall (and barely cracking the National Top 100) to No. 13 in this update. An Energizer bunny of a dodger who plays with ever-present Upstate grit, Privateer plays far bigger than he is and swims defenders like he's 6-foot-3. He has a strong lower body and can find that extra gear and explode past defenders on his way to the rack, and he puts a ton of power behind his shot. He wins difficult matchups and constantly puts pressure on defenses with his confident, aggressive dodging style. A demon between the lines who does the little things at a high level, Privateer goes from defense to offense as well as anybody in New England. The Dartmouth commit was named an All-American after a brilliant junior season, and if this summer served as any indication, he's bound to elevate his output even more in his last hurrah with the Wild Boars.

Last week, we released our ranking of the Top 75 seniors in the Northeast, a list that featured Ted Budreski Ted Budreski 6'0" | 185 lbs | M/A | Right Hand Winchester | 2026 #36 Nation MA (Winchester, Mass.) and Kieran Walsh Kieran Walsh 6'5" | 210 lbs | G | Right Hand Chaminade | 2026 #49 Nation NY (Chaminade, N.Y.) climbing from four to five stars ahead of the upcoming national update. In this piece, we break down those two new five-stars along with three more '26s who surged up the rankings and are strong candidates to earn five-star status as seniors: Dylan Casillo Dylan Casillo 5'11" | 165 lbs | M/A | Right Hand Belmont Hill | 2026 #51 Nation MA (Belmont Hill, Mass.), Griffin Cepiel Griffin Cepiel 5'11" | 175 lbs | M | Right Hand Deerfield Academy | 2026 #78 Nation MA (Deerfield, Mass.), and Bryce Privateer Bryce Privateer 5'8" | 160 lbs | M | Right Hand Choate Rosemary Hall | 2026 #92 Nation CT (Choate, Conn.).