Calvert Hall vs. Good Counsel Scrimmage: Standouts and Takeaways

Calvert Hall, the reigning Prep Lacrosse National Champions, kicked off its preseason at home with a scrimmage against Good Counsel. The storyline is obvious: how do the Cardinals look after a title run and after graduating a senior class loaded with college commits—Jermaine Anderson (UNC), Ben Cuomo (Yale), Peyton Forte (BU), Jackson Mitchell (SJU), and Brady Stangle (Fairfield) among them. Calvert Hall flashed real depth and a clear next wave ready for bigger roles, even with defenseman [player_tooltip player_id='123733' first='Cole' last='Hottle'] and midfielders Oliver Francis and [player_tooltip player_id='24318' first='Matthew' last='Schoonmaker'] sidelined. The scoreboard stayed 0–0 throughout (scrimmage rules), but if you were tracking the flow, Calvert Hall handled the Falcons 15-4. If this first look is any indication, the Cardinals still have the pieces and the standards to chase another MIAA crown as the team everyone will be measured against.   The first real question for Calvert Hall was how it would replace two All-MIAA specialists: goalie Brady Stangle and faceoff ace Ben Cuomo. In this first look, the answers came quickly. [player_tooltip player_id='123708' first='Greyson' last='Enrique'] looked sharp as the starter in the cage, and [player_tooltip player_id='174672' first='Doreyen' last='Jackson'] set the tone at the stripe. By my count, Enrique finished 6/7 on saves, while Jackson was a perfect 9/9 on faceoffs. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='127445' first='Jacob' last='Conville'] is another early name to know; he held his own with a 6/8 showing at the stripe and gives the Cardinals even more depth in that spot.   Defensively, Calvert Hall's starting unit looked stout. Good Counsel scored the first goal of the scrimmage about two minutes in, then went quiet until late in the third quarter on an extra-man look, before adding two more late in the fourth. The SSDM group in particular stood out: [player_tooltip player_id='82302' first='Jaxson' last='Snelbaker'], [player_tooltip player_id='123635' first='Micha' last='Morozov'], and [player_tooltip player_id='172239' first='CJ' last='Saunders'] consistently made dodging uncomfortable and forced the Falcons into tough spots.   On the other end, Calvert Hall's offense controlled possession time, especially in the first quarter when their weave offense tore up Good Counsel's man-to-man. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='17443' first='Jack' last='Williams'] got rolling early, scoring twice in the first quarter off alley dodges, then adding a third in the third quarter by cleaning up a rebound. After the opening quarter, Good Counsel leaned heavily into a zone, and [player_tooltip player_id='166405' first='Caleb' last='Kelly'] punished it from the inside to finish with six goals. Transfers [player_tooltip player_id='121619' first='Ryder' last='Scott'] (MSJ) and [player_tooltip player_id='141955' first='Cade' last='Marechek'] (IMG), both natural lefty attackmen, spent a lot of their run with the midfield lines and scored a goal apiece, giving Calvert Hall another layer of scoring balance.   For Good Counsel, it was a tough day overall, but there were still a few bright spots. The top trio of [player_tooltip player_id='45439' first='Drew' last='Demarinis'], [player_tooltip player_id='123718' first='Dylan' last='Cruz'], and [player_tooltip player_id='129433' first='Dylan' last='Gilp'] each found the net once, and sophomore goalie [player_tooltip player_id='173247' first='Ben' last='Pensy'] made a couple of highlight-level saves despite the defensive strain in front of him.   Next, let's take a deeper look at three of the main offensive players from the game and both goaltenders.    [player_tooltip player_id='123708' first='Greyson' last='Enrique'] looked the part in his first spring run. Yes, Calvert Hall's defense did him plenty of favors—lots of rushed looks, tough angles, and shots taken under pressure—but he still stole a few that should've been goals. The Drexel commit had two legit pipe-to-pipe stops on skip passes, getting his feet and hands there on time instead of just guessing and flailing. Those weren't “good for the camera” saves caused by bad positioning, either; he stayed balanced, moved with purpose, and arrived square. The only one he gave up came early, about two minutes in, when UMD commit [player_tooltip player_id='45439' first='Drew' last='Demarinis'] rolled back, created just enough separation through traffic, and tucked it to Enrique's off-stick hip. It also looked like Enrique was partially screened, which made it a tough read in real time.   What really stands out with Enrique is how clean everything is. He doesn't give up rebounds, and he catches the ball when he can—Good Counsel tried him high, low, and to both pipes, and he handled placement well. He also has that goalie's “bait” to his game: he'll show hands horizontal, then snap them back up to take away the high window because he trusts his hand speed. If Tuesday's scrimmage was any indication of how the season will go, the Cardinals have a guy who erases mistakes and helps the Cardinals stay aggressive everywhere else.     The sophomore offensive weapon was the star of the game, more specifically, the second quarter. The sophomore went on a ten-minute tear with five goals, then came back late in the third and finished a behind-the-back look to finish with a sock trick. Once Good Counsel shifted into zone, Kelly turned into the pressure point they couldn't solve. He operated from that high-crease pocket—sitting just behind the top line of defenders, but high enough that the low guys didn't want to stretch up to get their sticks on him. That spacing mattered, but the bigger issue was his release. When Calvert Hall kicked it inside, Kelly barely cradled; it was on and off his stick in a blink. One of the best examples was his third goal: an underhand finish that climbed high before the goalie could react. After that, he varied the levels—two more that went low-to-low —and you could see the goalie was left frozen with confusion.   Kelly was already trending this way after a strong freshman year, and he was a player I, along with many college coaches, kept circling with FCA Maryland in the fall. If this scrimmage is a preview, he's going to be a major reason Calvert Hall's offense stays efficient against both man-to-man and zone looks this spring.     [player_tooltip player_id='172615' first='Connor' last='Sullivan'] looks like the next sophomore piece ready to swing games for Calvert Hall. He finished with two goals and an assist, but the bigger takeaway was how complete his offensive profile looked—he impacted the scrimmage in settled sets, against zone, and in transition. His best moment was the type of goal you're going to see again if teams fall asleep against Calvert Hall's weave up top. With a pick coming toward him, Sullivan sold the two-man look, then rejected it and exploded down the righty alley for a clean finish. That blend of deception and burst is tough to defend because it forces a defense to guard both the action and the counter, and by the time they react, he's already blowing past them. He also put a nice assist on tape to [player_tooltip player_id='166405' first='Caleb' last='Kelly'] versus the zone in the second quarter, then added another goal in the third off a ride-back sequence—doing damage when the defense wasn't fully set.   Sullivan's value this spring can show up in a lot of different ways: he can dodge from multiple spots, draw slides, and move the ball quickly when help comes. Add in his touch on inside finishes and a smooth, compact release that still has real velocity from the perimeter, and he's right on the edge of a breakout sophomore season.     [player_tooltip player_id='45439' first='Drew' last='Demarinis'], Maryland's top-ranked midfielder in the '26 class, was one of the few bright spots for the Falcons in their first action of the spring. He came out hot, beating his man down the alley, slamming on the brakes with a hard hockey stop, and snapping a shot to the goalie's off-stick hip. The fact that he buried it with defenders draped all over him is exactly why he's headed to College Park this fall. He added an extra-man assist to [player_tooltip player_id='123718' first='Dylan' last='Cruz'] and nearly picked up another after getting downhill again from the wing.   This scrimmage also felt like a preview of how teams will defend him all year: early attention, quick slides, and “make someone else beat us” looks. DeMarinis will have to live in that balance—drawing help and moving it to other weapons, while still knowing when to put his stamp on a possession. The upside is he's built for both. He's got enough talent around him to punish slides with the pass, and he's also capable of ripping shots through tight windows with velocity from either hand, even with pressure on his hands. If he leans into more tempo changes—probing, re-dodging, and forcing slides to commit late instead of early—he's going to put up video-game numbers by the end of his high school career.     Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='173247' first='Ben' last='Pensy'] is an underclassman head coach Dane Smith seems high on, and you can see why. He plays with a more traditional base—hands set high, hips loaded—then lets clean fundamentals do the work. When he had to go pipe-to-pipe, his footwork stayed disciplined, and he arrived under control. The score won't do his day any favors, but Pensy competed. I had him for at least five saves, and the best one came right on the doorstep: a Calvert Hall attackman had time to sell a fake and try to move him, and Pensy still held his ground and stuffed the finish. The Cardinals generated plenty of quality looks, yet he made stops high, low, and to both sides.   After watching that matchup—Good Counsel's defense dealing with Calvert Hall's top-end offense—the bigger concern for the Falcons is what's happening in front of Pensy. In the cage, he looks like a steady piece they can build around this spring.

Calvert Hall, the reigning Prep Lacrosse National Champions, kicked off its preseason at home with a scrimmage against Good Counsel. The storyline is obvious: how do the Cardinals look after a title run and after graduating a senior class loaded with college commits—Jermaine Anderson (UNC), Ben Cuomo (Yale), Peyton Forte (BU), Jackson Mitchell (SJU), and Brady Stangle (Fairfield) among them. Calvert Hall flashed real depth and a clear next wave ready for bigger roles, even with defenseman Cole Hottle Cole Hottle 5'11" | 180 lbs | D/LSM | Right Hand Calvert Hall | 2026 MD and midfielders Oliver Francis and Matthew Schoonmaker Matthew Schoonmaker 5'10" | M | Left Hand Calvert Hall | 2027 State MD sidelined. The scoreboard stayed 0–0 throughout (scrimmage rules), but if you were tracking the flow, Calvert Hall handled the Falcons 15-4. If this first look is any indication, the Cardinals still have the pieces and the standards to chase another MIAA crown as the team everyone will be measured against.