Western Reserve Closes Strong in Maryland, Handles Loyola Blakefield 12–7

Western Reserve put together an impressive Maryland swing, stacking three impressive wins over St. Mary's, Archbishop Spalding, and, finally, a 12–7 victory over Loyola Blakefield on Thursday. It was a true team effort, with impact plays in every phase. At the X, the two-headed monster of [player_tooltip player_id='175478' first='Colman' last='McNamara'] and [player_tooltip player_id='142061' first='Gentry' last='Curtis'] dominated the possession battle, combining to go 17-for-22 by my count. In the defensive end, goalie Cole Narkiewicz provided the backbone with seven saves supported by strong short-stick work from [player_tooltip player_id='170723' first='Jaxon' last='Crouse'], Gunner Flanagan, and Will Harrington. Offensively, [player_tooltip player_id='175480' first='Darcy' last='Muegge'] was the player to watch with five goals and an assist, backed by three goals and an assist from [player_tooltip player_id='129204' first='Kellen' last='Bladon'], a two-goal outing from [player_tooltip player_id='37809' first='Hunter' last='Harris'], and single tallies from [player_tooltip player_id='120374' first='Devon' last='Satterly'] and defender [player_tooltip player_id='123122' first='Zane' last='McGruder']. Loyola answered with hat tricks from [player_tooltip player_id='175482' first='Cole' last='Mosier'] and [player_tooltip player_id='81706' first='Bennett' last='Cook'] (plus an assist from Cook) and a goal from defender [player_tooltip player_id='45357' first='Bing' last='Burch']. Here are five standouts from Thursday's matchup.    [player_tooltip player_id='175480' first='Darcy' last='Muegge'], an Ontario native, absolutely balled out against Loyola Blakefield on Thursday, finishing with five goals and an assist. Four of those goals came off dodges from behind the cage, whether out of two-man actions or pure isolation, and he consistently found his way through the Loyola defense.   If the question is why Loyola did not simply send a hard slide at him every time, the answer is layered. On his first and fourth goals, Muegge caught the defense sleeping. He jogged behind GLE in a relaxed, almost casual manner, then snapped into a quick move to get topside, sprinted up the hashes, and dunked it on the goalie before Loyola could get its slide package organized. His third goal came out of an invert look just before halftime; Muegge faced blanketed coverage coming up the hashes, making Loyola feel safe, but he was still able to get a shot off and score with seven seconds left. His last goal of the day was the most impressive: he held the slide with a subtle passing posture, changed speeds, and then scored right-handed, showcasing the depth of his dodging toolkit.   While most of his production came off the dodge, his second goal highlighted his off-ball feel and his hands. He cut from behind the cage, caught the ball under pressure, and snapped off a low release with absurd quickness, leaving the goalie with no chance. The Brown commit is a player coaches will have to circle on the scouting report moving forward, and even once Loyola fully recognized the damage he was doing, they still struggled to take away the full range of his skills.     McNamara dominated the stripe on Thursday against Loyola Blakefield, just down the road from Towson University, where he will spend the next four years playing college lacrosse. He and [player_tooltip player_id='142061' first='Gentry' last='Curtis'] formed a two-headed monster at the X, combining to go 17-for-22 by the count here, with McNamara accounting for a 10-for-13 performance despite not getting the start. What stands out about his game is how he uses his body, varies his exits, and comfortably handles the ball after the win. His go-to move was a pinch-and-pop backward and up to himself, and he repeatedly won that play by leveraging his size against smaller matchups and embracing contact in tight and 50/50 situations.   For the most part, McNamara was reliable with the ball in his stick after the whistle. He has enough speed to separate, understands when to pull it out of traffic, and rarely puts his team in danger with poor decisions in transition. The two-headed monster of McNamara and Curtis gives Western Reserve a faceoff group that can tilt the possession battle all spring, and it is a unit that should be firmly on the radar for anyone tracking this team's ceiling.     [player_tooltip player_id='37809' first='Hunter' last='Harris'] brings a wide skill set that is making a real impact for Western Reserve in his senior year. He is a right-handed attackman who thrives around goal line extended, is comfortable initiating and finishing through contact, and has the touch to score both in tight, from range, and with both hands. Against Loyola Blakefield, he drew a matchup with a high-end Division I defender and still found ways to impact the game. His first goal was a great example of how his unpredictability, physicality, and tempo changes can stress his matchup. He started his dodge deep below GLE, constantly changing speed and posture, eventually working up the lefty hashes and sticking a question-mark finish even with the defender glued to his hands.   In the second quarter, he should have been credited with an assist. He beat his man clean, drew the slide, and slipped a savvy lever feed to the crease, only to have the goal taken away by an excellent save. His second goal came in the third quarter off a skip from [player_tooltip player_id='129204' first='Kellen' last='Bladon'], where he was able to step into his shot from range, shoot around a defender, and bury it far-side high past the goalie. Hunter's ability to toggle between being a physical, matchup-winning dodger and a poised shooter from the perimeter gives Western Reserve real flexibility in how they use him within the offense.     [player_tooltip player_id='170723' first='Jaxon' last='Crouse'] has worked his way onto the field as a short-stick defensive midfielder for Western Reserve Academy after transferring from Salamanca (N.Y.), where he was a productive offensive midfielder. That background is evident in how he moves and thinks about the game, even in his primarily defensive role now. In Thursday's game against Loyola Blakefield (Md.), he stood out for holding his own in individual matchups and consistently navigating Loyola's two-man game, which targeted him throughout the game. The first time he caught my eye was when he was on an island, defending a bigger midfielder coming from behind the cage. He closed the gap, got into his matchup, and showed excellent footwork to stay square. An aggressive adjacent slide ultimately created the turnover, but Crouse's on-ball defense set the tone for the possession.   By the third quarter, Loyola clearly decided to test him. They went after him repeatedly in the two-man game and dodged at him from behind the cage on at least four dodges. Crouse stayed sticky to his matchup, navigated picks, and forced contested, low-angle looks. Crouse is going to keep getting tested because of his role and the level of competition WRA faces, but his athleticism gives him a real chance to hold his own within WRA's system. As he grows more comfortable, that offensive background should become a real asset in the clearing game and in transition.     [player_tooltip player_id='175482' first='Cole' last='Mosier'] was one of the few bright spots for Loyola's offense outside of [player_tooltip player_id='81706' first='Bennett' last='Cook']. On the football field, he is a big-time linebacker who had just short of 100 tackles in the fall and earned a commitment to Franklin & Marshall because of his production and physicality. That same skill set translates to the lacrosse field, where he uses his size and physicality to finish through contact.   In Thursday's loss to Western Reserve, Mosier was credited with three goals, and two of them were legit. His first came early in the second quarter out of a two-man game behind the cage. After setting the pick, he caught the throwback, put his body into his defender, turned the corner, and dunked it past the goalie. It was the type of goal that forces defenses to either put a big body on him from the start or send an early slide to get the ball out of his stick. His second goal was credited to him when he tried to fit it through a tight window near the goal line, got knocked down, and then trickled into the goal. His final goal came in the fourth quarter from his inside spot on the man-up unit. He initially bobbled a feed from Cook, gathered it under pressure from two collapsing defenders, and elevated for a jump shot that snuck into the opposite bottom corner. Mosier showed exactly why he is a natural fit on the inside for Loyola's extra-man unit. His ability to absorb contact and still get shots off through traffic makes him a tough cover, or at least someone that attracts a lot of attention to open up skip passes.

Western Reserve put together an impressive Maryland swing, stacking three impressive wins over St. Mary's, Archbishop Spalding, and, finally, a 12–7 victory over Loyola Blakefield on Thursday. It was a true team effort, with impact plays in every phase. At the X, the two-headed monster of Colman McNamara Colman McNamara 6'1" | FO Western Reserve Academy | 2027 OH and Gentry Curtis Gentry Curtis 5'9" | FO | Right Hand Western Reserve Academy | 2027 OH dominated the possession battle, combining to go 17-for-22 by my count. In the defensive end, goalie Cole Narkiewicz provided the backbone with seven saves supported by strong short-stick work from Jaxon Crouse Jaxon Crouse 6'0" | 165 lbs | M/SSDM | Left Hand Western Reserve Academy | 2028 OH , Gunner Flanagan, and Will Harrington. Offensively, Darcy Muegge Darcy Muegge 5'11" | M Western Reserve Academy | 2027 OH was the player to watch with five goals and an assist, backed by three goals and an assist from Kellen Bladon Kellen Bladon 6'0" | 175 lbs | A | Left Hand Western Reserve Academy | 2027 #26 Nation OH , a two-goal outing from Hunter Harris Hunter Harris 6'2" | 185 lbs | A/M | Right Hand Western Reserve Academy | 2026 #22 Nation OH , and single tallies from Devon Satterly Devon Satterly 6'0" | A | Right Hand Western Reserve Academy | 2026 OH and defender Zane McGruder Zane McGruder 6'2" | 180 lbs | LSM/D | Right Hand Western Reserve Academy | 2027 OH . Loyola answered with hat tricks from Cole Mosier Cole Mosier 6'1" | 220 lbs | M Loyola Blakefield | 2026 MD and Bennett Cook Bennett Cook 5'11" | A/M | Right Hand Loyola Blakefield | 2026 State #135 Nation MD (plus an assist from Cook) and a goal from defender Bing Burch Bing Burch 6'0" | 180 lbs | D | Right Hand Loyola Blakefield | 2026 State #60 Nation MD . Here are five standouts from Thursday's matchup.