Five Maryland 2028 Offensive Weapons Breaking Down Defenses

It's time to give some more love to my home state. These five Maryland 2028 offensive weapons have been turning heads this summer with their ability to dodge, create, and make plays in a variety of ways.    Sweeney will make a great complement to the Boys' Latin offense this spring. His size and strength are what you look for in a middie, but the way he moves and understands the dodging aspect is what makes his game. He understands how to set up dodges, using shuffles to change the angle on his matchup and knowing when to square up or slip past his defender. If his matchup is not confrontational, Sweeney will find a way to hurt them no matter what they give him. As a lefty, he loves sweeping to the middle for shots, but he is comfortable getting down the alley or finishing with his right hand as well. Off the catch and inside, he has shown to be a good finisher with subtle head fakes and quick wrists.     Schaefer is a player you cannot look past because of his height. He packs a punch and has some swag to his game. He has been listed as an attackman throughout this summer, but I could see him coming out of the box, given how comfortable he is dodging up top and shooting down the alleys. From his high dodges, he has a toe-tapping approach that gets him close to defenders before it is time to put a hard jab into the ground and go. In the second tier of his dodges, he knows when to lean in and turn the corner or manipulate his defender to create new angles for a re-dodge. He also does a ton of damage from behind the cage, where he has been good at dishing it out, going up the hashes, or turning the corner for easy finishes. As a point man in transition, he has been solid at knowing when to pull it and when to squeeze skips through tight windows.     Power is what makes Fanning's game. I would not call him the quickest or most agile dodger, but he seems to glide across the field when he moves. At 6'3", 200 pounds, there are not many defenders who can knock him off his path. I would not compare his entire game to Myles Jones, but Fanning has a similar ability to play through contact without being bothered by defenders. He is comfortable navigating through traffic while somehow keeping his stick strong through checks. He brings that power to his finishing ability, too. On the run, he hits shots mostly overhand and is comfortable going to his left. With his feet set, he has a hammer from an underhand/sidearm release.     One of the first games I saw from Tignall this spring was his OT game-winner against Linganore. With multiple rising juniors heading to private schools, Tignall is one of the few Maryland public-school players making a name for himself on the summer circuit.   He has the versatility to play down low or out of the box. As a dodger, he can do it from anywhere—behind, down the alley, or sweeping to the middle. He has the physicality to get into defenders and the natural movement ability to split doubles and avoid checks. If you let him shoot, he hits shots on the run and is confident with his left hand in tight, too. One skill that could make him great, and one I saw hints of this summer, is his hitch game. He uses hitches to set up not only dodges, but shots, too. Holding the ball back in a loaded position not only manipulates the defenders in front of him, but goalies as well.     Falcone is a slick, smaller lefty who has been showing up a lot in my notes this summer. He is not the biggest player, but his skill is obvious. A soccer player, too, you can see his agility in the way he turns the corner on his dodges. He looked shifty behind the cage at The Show, but he mostly lives on his natural side of the cage, where he loves sweeping to the middle or getting down the alley. When he does go down the alley, he can hit shots with both hands, but he also has the S-dodge in him to finish in front with his left. He made a difference in the two-man game as both the dodger and the picker this summer. What makes him a player worth investing in is his underdog mentality. He is willing to go all out in the little parts of the game—defense, riding, and groundballs.

It's time to give some more love to my home state. These five Maryland 2028 offensive weapons have been turning heads this summer with their ability to dodge, create, and make plays in a variety of ways.