Long Island 2028s: Five More Offensive Playmakers Worth Knowing

Though we've covered a few dozen of Long Island's best 2028s in-depth since the fall, plenty of promising rising juniors remain on our radar. Today, we'll take a look at five more before continuing our way around the tri-state area.    While undersized at 5-foot-5, Batterberry possesses a number of traits that more than compensate for his lack of prototypical size. He's highly skilled, exceptionally quick and fast, and plays with the toughness and grit that has historically been synonymous with his hometown. The energetic lefty boasts a well-rounded offensive game, routinely beating defenders off the dodge to get to his spots while also displaying impressive vision and the ability to deliver skip passes to open teammates. His speed makes him a threat in transition, where he'll often carry the ball upfield in the clear, outrun multiple defenders, and consistently make the right decision once he crosses the restraining line. Batterberry first caught my attention last fall and continued to impress while helping lead Suffolk County's Class C champions before carrying that momentum into a standout summer. Although his height may be a turn-off for some, it's also worth looking past, as he brings a lot of intangibles and skill to the table.     Yes, another Gregorek — part of a clan of five brothers I've been writing about for the better part of a decade, dating back to when Gavin became an early name to watch in the Class of 2020 before taking his talents to Navy. As is tradition, the youngest Gregorek is already highly accomplished at SWR, having put up 47 goals and 42 assists as a sophomore. Shifty and possessing excellent footwork and stick skills, he's adept at attacking his man from behind the cage, but he can also create opportunities and get to high-percentage areas on dodges from up top and the wings. When he isn't cleanly winning his matchup off the dodge, Gregorek is a creative and deceptive passer who consistently dishes out gorgeous assists to his teammates after drawing the opposition's attention. Always playing within himself and competing relentlessly, he's fearless as a playmaker and willing to throw his body around against longpoles who have several inches and 25 or 30 pounds on him. He's a ton of fun to watch, and he recently put out an incredibly impressive spring and summer highlight reel earlier this week that showcases the full breadth of his game.     A JV captain for Chaminade, which seldom carries sophomores on varsity, Henry showed an ability to win matchups against shortsticks and consistently make plays from both above and below the goal line. He has an explosive first step and plenty of shake, allowing him to create separation and showcase an impressive shot on the run. This summer, he demonstrated an opportunistic playmaking ability that allowed him to shine on a team loaded with offensive talent that will be highly recruited in the coming weeks. A midfielder with an attack background, Henry was effective when inverting and also proved to be an underrated top-down feeder thanks to his high-level vision and IQ. He has soft hands inside, making him productive off the catch, and showed well as a mid-range shooter, creating opportunities for himself with his off-ball prowess.     A reliable goal-scorer, Milheiser has an intriguing skill set and can put the ball in the back of the net with the best of them. He's fairly big, so he has the catch radius and soft hands that allow him to catch everything and finish appropriately, often throwing in a fake to beat goalies. More than anything, he knows himself and the skill set that he brings, so he's more likely to take advantage of poor approaches or steadily rack up points in unsettled situations rather than just straight up testing poles off the dodge with regularity. Milheiser has a pretty little hitch and face dodge, not to mention an excellent shooting stroke, favoring a fundamentally sound overhand release rather than getting too cute with his release points. He's been known to make some plays in the riding game from time to time, and also mix it up with some pinpoint passes to cutting teammates, so he's not a straight up finisher.     The younger brother of a promising LSM who will head to Bryant later this month, Waxer's game is also headed in a positive direction. Superb around the crease, he's very good at what he does, though he has yet to come into his own as an offensive initiator and is generally just scratching the surface of what he's capable of. With an excellent understanding of the game, he knows what he's doing off-ball to create opportunities for himself. Waxer is constantly making the right decisions with — and without — the ball. From there, he's a big body who knows how to beat goalies inside, owning the high crease area and finishing appropriately in transition and 6v6 situations. Plus, he has sneaky range, too. I'll be curious to see what Waxer's game looks like a year or two from now.

Though we've covered a few dozen of Long Island's best 2028s in-depth since the fall, plenty of promising rising juniors remain on our radar. Today, we'll take a look at five more before continuing our way around the tri-state area.