New Balance Underclass Games: Six 2028 Offensive Standouts

The All-America Lacrosse Tournament powered by New Balance was held July 24-26 for both boys and girls. The underclass divisions were Rush (2030/2031), Command (2029), Burn (2028), and Highlight (2027), while the 2026 senior game was played on Saturday night at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson.   In this piece, we take a look at six offensive players who stood out in the Burn (2028) division: two players who made the All-Tournament Team, Colin McGarigle and Lucas Estelle; two honorable mentions, Dean Hughes and Caden Green; and two standouts to me, Evan Baehr and Charlie Shpiz.    McGarigle was probably the most dangerous offensive weapon for New Jersey at the NB All-America event. He is a lefty who does most of his damage coming from behind the cage in settled sets. He has the splits, rolls, and swims to shake his defender and get up the lefty hash for shots, and he has the vision to feed when slides come. One of the best plays I saw on the day was his speedy S-dodge that ended with a jumping fake and finish against Midwest. In that half, he added two more goals and an assist. Those two goals showed the rest of his game well: one came on a quick cradle-and-shoot from the extra-man unit with his smooth release, and the other came on a quick-stick finish in transition.     My first two notes next to Estelle's name at Main Stage were "slick dodger," and that description held up all summer, especially at the New Balance All-America event. He is listed as a righty, but he scored with both hands on day one. The first came off an S-dodge finishing with his left, and the second was off a cut with his right on the extra-man unit. His spring tape is full of those types of finishes, along with on-the-run shots with both hands, whether going down the alley or sweeping to the middle. When he gets his hands free with a quick windup, he is tough for goalies to handle in any situation.     I really liked what I saw from Dean Hughes at the beginning of the summer at the Millon National event. He was a smooth mover with a quick release, but some accuracy issues stood out. At the NB All-America event, he backed that up while cleaning things up and showing more of his game. His dodges have everything you want: straight-line speed, physicality, rocker moves, and change of direction. He showed his quick release when he scored against South on a catch-and-shoot finish inside, and he also flashed his feeding ability in that game. I also loved his willingness to go all out on rides, which is something every college coach will appreciate.     After dropping a hat trick in one of the games at Showtime, Caden Green has been on my radar, and he backed that up as one of the standouts for the Upstate team. His potential at the next level is obvious. He is already a very mature athlete with a great stick, smooth movement, and the ability to use his size to his advantage. The ball absolutely explodes out of his stick when his feet are set, allowing him to stretch defenses with his shot. As a dodger, he gets out of his moves quickly to free his hands, while still being a real threat to pull it with his left. He is comfortable getting to the middle of the field and has developed a sweet twister in tight that goalies have struggled to stop.     Baehr contributed well as a sophomore in the spring for the Dons' midfield as a picker, dodger, feeder, and finisher. Throughout multiple events this summer, he has shown that same type of production. In his dodges, he has quick-twitch moves that allow him to get a step, along with the agility to cut his defender off and free his hands. From there, he is effective as both a feeder and shooter with either hand. He had a ton of assists in the spring by initiating the offense up top and behind the cage, feeding either the backside pipe or the shooter in the floating position. This summer, he has shown the same ability to be a threat off the dodge and off the ball by catching and shooting in one motion.     Charlie Shpiz had a slick under-move against West that really stood out to me and got me to pay attention to his game. His game is similar to his older brother Jack's, who recently committed to Williams. They are similar sizes, both lefties, and both have a hockey flair to their game. Charlie's shot looks a lot like a hockey wrist shot, as he loves to go low to high with a quick, compact windup and release. He works well from the lefty wing to get to the middle of the field and behind the cage, where he gets up the hashes as both a shooter and a feeder. In traffic, his stick is reliable, and he gets the ball out in a flash.

The All-America Lacrosse Tournament powered by New Balance was held July 24-26 for both boys and girls. The underclass divisions were Rush (2030/2031), Command (2029), Burn (2028), and Highlight (2027), while the 2026 senior game was played on Saturday night at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson.