The Faceoff Academy i95 Cup: Northeast 2028 Face-Off Talent

I made my way up to Manalapan, N.J., last week for the i95 Cup to watch some of the top face-off talent in the 2028 class. The event is unique because it is team-based, but each matchup comes down to a one-on-one face-off. It is similar to a wrestling match: there is strategy behind the matchups, but ultimately, if a FOGO wins the groundball cleanly, he earns a point. The first player to three points earns a point for his team. Teams played head-to-head until the playoffs, where Team New York, coached by Greg Gurenlian and Connor Farrell, ultimately came away with the championship over Team New Jersey, coached by Jerry Ragonese, in a sudden-death overtime finish.   In Part I of the Face Off Academy i95 Cup series, we take a look at five FOGOs from the Northeast who impressed at the event. They join a long list of impressive 2028 face-off specialists we have covered at Prep Lacrosse. Familiar names we have covered who also played well at the event included [player_tooltip player_id='166611' first='Luca' last='Santucci'], [player_tooltip player_id='179135' first='Gus' last='Cherenek'], [player_tooltip player_id='171339' first='MJ' last='Maraglino'], [player_tooltip player_id='120663' first='Ethan' last='Suwankosai'], [player_tooltip player_id='166675' first='Holden' last='Carlson'], [player_tooltip player_id='168692' first='Christian' last='Ciciola'], [player_tooltip player_id='172669' first='Colin' last='Cotton'], [player_tooltip player_id='143729' first='Drake' last='Smoter'], and [player_tooltip player_id='176739' first='Nate' last='Filler'].    Winters has been trending in the right direction since dominating at the JV level for the Flyers, where he went roughly 80 percent. Throughout the summer, he looked strong at NAL and, more recently, at NASG. What makes him stand out is his hand speed; if his opponent does not have the quickest hands, it is going to be a long day for the guy across from him. Winters' clamp-to-exit speed makes it extremely tough to counter. His exits are controlled, and he will torch teams forward if their FOGO does not step quickly enough or if their wings do not play defensive. When they do, his flexibility shows up in how he can place the ball wherever he wants. On groundballs, he is solid and does a good job with a one-handed reach-and-scoop to keep it away from pressure. With the ball, he handles it well, draws the point man in transition, and he scored one off a bounce shot at NASG.     The first time I saw Manny Nikitiades live was in the fall at NHSLS, when he lost every face-off against a Division I commit. Fast forward to NHSLS this summer, and it was flipped — he won almost every draw against a committed Division I prospect, and his stick looked much improved. It is obvious what a year of being thrown to the wolves in the Founders League, facing some of the best face-off specialists in the country after playing at Poly Prep (N.Y.) the year before, did for him. His potential is clear when you see his hand speed and natural athleticism. One telling example of his athleticism at the i95 Cup came in a 1v1 groundball, when he read his opponent leaning in to box him out, spun away, and secured the GB in open space.     What makes Jackson effective is the variety of skills he brings to the table and the different type of matchup he presents for opposing face-off specialists. You can tell how different he is by the placement of his left foot in his stance. It allows him to exit quickly when he can win on hand speed. He has a good amount of primary moves to go to, but the fact that he exits so quickly makes him difficult to counter. When he is not winning cleanly, it allows him to get into groundball battles quickly, which is a different type of counter in itself. When he does come up with the ball, the way he handles it is another huge positive in his game. For one, he is a FOGO who is not afraid to use his left hand. He is also a three-sport athlete, and his athleticism shows up in the way he slips through defenders under pressure and when he looks to score goals.     It is hard to write a full evaluation on Berardis because he has been dealing with a shoulder injury all summer that will require surgery. He is a FOGO you cannot forget about, and based on the conversations I have had, college coaches have not either. I first saw him in action at NAL in the fall, where he was dominant. His hands are incredibly quick, and he exits quickly in all directions. I was impressed by the way he plays the chess game with the wings, recognizing when he needs support and when he wants to go away from how the other team is playing it. At the i95 Cup, his hand speed and quick exits looked just as impressive as they did in the fall, even while playing through pain. Unfortunately, he shut it down before the championship matchup, but there is no doubt in my mind that, when healthy, Berardis is a high-level FOGO in this class.     This summer, [player_tooltip player_id='201724' first='Billy' last='Halsell'] has looked great at every event where I have seen him. At Showtime, he took on the majority of the workload when his fellow FOGO was banged up and still went a little over 50 percent against some of the best players in the class. At NHSLS, he dominated the games I watched. He is a strong, stocky specialist with heavy hands on the clamp and a strong counter when his primary move is not working. He won a ton of draws forward at the i95 Cup and forces defenses to account for him in transition. He is a junkyard dog when he sees 50/50 groundballs, and his leg strength makes him difficult to push around.

I made my way up to Manalapan, N.J., last week for the i95 Cup to watch some of the top face-off talent in the 2028 class. The event is unique because it is team-based, but each matchup comes down to a one-on-one face-off. It is similar to a wrestling match: there is strategy behind the matchups, but ultimately, if a FOGO wins the groundball cleanly, he earns a point. The first player to three points earns a point for his team. Teams played head-to-head until the playoffs, where Team New York, coached by Greg Gurenlian and Connor Farrell, ultimately came away with the championship over Team New Jersey, coached by Jerry Ragonese, in a sudden-death overtime finish.