Adrenaline Final Say: 2029s With Big Upside Offensively

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/10/adrenaline-final-say-takeaways-29-and-uncommitted-28-defenders/">Having covered three '29 defenders (along with a pair of '28s) from Final Say</a>, we're keeping things rolling with the 2029 class, this time on the offensive side of the ball. These five didn't take long to get on our radar and should be a group worth keeping tabs on as the '29s make their way into the much-anticipated November circuit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["217330"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae3d11c0f27e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">While I'd heard about Brady coming into the event, Friday night marked the first time I watched him in person, and I got another few looks on Saturday. It quickly became apparent that he's got all the tools and is only scratching the surface of his potential. Quite frankly, most (if not all) first-semester sophomores are. Most, however, don't have a 6-foot-3 frame paired with excellent skills and athleticism. Brady has all of that, along with the experience of playing for one of the most successful high school programs out West. He started slowly on Saturday afternoon but settled in to become one of the Falcons' main contributors. He was formidable when going hard downhill, and is still learning how to use his big frame to his advantage, so I'll be intrigued to see how that area of Brady's game progresses between now and the end of the fall circuit. He showed off the ability to bang shots from deep on stepdowns, in addition to showing flashes off-ball and when re-dodging. Brady looks like he could be a good one, and I'm looking forward to seeing him as part of what's apparently an outstanding WCS 2029 team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["217327"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae3d11c0f2e8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Another player who immediately catches your eye, Harmon is a tall, lumbering 6-foot-4 presence with a rather intriguing skill set. He can invert and make moves to the goal, showing well above-average footwork for his size and a knack for getting open. Honestly, I have no idea how or why opposing defenses continued to lose track of him, but it happened habitually, and he was great at capitalizing with a deceptive and/or snappy release and a well-placed shot. Harmon is plenty capable of creating with his left hand, even if he wants to get back to his right hand, and he's clinical in finishing with his stick to the inside in close. He'll finish appropriately, create finishing opportunities with a V-cut, and shoot with authority from mid-range. He's got strong enough hands to throw some nifty fakes, too. I like what I saw from Harmon, albeit in a small sample size on Saturday, and am intrigued to see more of him in the next few weeks when he's playing with Hilltop. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["217332"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae3d11c0f358"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Alright, let me get one “The Mahlman delivered” pun out of my system. There we go — let's move on to everything he brings to the table. With Valor boasting gobs of talent in the '27 and '28 classes, including the top-ranked senior, I can't say Mahlman caught my eye until the second time I saw the Eagles play. His skill set is exceptional, though. If I'm not mistaken, the first goal I saw him score was a high bouncer, which is the perfect way to endear yourself to me. With a box background — and I'd certainly hope so, given that his Valor head coach is Jeremy Noble — Mahlman excels in tight spaces and is well-rounded in his ability to get shots off and finish at a high rate. He created from the wings, attacked from up top with a full head of steam, and showed off his athleticism by winning matchups off the dodge. He's innate in the way he cocks his stick head back to hide his release, and he was consistently crafty throughout Saturday. Mahlman is super fun to watch and looks to be a problem for opposing defenses. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["217334"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae3d11c0f3a9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">An incredibly slick and smooth operator, Olley got on my radar pretty quickly with his burst and stick skills, and I'm anxious to see more of him moving forward. His BTB rebound in the All-Star Game was among the most impressive plays I saw all weekend, offering a little taste of what he's capable of. He could stand to add a few more pounds to his frame, but he's so quick and deceptive that it didn't really seem to hinder him from what I saw. His shot is excellent, and he's rather explosive coming out of his rollbacks. He's crafty and opportunistic off-ball, too. His hands and overall skill set are pretty ridiculous, as he possesses a nice little hitch and split and seems to get his hands free at will. Compared to some of the other guys in this write-up, I didn't get to see quite as much of him, but he's someone I'll be keeping a close eye on over the next few months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["215507"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae3d11c0f3ec"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A guest from Bishop's School thanks to his RC background, Sherman's left-handed shot really couldn't be stopped from what I saw, and much can be said about that. He was timely and deadly, hammering a huge EMO stepdown in a 5-5 game, then another one to go up 6-5. He carried himself with an unflappable swagger, and for good reason, as goalies and defenses couldn't really stop him once he got his hands free. He was super precise and was incredibly productive from the lefty wing, finding a way to make it to his spots and completely lose the opposition without the ball in his stick. Sherman showed a nose for the goal, and simply has the instincts and shooting chops to find the back of the net more often than not, whether he had a guy in his face or not. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->