Project 9 Monday Recap: Attackmen Who Have Taken the Next Step

As part of the 15th edition of Project 9, hosted by pro lacrosse legends Paul Rabil and Mark Millon, roughly 50 future Division I players wrapped up the three-day event in the Baltimore area with three games at US Lacrosse's Tierney Field.   With several boarding school players needing to return to campus, the rosters were reshuffled for a round-robin finale, with awards handed out after the final whistle. <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/10/project-9-new-senior-evaluations-and-uncommitted-junior-talent/">Following Mike Campanile's look at the uncommitted talent and initial evaluations of several players</a>, we're highlighting five attackmen who stood out in the final games and have taken their respective games to another level since we last saw them.    I love seeing the confidence a player gains when they find a great home at the Division I level, and if Monday was any indication, the newly minted High Point commit's game is heading in the right direction, if it wasn't already. He was flinging it around with poise, making outstanding reads from behind the cage and from the wing, and positively affecting the game much more consistently than he has in the past. He's always dodged with a ton of bounce, but I feel like he played more within himself and seldom forced the issue when getting to his spots or setting up his teammates. The lefty from Annapolis scored on dunks, dished out some pretty skip passes for assists, and got up the hash before finishing appropriately.   The Lakers could use a little extra pop on offense after a transitional year of sorts, and I have a feeling that Burgess will provide that on the attack. With that being said, I have a hunch he'll be more of a middie in college, where he's bound to invert frequently given how good he is attacking from below GLE.     In my opinion, McCarthy was the event's most impressive attackman on Monday, even though he didn't leave with any awards (which are a reflection of the body of work over three days). I've always appreciated his game, but it's clear as day that he's leveled up significantly, in addition to getting bigger, faster, and stronger since his recruiting summer. Simply put, he's a monster, having flipped from Utah to Loyola near the end of the summer, and McCarthy looked every bit like a player who will fight for minutes right away upon joining the Hounds.   He made the right reads, threw some downright nasty passes through the defense as the point man in transition, and made plays in the riding game. A smooth operator coming out of a 3d NE club known for producing slick offensive weapons, McCarthy's hands are terrific, and he's armed with some nifty fakes and sensational stick work. As a junior, He put up 52 goals and 21 assists while earning All-America honors, putting up points in bunches in a variety of ways. He's a powerful shooter from the wing, though that wasn't an area of his game that we saw as much on Monday. Overall, I was wildly impressed with the product that McCarthy put out there on the field at P9, and feel even more bullish about him being a dude at the next level.     A 2027 at Radnor (Pa.) who is a 2028 recruit for Lehigh, Petrone's stock has risen as a result of an insanely productive 2026 season in which the left-hander racked up a lofty stat line of 74 goals and 74 assists. The future Mountain Hawk checked in as the 44th-ranked Mid-Atlantic recruit among '28s, and for good reason. The son of a highly respected coach, he's crazy skilled, and he loves to take risks.   At times, that results in turnovers (and he had a few plays he'd like to have back on Monday at P9), but there are other times he's making highlight reel-worthy plays. An artful dodger who is constantly attacking high-percentage and highly occupied areas, he's undersized yet fearless, getting underneath dodgers at will when given the opportunity. My favorite play came when Petrone attacked from below GLE, stopped on a dime, tucked his stick to protect the rock, then finished appropriately. He's got one more year at Radnor before doing a PG year, and I can't wait to see what else he has in store. After that, he'll suit up for Lehigh head coach Will Scudder, with whom the Petrone family is more than familiar, given the Haverford School connection from years ago. Overall, it's been a blast to witness Finn's continued development.     Named Most Outstanding Attackman to cap off the weekend, Testa was actually quietly productive on Monday more than anything. It's not a knock, but I feel like the award was more a product of him balling out in previous training sessions as opposed to sealing the deal in the final games, during which he posted two goals and an assist. The Johns Hopkins legacy and soon-to-be Blue Jay tossed an assist after getting double-teamed, scored on a dunk, then again after hitching and establishing contact with a defender in the middle of the field. Candidly, I'm not sure how this is Testa's first evaluation here on Prep Lacrosse. While we've always thought highly of his skill level, IQ, and ability to put himself at the end of plays, he was overshadowed on the club circuit by a pair of ACC-bound Top 25 recruits on the Eclipse attack, including a top '28 who played up. Testa has been a constant factor in the Seahawks' offense since making it to the varsity level as an eighth grader, but he took his production to another level as a junior, accounting for 55 goals and 10 assists. Once he arrives at Homewood, he'll be part of an outstanding senior class, and though I feel strongly about his ability to eventually get time, he seems best suited to run out of the box.     A familiar name for quite some time now, Waldman's older brother Ryan is a first line middie for Cornell (where Koby has been committed since the first week of September of his junior year), and his middle brother, Jake, played at Georgetown and Michigan. The youngest of the clan is another guy who has continued to improve and show flashes of brilliance, impressing with his hard-charging dodging and ever-present grit. Somewhere around 5-foot-7 and maybe 170 pounds soaking wet, he plays far bigger than he is and never hesitates to get into high-traffic areas to get his shots off.   He was particularly excellent in Game 1 of the day, posting two goals, getting up the hash and finishing low off a sidearm shot, then netting a leaner on the doorstep. He also tossed a feed after getting hung up, continuing to flash his skills and ability to make the most of every situation. I've loved seeing Waldman continue to elevate his game, and I'd envision Waldman running out of the box in Ithaca, where I expect him to make noise — quite frankly, it's just a matter of when.

As part of the 15th edition of Project 9, hosted by pro lacrosse legends Paul Rabil and Mark Millon, roughly 50 future Division I players wrapped up the three-day event in the Baltimore area with three games at US Lacrosse's Tierney Field.

With several boarding school players needing to return to campus, the rosters were reshuffled for a round-robin finale, with awards handed out after the final whistle. Following Mike Campanile's look at the uncommitted talent and initial evaluations of several players, we're highlighting five attackmen who stood out in the final games and have taken their respective games to another level since we last saw them.

Blake Burgess

HEIGHT 5'8"

WEIGHT 155

POS A/M

CLASS 2028

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Blake Burgess

State: Maryland

School: The Boys Latin School of Maryland

Club: Annapolis Hawks

I love seeing the confidence a player gains when they find a great home at the Division I level, and if Monday was any indication, the newly minted High Point commit's game is heading in the right direction, if it wasn't already. He was flinging it around with poise, making outstanding reads from behind the cage and from the wing, and positively affecting the game much more consistently than he has in the past. He's always dodged with a ton of bounce, but I feel like he played more within himself and seldom forced the issue when getting to his spots or setting up his teammates. The lefty from Annapolis scored on dunks, dished out some pretty skip passes for assists, and got up the hash before finishing appropriately.

The Lakers could use a little extra pop on offense after a transitional year of sorts, and I have a feeling that Burgess will provide that on the attack. With that being said, I have a hunch he'll be more of a middie in college, where he's bound to invert frequently given how good he is attacking from below GLE.