The Spotlight: Seven 2030 Standouts from the MIAA and WCAC

The annual Spotlight event took place last weekend at the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Del. Though still relatively new, the event has already established a track record of attracting five-star and Top 100 recruits. The All-Star Game rosters from two years ago featured a who's who of players who committed this fall as part of the 2028 recruiting cycle.   College coaches led teams, and a ridiculously talented crop of 2030s made strong first impressions, capping things off with a championship and an All-Star Game on Sunday. For the first time, Prep Lacrosse attended Spotlight, covering both fields on Saturday. <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2026/10/the-spotlight-five-2030-offensive-standouts-eyeing-varsity-time/">Mike Campanile highlighted an extensive list of offensive 2030 standouts earlier this week</a>, with more coverage to come from each of us.   In this piece, we'll emphasize prospects from the D.C., Baltimore, and Annapolis areas, with a focus on '30s from the MIAA and WCAC.    A smooth lefty, Cuches was someone who looked the part in terms of the eye test, and while I don't have his measurables, but he's got pretty good size with room to grow into his frame. From there, he only needed a few possessions to catch my eye with his ability. He's another kid who has impressive skills for a kid at this early point, and is a good-looking shooter from the wing. Cuches finished some pretty eye-popping plays coming around the cage, turning the corner and leaving his feet on more than one occasion. The Lakers seem to be high on Cuches and BL's Class of 2030 as a whole, which is a mix of local talent and out-of-state boarders. He'll inevitably fight for a spot on the varsity roster and could be one we'll be hearing about for the next few years, as the program has quite a track record for developing top-flight attackmen.     Marked down as Concordia Prep on the roster, he's made the move from the under-the-radar  North Baltimore County school down to Archbishop Spalding, a program that has produced its fair share of defensive studs in recent years. With Kenney, it all starts with his high motor and ability off the ground. When I missed the face-off because I was writing down notes from the previous goal, I felt like I was constantly looking up and seeing Kenney cleanly gobble up the ball off the carpet and dart past the opposing restraining line. He always kept his stick on his man's gloves and stayed in position to hinder dodges and make an impact. Kenney was a pleasure to watch in transition, but he did so much more and wasn't just a between-the-lines merchant who couldn't cover dodging ball carriers. I love where his game could go, as he's got a lot of tools to be successful in the MIAA as he continues to bulk up.     The Gilman of yore was built in part on athletic, gun-slinging middies. The Greyhounds seem to have a young up-and-comer who fits that profile, though it's certainly too premature to lump a freshman with names like Brian Carroll and Jack Doyle, among others. Regardless of age, certain players just have ‘it' on the first impression, and I'd argue that the lion's share of high school freshmen don't have the confidence to consistently pull up from the parking lot and hammer shots from deep quite like Levinson did. He's smooth and can get shots off under duress, with both hands, and from a few different release points that proved to be tough for goalies to stop. Of course, his shot on the run is a thing of beauty, too. I'm looking forward to seeing more from him and the young contingent of Greyhound '30s, and I wouldn't be shocked if he's factoring in as soon as this spring.     The SJC freshmen were two of the most eye-popping players in attendance, with Mike Campanile having written up [player_tooltip player_id='216298' first='Kellan' last='Hanes'] (along with a shoutout for Lusin) in a piece earlier on Thursday. A 5-foot-10 lefty who checks a lot of boxes even at a young age, he's wildly impressive and plays beyond his years in so many ways. At Spotlight, the attack tandem of Lusin and Drew Cassese was a cheat code, with the latter doing a lot from behind the cage (though he was impressive all over) and Lusin excelling primarily above the cage and in space. I was blown away by his feel for the game and knack for creating separation, paired with his assertiveness as a dodger. Unlike some of his peers in the 2030 class, he never ran himself into trouble and showed tremendous poise with the ball in his stick. In addition, he kept his feet moving and was savvy without the rock to create scoring opportunities.     I didn't see as much of Manekin as I would have liked, but I was rather impressed during the time I watched Team Gold. Like a lot of the young players that we evaluated on Saturday, Manekin has a rather advanced skill set for his age, and the kind of burst, wiggle, and athleticism that allows him to win matchups. He can sling it with both hands and did just that, both stationary and on the run with his off-hand. There were occasions that he was on defense and fared nicely, too, and while the two-way aspect is nice, I expect him to get run at offensive midfield as a freshman rather than the other side of the ball. He's got the hands and stick skills that you look for, and a confidence about him that stands out.     Another heady, talented, and productive offensive playmaker out of the DMV, See helps make up what seems to be a tremendous Next Level 2030 squad littered with standouts from the Spotlight. He's a speedy dodger who has extensive experience playing both attack and midfield, and while he's put out some really good tape that shows him making guys miss behind the cage, he's just as formidable from up top. An excellent shooter, See has a propensity to get back to his strong hand and get high-quality shots off in numerous ways. Simply put, he just never stops, whether that's his off-ball work, pressuring the opposition with the ball in his stick, or on the ride. Having already shown flashes of brilliance at NHSLS weeks after graduating from eighth grade, See looks like someone who could make his presence felt for a PVI team that graduated an awful lot from its WCAC champion roster.     I don't really hear much about incoming freshmen; however, Taylor was a name who had been on my radar prior to the event and is expected to make an early splash in the MIAA. He pairs exceptional skills with athleticism and is especially dynamic as a playmaker, showing standout body control and burst as well as superb vision. I was incredibly impressed with how well he fed the ball and stepped back to free up his hands for a pass or a shot. Right now, it seems like he's further ahead as a passer as opposed to a goal-scorer, but he's plenty talented in that sense. Not to mention, he's already assembled a nice little body of work on the international front, scoring two goals for the USA U-15 squad in a win over Canada earlier this month. The Greyhounds seem to have quite a young infusion of talent, with Taylor, shortstick d-middie Kingley Gillis, and gun-slinging midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='216470' first='Alex' last='Levinson'] making the All-Star Game at The Spotlight.

The annual Spotlight event took place last weekend at the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Del. Though still relatively new, the event has already established a track record of attracting five-star and Top 100 recruits. The All-Star Game rosters from two years ago featured a who's who of players who committed this fall as part of the 2028 recruiting cycle.

College coaches led teams, and a ridiculously talented crop of 2030s made strong first impressions, capping things off with a championship and an All-Star Game on Sunday. For the first time, Prep Lacrosse attended Spotlight, covering both fields on Saturday. Mike Campanile highlighted an extensive list of offensive 2030 standouts earlier this week, with more coverage to come from each of us.

In this piece, we'll emphasize prospects from the D.C., Baltimore, and Annapolis areas, with a focus on '30s from the MIAA and WCAC.

Mikey Cuches

HEIGHT 6'2"

POS A/M

CLASS 2030

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Mikey Cuches

State: Maryland

School: The Boys Latin School of Maryland

Club: Crabs

A smooth lefty, Cuches was someone who looked the part in terms of the eye test, and while I don't have his measurables, but he's got pretty good size with room to grow into his frame. From there, he only needed a few possessions to catch my eye with his ability. He's another kid who has impressive skills for a kid at this early point, and is a good-looking shooter from the wing. Cuches finished some pretty eye-popping plays coming around the cage, turning the corner and leaving his feet on more than one occasion. The Lakers seem to be high on Cuches and BL's Class of 2030 as a whole, which is a mix of local talent and out-of-state boarders. He'll inevitably fight for a spot on the varsity roster and could be one we'll be hearing about for the next few years, as the program has quite a track record for developing top-flight attackmen.

Jayden Kenney

HEIGHT 5'9"

POS LSM

CLASS 2030

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Jayden Kenney

State: Maryland

School: Archbishop Spalding

Club: Clippers

Marked down as Concordia Prep on the roster, he's made the move from the under-the-radar North Baltimore County school down to Archbishop Spalding, a program that has produced its fair share of defensive studs in recent years. With Kenney, it all starts with his high motor and ability off the ground. When I missed the face-off because I was writing down notes from the previous goal, I felt like I was constantly looking up and seeing Kenney cleanly gobble up the ball off the carpet and dart past the opposing restraining line. He always kept his stick on his man's gloves and stayed in position to hinder dodges and make an impact. Kenney was a pleasure to watch in transition, but he did so much more and wasn't just a between-the-lines merchant who couldn't cover dodging ball carriers. I love where his game could go, as he's got a lot of tools to be successful in the MIAA as he continues to bulk up.

Highlights

Alex Levinson

POS M

CLASS 2030

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Alex Levinson

State: Maryland

School: Gilman School

Club: Crabs

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Bennet Lusin

HEIGHT 5'10"

POS A

CLASS 2030

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Bennet Lusin

State: District Of Columbia

School: St. John's College

Club: Next Level

The SJC freshmen were two of the most eye-popping players in attendance, with Mike Campanile having written up The Spotlight: Seven 2030 Standouts from the MIAA and WCAC The Spotlight: Seven 2030 Standouts from the MIAA and WCAC (along with a shoutout for Lusin) in a piece earlier on Thursday. A 5-foot-10 lefty who checks a…

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Durban Manekin

HEIGHT 5'8"

POS M/A

CLASS 2030

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Durban Manekin

State: Maryland

School: St. Paul's

Club: Crabs

I didn't see as much of Manekin as I would have liked, but I was rather impressed during the time I watched Team Gold. Like a lot of the young players that we evaluated on Saturday, Manekin has a rather advanced skill set for his age, and the kind of burst, wiggle, and athleticism that allows him to win matchups. He can sling it with both hands and did just that, both stationary and on the run with his off-hand. There were occasions that he was on defense and fared nicely, too, and while the two-way aspect is nice, I expect him to get run at offensive midfield as a freshman rather than the other side of the ball. He's got the hands and stick skills that you look for, and a confidence about him that stands out.

Durban Manekin

HEIGHT 5'8"

POS M/A

CLASS 2030

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Durban Manekin

State: Maryland

School: St. Paul's

Club: Crabs

Another heady, talented, and productive offensive playmaker out of the DMV, See helps make up what seems to be a tremendous Next Level 2030 squad littered with standouts from the Spotlight. He's a speedy dodger who has extensive experience playing both attack and midfield, and while he's put out some really good tape that shows him making guys miss behind the cage, he's just as formidable from up top. An excellent shooter, See has a propensity to get back to his strong hand and get high-quality shots off in numerous ways. Simply put, he just never stops, whether that's his off-ball work, pressuring the opposition with the ball in his stick, or on the ride. Having already shown flashes of brilliance at NHSLS weeks after graduating from eighth grade, See looks like someone who could make his presence felt for a PVI team that graduated an awful lot from its WCAC champion roster.