3d Fall Classic: Top Uncommitted '28s on the Defensive End

It was a frigid day at Fitchburg's Game On Sports Complex for the 2026 3d Fall Classic. However, that did not stop players from around the region from competing against one another in the '28 and '29 brackets. Although a vast array of teams had committed players from the class of ' 28 on their rosters, there were some gems amongst the rest of the AA teams. Here are five defensive players who stood out among the crowd at the 3D Fall Classic.    Starr's immediate impact is that he can run and throw check passes with righty ball carriers because he was gifted with the devil's hand. He's a speedy lefty who knows how to throw combo checks and make the alley down the sideline a little less appealing to run along. Seeing him in person at the 3d Fall Classic, he was a little more measured than the last time I saw him play, not necessarily cautious, but focused on playing the angle even more than before. I still think Starr's lack of height is what is holding him back, but that shouldn't be his defining characteristic. There was not one player at this tournament who got a free pass when Starr guarded them. He's got that measured aggression down pat and wherever he lands is going to be happy with the pole they got.     Shaw looks and plays bigger than his listed height. Dude is massive, and when he approaches you, you can see how much sheer inertia he carries just by seeing how many turf pellets spray upward in his wake. I wrote about him two months ago, and while most of that review remains true, I think at the 3d Fall Classic I saw a little bit more of a mean streak in his game - in the best way possible. He's not chippy, but you're not going to waltz past him without taking some damage. He also looked bigger physically than he did in the summer; the weight room has clearly been in regular rotation on his calendar. I'm pretty excited to see what he does next and where he lands, especially with this reloaded Holderness team in the Lakes Region.     I really liked what I saw from a few of the NHT Purple defenders; Hill was the encapsulation of all the best qualities. He's patient; he stays even with his man, and he does not lunge for the stick - even when it's being dangled out there like a hook in a murky pond. Hill is great at containing his man and supporting in settled situations. He's got a sneaky good handle too and turned a few difficult-looking clears into easy cross-field hits to streaking middies. This season he's swapping the Maroon and Black of Goffstown for the Maroon and...Silver of Derryfield. The two schools aren't that far away from each other and are in the same division in the NHIAA, so that's a game that is worth circling on your calendar if you reside in Southern New Hampshire this spring.     What do the diver, jumper, flailer, and dropper goalie playstyles all have in common? Well, they all live within Barry's body, apparently. Just when I thought he was dead to rights in a one-on-none or too low to make the high corner save, Barry exploded to the ball. In one sequence, he made 4 saves, two dropping low to stop the ball with his body and two more up high with his stick. The guy is nothing if not completely mobile in his crease. What's more, he was comfortable. A lot of goalies at these tournaments play tight and let a few more goals in than they normally would. Barry didn't do that; he stayed even-keeled and weathered all storms. I think he might be a victim of not enough exposure by playing for the other St. John's in Massachusetts, but I hope that changes. Barry has some wild chaos energy to his game, and I'm here for it.     There were a few games where Quick was Under Siege, and then he flipped the situation around to hold the attackmen hostage. The KUA keeper will be ready to reprise his All-American form this spring, but at this tournament, he showed that he could make a variety of saves. Casual stickside high rips didn't get a lot of traction because Quick holds his pipe well and crouches a bit; it makes him look smaller than he is. So, when a shooter is winding up - he sees that space up top, only for Quick to invoke his namesake and snatch it away from them. Quick also has no qualms about leaving the cage to run the ball up - something that took me by surprise the first time he did it, but his teammates just opened a lane for him and let him cross the half-line without much protestation.

It was a frigid day at Fitchburg's Game On Sports Complex for the 2026 3d Fall Classic. However, that did not stop players from around the region from competing against one another in the '28 and '29 brackets. Although a vast array of teams had committed players from the class of ' 28 on their rosters, there were some gems amongst the rest of the AA teams. Here are five defensive players who stood out among the crowd at the 3D Fall Classic.