Fall NHSLS Takeaways: Loomis Chaffee (Conn.)

It's been hard to miss the rapid ascension of the lacrosse program at Loomis Chaffee, which dealt with years of sub .500 finishes in a highly competitive New England lacrosse landscape. In 2024, Bill Ball's Pelicans made a major splash on the national level by going 16-2 and winning a Founder's League title to finish the season ranked 12th in Inside Lacrosse's final national rankings. Heading into the spring, Loomis won't be catching anybody off guard anymore. The Pelicans have a lot of key contributors to replace (including a pair of New Balance All-Americans), but fortunately for them, a loaded postgrad class has come in to help supplement an incredibly talented group of returners bound for a laundry list of top Division I programs. Loomis put together a 3-0 day in the Red Session of the annual National High School Lacrosse Showcase, and I was on hand for the Pelicans' first two games. Coming away from the event, get to know the program's five PGs and read up on a few more takeaways on the rest of the roster.    Disque was an animal on Saturday. A throwback type who competes his tail off and has all of the right intangibles, the hard-nosed lefty from Syosset (N.Y.) treated a fall tournament like it was the New York state playoffs. Disque scored a combined seven goals in the Pelicans' first two wins over Spalding and Don Bosco and was the best player on the field. He dodged hard downhill and ran through defenders on his way to the goal. He took wings and wouldn't be denied, even when outmanned. He went all out between the boxes, causing several turnovers on the sidelines by getting physical with his opponent to win possession back. With a lot of experience playing both attack and midfield in high school (he posted 61 goals and 32 assists as a senior), he's such an all-around player that it's tough to say where he'll play once he arrives at Homewood Field. It's easier to predict that he'll be the heart and soul of the team, just as he's been for every team he's been a part of.     It was a luxury for Loomis Chaffee to add the services of Nurry, a postgrad out of Delaware's Salesianum School, where the Cornell commit won a state championship each year he was on varsity. He didn't originally plan on taking a PG year and committed to Cornell a few days into 9/1 as a '24 before opting for the extra year, which will be beneficial for all parties involved. I'm not sure there's a 2025 recruit that has raised their stock as much as Nurry, who has put himself among the very best attackmen in the class. On Saturday, he built chemistry with his new teammates and fit right in as a dangerous and dynamic presence, working at attack alongside Georgetown signee [player_tooltip player_id='142752' first='Anthony' last='Rodriguez'] and Dartmouth recruit Milki Conway-Reppert. What works in Loomis' favor is that there are a lot of similarities between what Nurry provides and what recent graduate Nathan Cobery — one of the better players to come out of the program —did for the Pelicans. Nurry dodges with power and aggression, but he's also incredibly slick and explosive and can bang shots from range.     An absolute horse of a two-way contributor at 6'3 and 190 pounds, Goodwillie is an outstanding athlete, providing size, strength, skill, and speed. He made an impact in a variety of ways on Saturday and did the little things exceptionally well in addition to his offensive output. In a heated game against Spalding to start the day, he put in a pair of goals, including a beautiful twister after his quick first step put his opponent on the ground. A graduate of the Latin School of Chicago, Goodwillie is really difficult to stop when he gets a full head of steam and is a beast in the open field. He never seems to tire and is just as impactful late in the day as he is on the opening whistle. In regards to his 6v6 offensive game, there's certainly room to grow, but he shoots the heck out of the ball and has little trouble getting his hands free, and he knows when to defer. I'll be interested to follow his continued development.     One of the more intriguing storylines in high school lacrosse has always been how postgrads acclimate with the veterans and the program's culture. That being said, Tamasco deserves a ton of credit for quickly becoming a defensive leader and communicating with his fellow poles as if he'd been in the program from Day 1. Carrying over his role at New Canaan as the air traffic controller, he communicated with confidence and was always in the right spots. His impact was felt at all times, including on the clear, where he didn't hesitate to bring the ball over the midline to set up his teammates. I've always been a Tamasco fan, but felt like he took a huge step forward after he returned from a hamstring injury in the middle of the season. A strong all-around defender, his imposing frame obviously stands out, but it's the way that he's wired that is just as impressive. What a gem for the Richmond Spiders.     A graduate of Roxbury Latin (Mass.) who recently changed his commitment from Bucknell to Georgetown, Cody was another big-time pickup for LC head coach Bill Ball, given that the Pelicans graduated an All-American in Hopkins freshman Joe Hobot. Twice earning First Team All-League honors, Cody is battle-tested from his time in the ISL and won 64.5 percent to go with eight goals and seven assists as a senior. He's exceptionally technical at the X and is heady in terms of the way he's able to adjust and counter his opponent, something I thought he did well in the first two matchups against Division I commits. He's got an ideal frame and can make things happen with the ball, often making quick work by going forward. Hobot was such an X-factor because of what he could do after the draw, and while it may not be a 1-for-1 replacement in terms of offensive ability, Cody looked more than capable of handling the load. From what I hear, he also had a big day on Sunday at the Atlantic Coast Showcase, helping Loomis claw back from a halftime deficit to beat St. John's.    — As expected, [player_tooltip player_id='142752' first='Anthony' last='Rodriguez'] continued to play at a high level as the veteran presence on the Loomis attack. He was still a primary ball-carrier, but going forward, I'd imagine that we'll see Nurry take on more of those responsibilities and get matched up with No. 1 defensemen. That's huge for Rodriguez, who is someone that defenses have to key in on as a dodger, though he's also a lights-out shooter from the righty wing. Less than two years removed from leading the team in goals as a sophomore, Conway-Reppert is still returning to form post-injury and shaking off the rust, but he's another excellent time-and-room shooter who scored some pretty goals from the left-handed wing. His take against Spalding that rattled off the crossbar and in was particularly noteworthy. Anthony's younger brother [player_tooltip player_id='20312' first='Jayden' last='Rodriguez'] was a big factor out of the midfield, where the Syracuse verbal uses his elite first step and speed to separate and bury shots on the run. Having him matched up with a shortstick frequently could be huge for the offense in 2025. — Villanova-bound defender [player_tooltip player_id='123072' first='Nate' last='Macpherson'] caught my eye on Saturday and appears poised to step into a larger role after Loomis graduated a pair of starters to Penn and Richmond. The Pittsford (N.Y.) native plays with an edge and made a number of plays that led to goals on the other end. He's got great instincts, even better stick skills, and a strong sense of when to rely on his sound position play and when to throw checks. Between Macpherson and the rest of the senior class, namely Harvard-bound goalie Liam O'Keefe, the Pelicans aren't lacking for capable veterans on the back end. — I also liked what I saw from a trio of uncommitted juniors: hulking 6'6 midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='20315' first='CJ' last='Landry'] and defensemen [player_tooltip player_id='123070' first='Saki' last='Nicholas'] and [player_tooltip player_id='25760' first='Max' last='Goldberg']. Having seen Landry plenty (including earlier this fall), I felt like he played with more confidence and consistency. His play on the second midfield could be key. Defensively, Nicholas is worthy of increased attention from recruiters. He's physical, active, and has a really good stick and long arms. Turning in a really impressive Saturday campaign, he looked comfortable above the cage and consistently made impactful plays. Goldberg is another uncommitted '26 who showed well as a complementary piece of the defense and an off-ball presence.

It's been hard to miss the rapid ascension of the lacrosse program at Loomis Chaffee, which dealt with years of sub .500 finishes in a highly competitive New England lacrosse landscape.

In 2024, Bill Ball's Pelicans made a major splash on the national level by going 16-2 and winning a Founder's League title to finish the season ranked 12th in Inside Lacrosse's final national rankings.

Heading into the spring, Loomis won't be catching anybody off guard anymore. The Pelicans have a lot of key contributors to replace (including a pair of New Balance All-Americans), but fortunately for them, a loaded postgrad class has come in to help supplement an incredibly talented group of returners bound for a laundry list of top Division I programs.

Loomis put together a 3-0 day in the Red Session of the annual National High School Lacrosse Showcase, and I was on hand for the Pelicans' first two games. Coming away from the event, get to know the program's five PGs and read up on a few more takeaways on the rest of the roster.