I’m not sure whether it was the recent NLF rankings or just how Bligh usually carries himself, but he brought a noticeable level of confidence to Maverik Showtime. He is a gamer with the toughness to do whatever it takes to win his matchup on both sides of the field, which is a trait I have noticed since he was playing up with the 2027s last summer. He has all the on-ball tools needed to get by his man and get to his hammer of a shot. What stands out about his dodging is the balance of physicality and agility. He gets into defenders to cut them off on face dodges, rolls, and sweeps, and he does a great job turning the corner to get to his shot.

What pushes him over the top is his IQ and deception. He uses fakes to set up shots and mixes in windups and look-offs to create feeds. His work on the defensive end also shows off his competitive mentality, because he looks determined to win every matchup and every groundball battle. It is still too early for me to make a firm call on where he belongs in the rankings, but if I had to pick teams in gym class to win any competition, Bligh would be my first pick, and that says something.

A West Coast transplant whose family recently moved from San Francisco to Greenwich, Bligh has two older siblings who play at Brown and another who finished his career there in 2023. He’s also cousins with the Hausmanns—Charlie, a junior at ‘Wick, and Hudson, a former five-star now at Virginia. It’s easy to tell that Sawyer has been around the game forever, as he has an incredibly high lacrosse IQ and stick skills to match. Comfortable and productive from any spot within an offense, he’s a high-percentage scorer when turning the corner with either hand and dangerous when creating from up top. With plenty of shake and a downright nasty split dodge, he can provide a spark in a variety of ways and has exceptional vision. Bligh stood out as one of the best players on the field for the WCS 2027s at December’s IMLCA Players Summit.