NE West I Young Guns: Berkshire, Salisbury, Trinity-Pawling

With the official start of the NE West I season less than a month away, we're continuing our trek around the league with a look at promising underclassmen at Berkshire (Mass.), Salisbury (Conn.), and Trinity-Pawling (N.Y.), having highlighted the young guns for <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2025/02/ne-west-i-brunswicks-young-guns-to-watch-in-2025/">Brunswick (Conn.)</a> and <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/2025/02/ne-west-i-deerfields-young-guns-to-watch-in-2025/">Deerfield (Mass.)</a> last week.    Belski impressed me this fall with his ability as a two-way middie, thriving when going from D to O and proving himself on both ends. Tough, athletic, and possessing a well-rounded skill set, the Alabama product was the lone '27 on Salisbury's roster a year ago and appears primed to take on increased responsibilities after a strong offseason. When deployed as a shortstick defensive midfielder, he's a vacuum off the wings and formidable 1v1, giving opposing middies fits and frequently forcing them into less-then-stellar shots. He has shown considerable promise on offense, where Belski is a talented two-handed shooter who gets his hands free with a strong first step, displaying an array of moves and release points.     An offensive-minded LSM, Harvey has a knack for making momentum-changing plays with the ball in his stick. With his combination of size, athleticism, and physicality, he wreaks havoc between the lines and is a tremendous asset on the wings of face-offs due to his smooth stick work off the ground. A Darien native who has reclassed as a '28, Harvey never fails to get his hands on ball-carriers and applies heavy pressure at all times. While he needs to continue to be more consistent with his footwork and approaches, he does a ton of things exceptionally well and has the potential to ultimately become one of the more coveted longstick midfield prospects in the class.     Among the front-runners to ultimately be named the #1 recruit, Holbrough has put together quite a body of work over the years. When talking about his skill set, it all starts with his hands and stick work — it's as if his stick is essentially an extension of his body. Paired with an aggressive dodging style and exceptional body control, he's constantly in attack mode and racks up eye-popping plays while playing within himself at all times. Quite frankly, it's hard to spot any glaring holes in Holbrough's game right now. He's widely respected as an outside shooter and takes pride in riding the ball back. Regardless of where he's setting up his dodges, he's highly dangerous as a scorer and a feeder and can make plays even with defenders draped all over him. He's as advertised in every sense and will have a lot of significant offers thrown at him in September.     Yet another Sweetlax product, Schroeder showed a lot of flashes as a freshman last year after transferring from Orlando's Lake Highland Prep, where he was a '26 recruit. A good-looking athlete who shoots a hard and accurate ball with a snappy release, Schroeder has also shown a penchant for gritty finishes in tight and sniffing out groundballs in scrums. He's also been efficient as an invert middie who can beat shortsticks after dragging them behind the cage. Schroeder has steadily developed a few areas of his game, particularly when it comes to dodging to feed. After working a lot off-ball and finding the net in catch-and-shoot scenarios, I would think that he'll be asked to dodge a lot more as a sophomore now that he's gotten his feet wet in the Founder's League.     Triantafillou joined the Pride program as a reclass this off-season after beginning his career at Bridgewater-Raynham in Massachusetts. In November, he looked comfortable and dangerous with TP and was one of the most impressive '27s I saw at Fall NHSLS. Masterful in the way that he creates separation for himself, he's super explosive, two-handed, and can change directions on a dime, making him a tough cover for opposing shortsticks and longsticks alike. He's got phenomenal hands and is creative as a scorer, proving to be formidable both as an attackman and midfielder, though if I had to guess, coach Kirkaldy might want him on the field as much as possible in 2025.     A known commodity from his time on the '26 circuit, Vanterpool transferred to TP this fall, having begun his career at Page HS in Greensboro, North Carolina. Though his frame is still on the wiry side, he's definitely shot up a few inches in the last year or so and is playing with increased confidence. Doing much of his damage when attacking from behind the cage, he's an explosive dodger who is considerably efficient once he gets to the island, often utilizing a textbook inside roll. Vanterpool shoots it at a high clip from the wings and is strong without the ball, a byproduct of being well-coached and the son of former Syracuse captain Ira Vanterpool. I'll be very curious to see his continued development now that he'll be up against increased competition, but I could see him providing a spark off the bat.

With the official start of the NE West I season less than a month away, we're continuing our trek around the league with a look at promising underclassmen at Berkshire (Mass.), Salisbury (Conn.), and Trinity-Pawling (N.Y.), having highlighted the young guns for Brunswick (Conn.) and Deerfield (Mass.) last week.