Big Red Fall Classic: Standout Players

Use code ‘BlackFriday2025′ at checkout to receive 50% off your first payment! For a limited time only, enjoy our biggest sale of the year!    On November 22nd and 23rd, Lawrenceville hosted the Big Red Fall Classic event at the Getz Sports Complex on their beautiful campus. The Fall Classic draws in top teams from all around the country and more importantly, draw in top college scouts that made an appearance.   The teams that came to battle it out consisted of Lawrenceville, Western Reserve Academy, Taft, Loomis Chaffee, La Salle, Haverford, Delbarton, and Seton Hall Prep, with all teams loaded with top recruiting talent and the ability to put on a show which is exactly what they did. Below is half of the standouts from my time watching each player:    St. Pierre did an excellent job against his matchups by applying pressure at the point of attack and using his big frame to deter opponents from dodging. He is a vocal player on the defense who communicates well with his teammates to ensure everyone is on the same page. The North Carolina commit displays good footwork when getting dodged on, while poking and slapping his opponents' gloves to make them uncomfortable, and keeps his stick active in the passing lanes when playing off-ball. He showcased an aggressive mindset by pressing out on his matchups and forcing tough passes, while in the clearing game, he looks for opportunities to be a quick outlet on saves to jumpstart a transition chance and can handle the ball to become a threat.     The first thing you notice about Jackson Gillis is his size in net, as he covers a lot of ground between the pipes and is the commander of his defensive unit. He showcases a high lacrosse IQ by making good decisions with the ball and is not afraid to come out of the cage to make plays for his team. He totaled five saves vs Seton Hall Prep and 6 saves vs Lawrenceville, both of which are equipped with marksmen, but the Notre Dame commit stood tall and stayed confident in his ability. He makes some really tough saves look routine and is very athletic, getting down on low shots and tracking the ball well out of the stick to get a solid read on the shot.     Troczynski was a Swiss army knife for the Green Wave with his ability to dominate the face-off X and then stay on offense with the first-line middies and control the tempo. Nowadays, face-off specialists don't stay on offense for an extended period of time, but the Cornell commit has vastly improved his stick skills and dodging ability to make sure he is an even bigger threat this spring. He tallied four wins at the X and a goal vs. La Salle, and then six wins and a pair of goals vs Taft. He also works hard and shows effort on loose balls or when caught on defense. He displayed good strength and speed on his face-off wins to evade pressure and set up the offense, and on his dodges, he runs hard to draw a slide and get the defense moving.     Regan was a fun player to watch and with his ability to use either hand interchangeably, he was a tough assignment for any defender to matchup against at this event. He tallied a pair of goals in each of his games against Delbarton and Western Reserve Academy and did it in a variety of ways. The New Canaan (Conn.) native can cleanly beat his matchup and create for himself or for others and when a quick slide comes, he is smart enough to survey the field to get the defense out of position. He hammered a few step-down looks and did so with a lot of power and accuracy behind them, while mixing up shot locations. At 6'3", Regan uses his size well and is an exciting recruit to keep tabs on.     Davis has good size and length, standing six feet tall and uses his strong lower body to grind out the tough battles at the X. He finished with four face-off wins vs. Western Reserve Academy and five wins vs Delbarton, and it felt like he was in control with the ability to pinch-and-pop it to himself or by communicating with a teammate behind him to win possession. The Drexel commit uses his big frame to be effective in the ground ball scrums, and with the ball, he does a good job of not getting rattled with pressure being applied and actually shows confidence and solid stick skills that need to be respected by his opponents. If he loses the pinch, he makes sure to stay in the play and show effort on the defensive end.     Merklinger is a nightmare for opposing defenses. He is a marksman with a powerful shot and great stick skills to evade pressure and create for himself and others. He seems to never stop moving and is always looking for ways to set up the offense for good looks at the cage. He is a crafty dodger with a good mix of speed and agility to force help from the defense. The Georgetown commit finished with a pair of goals vs. Haverford, and then another two goals plus two assists vs. Loomis Chaffee. His show-stopping goal that had everyone's eyes lit up was when he snagged a contested ground ball, toe-dragged a defender, and then went low to high and stung the corner for a momentum-shifting goal vs. Loomis Chaffee.     Rodgers routinely served as an active dodger for his team, looking to initiate offense, and displayed good size and strength at the midfield position with the ability to play both ways. He tallied a goal against Lawrenceville, beating his matchup 1v1 with his speed on a sweep across the top of the field and then found a lane down the alley vs Seton Hall Prep and cashed in that opportunity on the run with a hard shot. The UPenn commit showcased a good motor and put in a lot of effort, whether that was getting back on defense or chasing a ball to the end-line to win possession for his team. He can beat you with either hand and mixes up his shot locations to challenge the goalies.     Curtis was excellent at the face-off X in the few games I saw and made it tough against the top talent that he faced all weekend. He won five face-offs vs Taft and finished with four wins vs La Salle while also splitting time amongst his teammates. The Syracuse commit gets a solid jump timing out the whistles, and from there, he controls the ball by either popping it to space from a teammate or himself. He played smart with the ball, not threading the needle or taking unnecessary chances, but he can handle the ball and rip a shot when the opportunity presents itself. When he lost a draw, he did a great job of staying in the play and mixing it up in ground balls scrums.

Use code ‘BlackFriday2025′ at checkout to receive 50% off your first payment! For a limited time only, enjoy our biggest sale of the year!