The talk about McCurdy wasn’t just regional—it was national. Just missing our national rankings, he’s the type of defender you want leading your defense. An attackman’s worst nightmare, he dictates matchups from the start because he’s given the freedom to extend out on early possessions. You can throw him on an island and not have to worry. He’s a lot like his Hilltop teammate Brooks Simonds in that he feasts on lefty matchups. With his stick upfield against lefties, he absolutely harasses his matchup’s elbows and gloves with constant checks. The dodger’s only route to peace is sprinting over the top or finessing underneath, where McCurdy is happy to deliver a hard cross-check. His fundamental positioning off the ball sets him up for success: he gets his stick into skip lanes, is ready to slide, jump, and double, and uses textbook approaches to dictate the dodger’s path early on. With a defender this good, I’m hearing he’s expected to be off the board to an Ivy this week—it’s just a matter of where.

McCurdy looks primed to become the fourth of his siblings to play a Division I sport, coming from a family full of football players. A standout on the gridiron himself, Reid brings that same physicality to the lacrosse field, pairing strong instincts with a disruptive edge. His linebacker mentality shows when he collapses on ball-carriers, routinely putting them on the turf. Lights out 1-on-1, he plays with steady footwork and a sturdy base that rarely gives ground, and his stick is consistently in the right position. Away from the ball, McCurdy stays man-conscious and checks every box with his fundamentally sound approach. Between McCurdy and Corner Canyon’s Maddox Green Maddox Green 6'0" | 175 lbs | D/LSM | Right Hand The Hill School | 2028 PA (whom we wrote up on Thursday), West Coast Starz has a strong 1–2 punch of Utah-bred defenders.