Five Midwest 2028s Who Repped the Region

The Midwest had an incredible showing this summer. Teams like True Illinois, Project Midwest, and Resolute were highly competitive, while Team Midwest came home with the championship at the National All-Star Games. Here are five more 2028 Midwest players who made noise and represented their region well this summer.    Hayden is one of those players college coaches should find a spot for. He is an incredibly dynamic midfielder with legit two-way potential. The way Hayden moves cannot be taught. He is the type of player you give the ball to when you are up a goal or two and teams need to double the ball to get it back. He will swim, slip, and sprint past the double and triple teams coming his way, like I have seen him do on one-man clears multiple times this summer.   That athleticism is a good baseline for the way he plays on both sides of the ball. His feet allow him to not only shadow dodgers, but also give him time to throw a mean check and recover if he does not hit it. As a dodger, he has the jukes and burst to create separation when he wants, and he is very capable with both hands as both a feeder and shooter.     Owen, the younger brother of Andrew—a Hopkins commit—plays with the hard-nosed, box-influenced Culver style that is not only skilled but tough too. Colleges will target him because he is a tone-setter who will send opposing players home with bruises.   It comes from the hard slaps he gets in on the ball, but also from his well-timed—and almost well-timed—slides that knock the wind out of ball carriers getting into the teeth of his defense. His box lacrosse development also shows up in the way he can play LSM and handle the ball. The lefty pushes in transition, plays off the wings on face-offs, and showed off with the ball at NHSLS, scoring on a stepdown on day one and nearly finishing a mean toe drag on day two.     As physically imposing as you can get for a two-way midfielder at 6'4", 190 pounds, Federighi has the build and skill for the next level. On the defensive end, he smothered matchups this summer. Ball carriers seemed to hit a literal wall when trying to dodge downhill on him. In the NAL championship game against West Coast Starz, he had multiple dodges come his way where he held his own and then some, including one at GLE that was highlight-worthy. When possessions end, he pushes tempo in transition, where he is a threat defenses have to guard.   In settled offense, he is a downhill dodger with a lot in his bag. He is very capable with both hands and dodges at great angles to take advantage of it, hitting shots sweeping to the middle and down the alley consistently.     "Disruptive and athletic" were the first two words I had by Ray's name when I first noticed him this summer at the Iron Bowl. Since then, Ray has been one of the Midwest's staple defenders through multiple events, most recently at NASG. Starting with his feet, he moves exceptionally well—well enough that Project Midwest put a short stick in his hands at Naptown. His footwork lets him be aggressive on the ball, and I saw multiple caused turnovers this summer. If he can add some weight to match up with bigger ball carriers, Ray can turn into a high-level on-ball defender. He plays his angles well on the ball to force dodgers where he wants them, and off the ball when timing rotations. He turns defense into offense quickly with the way he gooses groundballs, gets up and out, and handles the ball. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DbOyMkQhUdD/" data-type="link" data-id="https://www.instagram.com/p/DbOyMkQhUdD/">If you give him a chance with his feet set, he will sling it.</a>     Orange, a Michigan native, is a FOGO to know in the Midwest. Repping the Midwest at NASG, Orange finished his summer with a championship against Team Maryland, where I had him down for 3-of-6 at the stripe. At the X, Orange has a lot going for him. He has good hand speed, very quick exits, and a strong base. He has a good amount of primary moves, though I would like to see him improve his counters. The way he exits is the highlight of his game—he is extremely quick out of his stance, can get out in all directions, and uses his foot speed to beat opponents to groundballs. He is most likely to win when it gets to a tie-up because his feet allow him to out-leverage opponents. When he is not winning with hand speed, he is quick to battle for groundballs and will throw some nice checks to win it back. I also loved seeing him test the sub game after wins to create advantages for his offense.

The Midwest had an incredible showing this summer. Teams like True Illinois, Project Midwest, and Resolute were highly competitive, while Team Midwest came home with the championship at the National All-Star Games. Here are five more 2028 Midwest players who made noise and represented their region well this summer.