2028 Northeast Rankings: Uncommitted Long Islanders on the Rise

Last week, <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/national/player-rankings/2028-lacrosse-lax-northeast-region-player-rankings/">we published our Top 100 Northeast rankings</a>, with the top half also appearing in the <a href="https://preplacrosse.com/national/player-rankings/2028-rankings/">National Top 100</a> in early September. While the five Long Island-bred prospects highlighted below didn't crack the top half, we're big fans of all five and believe they have plenty to offer Division I programs. Don't be surprised to see them climb the ranks when we next update the Northeast region, too.    A speedster from Sayville, Echezuria made his presence felt in a short time, flying under the radar because he only played in three June events due to a foot injury. That being said, he's getting plenty of attention from college programs, and for good reason. Echezuria, a top performer for Mike Chanenchuk's St. Anthony's JV team, has a rather well-rounded skill set and helps boost his team in a variety of ways, namely because he dodges like he's shot out of a cannon. With his first step and high-level quicks, he's able to win his matchups with relative ease and get underneath the defenses when initiating dodges from up top, demonstrating his range and smooth shooting stroke from there. He's also excellent from below the goal line and can finish around the cage thanks to his soft hands and crafty stick skills, a piece that I didn't expect to see on his highlight reel given the abundance of attack talent on the Express roster. In addition, Echezuria is dangerous in space and savvy in the clearing game, doing a really nice job going from defense to offense. I'll be intrigued to see where he winds up.     I didn't get to see the Trojans as much as I usually do, but whenever I did, Finnell's skill set and smooth, aggressive style of play caught my eye. Quite frankly, at no point did he look like a sophomore. His father is one of the best coaches in high school lacrosse, so it's no surprise that Jeff plays with the poise and IQ that he does. Still, those qualities are certainly noteworthy, along with his 25-goal, 27-assist production. He does all the right things with and without the ball. Every pass is on the money, every cut is made at the right time, and questionable shots simply aren't part of his game. He has awesome hands, a wicked shot, and has worked especially well in tandem with Top 10 recruit Ben Smith, a recent Princeton commit. While I think it'd be crazy to say any '28 is "still" on the board just two weeks into the contact period, Finnell is a recruit who should be scooped up by a top program expeditiously. From there, watch his stock continue to rise.     We've done a few hundred in-depth evaluations of 2028s over the years, and Foraker is one of those midfield prospects so well-rounded and impressive that it's hard to believe this is our first write-up on him. Simply put, he checks a ton of boxes as an SSDM recruit, and you know exactly what you're getting from him every time he steps on the field. Athletic with high-level footwork and hips, Foraker is sticky on-ball and consistently wins the leverage game. He's smooth off the ground and elusive with the ball in his stick. And finally — though I catch myself writing this far too often about shorties — it's noticeable just how much he loves playing the position and embraces his role as well as anyone. Foraker has a tremendous knack for stacking impactful plays that lead to positive outcomes, whether it's preventing rollbacks and picking pockets, or coming up with a huge contested groundball and clearing the rock himself. I really don't think it will be too much longer until he comes off the board.     To a degree, it might be outrageous to call a St. Anthony's and Team 91 LI kid an overlooked sleeper. While I'll try to avoid that kind of verbiage — along with the aforementioned sentiment about a '28 not being committed two weeks into the window — O'Connell is more than deserving of being highlighted, and of being taken by a program in need of a goalie. I get that he's not the biggest cat, and that may concern some, but he's a high-energy netminder who is excellent in big games, and his best lacrosse is still ahead of him, in my opinion. I'd expect him to earn the Friars' starting job as a junior and perform at the level required of him, and then some. As we've written on this site before, he's superb on shots sent to offside low and far from a liability on shots over his head. O'Connell's voice is always heard, and it's easy to tell that his defenders play with confidence when he's in net. College coaches: don't overthink this one.     I don't know what it is, but there should be a new descriptor beyond "long and rangy" when you're talking about a player with Waldbauer's 6-foot-8 measurables. When his arms are by his side, they go halfway down his hips, and he uses that ridiculous length — combined with a six-foot pole, of course — to knock down balls and create havoc in the passing lanes. He's very instinctual, while still gradually learning not to overthink things at times, particularly away from the ball.   With all that being said, Waldbauer is another guy I'll be curious to check in on a year or two from now as he continues to grow into his massive frame and become more comfortable in it. Right now, he has plenty of intriguing attributes beyond just his size, including soft hands that show up in the clearing game and when he's scooping ground balls. Waldbauer steps up and makes plays when his team needs him to, and there's a lot to like about that.

Last week, we published our Top 100 Northeast rankings, with the top half also appearing in the National Top 100 in early September. While the five Long Island-bred prospects highlighted below didn't crack the top half, we're big fans of all five and believe they have plenty to offer Division I programs. Don't be surprised to see them climb the ranks when we next update the Northeast region, too.