Western Reserve had the luxury of having three face-off specialists committed to noteworthy Division I programs, to the point that the Pios could afford to rest Curtis from time to time, including in the MSLA semifinal against Kiski. Coming into the Culver matchup fully healthy and rested, he was superb, winning 10-of-18 with eight groundballs against the Eagles’ formidable tandem of underclassmen. Curtis, a ‘Cuse commit from Kansas, had some timely (and clean) wins, bouncing back after being outdueled 5-2 in the opening quarter. Smooth with his exits and in traffic, he was dominant during WRA’s aforementioned run in the middle of the game and did a stellar job handling the rock and getting it to the offense. While I’m a little uneasy about Syracuse’s future at the position once Johnny Mullen graduates next spring, Curtis has developed really nicely and is on the right path. He was lights out on Saturday and was a huge reason why WRA came out on top.

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.

Gentry Curtis stood out as one of the most dynamic faceoff specialists at the New Balance All-America Games, repping Team Upstate New York. By my count, he went 8-for-12 against Team Southwest and followed that up by going 5-for-6 versus Baltimore, tacking on a goal in the process.

Curtis is a face-off man who can turn a win into instant offense. He’s got lightning-quick hands, explodes off the whistle, and has a knack for winning the ball forward. What sets him apart is his ability to run through the middle of the field and finish in traffic. He’s also sharp on ground balls and clean when evading pressure—traits that make him a threat beyond the X.