November 5, 2009
The class of the Class of 2013
by Kevin Henkin/
With the fall ball season wrapping up, it’s a fitting time to introduce some of the top college freshmen who hail from New England, with expert analysis provided by their coaches, past and present.
Men
The consensus among the top tier of college coaches is that the incoming talent is heavily centered in the midfield position. Within our Top 10 list, seven of the players patrol the middle.
“In this class of freshmen, what jumped out early on in the recruiting was that this was an outstanding group of midfielders,’’ said Dom Starsia, who has led the University of Virginia to three NCAA titles. “There’s always going to be a couple of outstanding attackmen and defensemen in each class but the midfield depth in this class was exceptional.”
Duke’s John Danowski, Notre Dame’s Kevin Corrigan, and Harvard’s John Tillman concurred.
Among the most highly touted of the incoming midfielders is David Lawson, who earned his All-America honors at the Middlesex School in Concord, Mass., and is now playing for Danowski at Duke. In his senior year at Middlesex, Lawson registered 55 goals and 22 assists.
Among other positives, Danowski cited Lawson’s athletic background as a three-sport athlete, his exceptional vision of the field, and his versatility as a player who can play the attack and midfield positions equally well.
“There are certain players out there who are just good athletes who have terrific skills or who are great at something, but not everybody has the ability to make those around them better,’’ said Danowski. “David does.”
Another highly touted midfielder is Davis Butts from Walpole (Mass.) High, who has brought his game and his 6-foot-2-inch frame to Loyola in Maryland. Said Loyola coach Charley Toomey: “Davis is a good, strong athlete. He runs the field very well, has shown that he can take faceoffs and be pretty good at it. He can be a two-way middie that maybe can spell a talented John Schiavone for us at times.”
Although not celebrated as a blue-chip midfielder on many of the scouting lists, Blake Riley is considered a top prospect by his new coach, Starsia. Riley, a native of South Hamilton, Mass. who played for Governor’s Academy, tallied more than 100 points in his career and led his team to a record of 32-1 in his final two seasons.
“He’s solid,” Starsia said, dismissing the notion that Riley — at 5-10 and 175 pounds — might be too small to become a major contributor. “He runs well and he’s a smart lacrosse player. I think he got a little bit overlooked by the national scouting services but I would take him ahead of half the guys who were on their list of the top 25 guys.”
Also playing for Starsia at Virginia this year is attackman Matt White (6-1, 188 pounds) from Ridgefield, Conn., one of the most highly recruited high school players in the country. White tallied 68 goals and 64 assists in his senior season.
“Even in the first few weeks of fall lacrosse, Matt has demonstrated a poise that is pretty unique for a first-year kid,’’ said Starsia. “There’s a chance he could be thrown right into the fire here and I’m confident that he would be able to handle that even though it’ll take a little time before he figures it all out. I have a couple of All-American defensemen and they’re going to knock a freshman attackman on his heinie once in a while but that doesn’t seem to faze Matt. He just gets up and keeps going. That’s what you’re looking for in a young player.”
A couple of the top local prospects – attackman Kyle Smith (6-2, 170) from Longmeadow, Mass., and defender Jake Smith (6-0, 190) from Medfield, Mass. – decided to stay local and play for Greg Cannella at UMass.
“The best quality that [Jake Smith] has coming in is that he’s a really tough kid,’’ said Cannella. “As quiet and unassuming and humble as he is, he’s pretty mean out there on the field, which is at this level something that you need. He plays the ball well one-on-one. He’s a real smart kid as well so he’s very quick on the uptake.”
Breaking down Kyle Smith’s game, Cannella said: “Great hands, really quick hands, shoots the ball really well, has a great feel for the game. He’s adept at both shooting and feeding. He’s got very good size as well and body control for his size. He’ll have an opportunity to play, particularly because of his ability to put the ball in the net in an extra-man situation and six-on-six.”
Also remaining in his home state is Ben Sternberg from North Kingstown, R.I. — a two-time All-America midfielder who collected 50 points and 139 ground balls and won 90 percent of his faceoffs as a senior. Sternberg is now running drills at Bryant University in Smithfield.
Said Bryant coach Mike Pressler: “Ben, without question, I thought was the best player in the state a year ago, and to get him to come to Bryant was terrific. He’s an exceptional athlete. He’s got a motor that never quits.”
Out at Notre Dame, Quinn Cully (6-1, 200) — a four-year starter for the vaunted Duxbury (Mass.) High program — is another local midfielder who is already making his presence known on his new team.
“I love Quinn Cully,’’ said Corrigan, his new coach. “I’m a huge fan. He’s tough, hard-nosed, plays hard, is physical, athletic and what I didn’t know until I got here is that he has a great sense for the game and is a very quick study. He’s a very quick learner and has caught on very quickly to some of the things we’re doing. I can see Quinn playing a very active role for us.”
Also in the mix are midfielders Pete Berg and Tucker Shanley, both of whom are in the Ivy League. Berg, who starred for Deerfield (Mass.) Academy, will play for Harvard while Shanley, from Fairfield Prep in Connecticut, will bring his size (6-3, 195 pounds), athleticism, and scoring touch to Princeton. Said Chris Bates, the coach at Princeton: “Tucker can shoot on the run and I think ultimately is going to pose some match-up problems for folks. I think he has skills enough to play here early.”
Women
Although the incoming class of women also is well stocked with a fair share of skilled midfielders, what jumps out from the list of top New England players is how many of them are headed to Dartmouth: four, to be exact.
Coach Amy Patton says she prefers recruiting out of New England because she believes local players have a better appreciation for Dartmouth and because she places a higher value on what three-sport athletes bring to the table.
“I think it makes them more multi-dimensional coming in,” Patton said. “Maybe their sticks aren’t as good as some of the young women that may have focused only on lacrosse in their high school careers but I think as coaches, we can develop them. I’d rather have them be multi-sport athletes when they get here. I just think there’s so much that they can learn from other sports.”
Casey Griffin, who led the Independent School League in scoring for two straight seasons at Noble & Greenough, will play attack for Dartmouth. She also was an accomplished field hockey and ice hockey player at Nobles.
“We see Casey as somebody that we’re going to put behind the net,” Patton said. “She is truly a playmaker. She’s been feeding the ball into people. She distributes it well and yet she is also just a savvy shooter. If she gets the ball in front of the net, she puts it away. Just incredible poise. She is definitely somebody that’s going to help us right away. She’s one of the best sticks on the team and as a freshman, that’s saying something.”
Regarding midfielder Courtney Bennett, a two-time All-American from Darien, Conn., Patton said: “She’s going to be involved in both ends of the field. Defensively, just watching her mark up on people one-on-one, she really contains them well. She’s got great footwork and her acceleration after a ball is something you just can’t teach as a coach. She’s just got that desire in her.”
Another freshly arrived talented midfielder for Dartmouth is Kelsey Johnson, a native of Hingham, Mass. who excelled for Thayer Academy in lacrosse, field hockey, and basketball.
“The first thing that jumps out at you with Kelsey is her speed and, like Courtney, she brings a real edge out there,’’ said Patton. “She’s such a fighter. I see her really helping us through the midfield, bringing the ball out, and also defensively. She’s got such a knack for chasing after people. She’s also a very good shooter.”
Ellie Clayton, also from Thayer, completes the rich incoming midfield crop for Dartmouth. “Ellie is a speedy, graceful lacrosse player who makes great decisions with the ball,” Patton said. “She’s also scrappy though, especially when working for a ground ball.”
Lukas Cash, who coached Clayton on his Revolution Lacrosse club team, described her game as “deceptively smooth,” adding: “She can play attack. She has a great stick and is a great defender. Because she’s so smooth, when she runs full speed it doesn’t look like she’s running full speed, so as a result she’s able to break away a lot from kids.”
Cash also coached a couple of new arrivals to Duke University: goaltender Kaitlin Gaiss and defender Lauren Martin.
Gaiss, who starred for Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., will compete for time between the pipes with the other standout Duke goalie, sophomore Mollie Mackler (from Longmeadow, Mass.).
In a press release, Duke coach Kerstin Kimel said: “Kait is a fantastic goalkeeper who possesses great skill, confidence and poise in the cage. We look forward to having her work with Coach [Alex] Kahoe and continue her development in preparation for ACC and top Division 1 competition.”
Kimel also summarized Lauren Martin’s skills: “She is a dynamic and explosive defender who has tremendous game sense, speed, and defensive skill set. This, combined with a great work ethic and outstanding competitive spirit, will help her transition quickly into our defensive unit.”
Just a few miles down the road from Durham, N.C., midfielder Jess Griffin of Lincoln-Sudbury (Mass.) High has taken her hard-nosed game to the University of North Carolina. Said UNC coach Jenny Levy: “She’s about 5-8 but she plays a lot bigger than that on the field. She’s doing well on both ends of the ball for us right now in practice, both defensively and offensively. She’s a competitor. She’s tough. She works hard. I think that she’s going to be a tremendous player for us.”
One of the local stars who has chosen to stay closer to home is Caroline Barclay, who excelled for North Andover (Mass.) High (41 goals and 61 points in her senior year) and Team Rev Lacrosse but will now wear the maroon and gold of Boston College. Breaking down Barclay’s playing style, Cash said: “She is a complete blue-collar kind of workhorse kid. She throws her body around and sacrifices herself and gets it done. She’s an offensive player for sure, but what separates her is her hustle.”
Rounding out the list are Jackie Klauberg and MaryLeah DiNisco. Klauberg, a prolific scorer (115 as a senior) for Greenwich Academy (Conn.), will play midfield for the Princeton Tigers. DiNisco will take her stingy stick (633 career saves for Governor’s Academy in Byfield, Mass.) to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
