FRIDAY NIGHT RECAP: CHECK IN

       San Diego welcomed parents and players from all over the Western United States to the Coronado Marriot on Friday night. High school and middle school players selected to the Adrenaline High Rollers event checked in and received their custom Adrenaline issued gear for the weekend recruiting event.

           
        Adrenaline Lacrosse's Director of Recruiting, Jono Zissi, hosted a recruiting seminar at The Marriot at 9:30pm for player parents looking to obtain information about the recruiting process. Along with Mr. Zissi, a panel of coaches representing every division of collegiate lacrosse gave detailed presentations outlining common misconceptions of the recruiting process and provided helpful insights into the intricacies of current recruiting techniques.
 

SATURDAY: DAY 1 RECAP

       Despite some weather concerns leading up to the weekend, recruiters and players arrived to San Diego to shower-free skies. After morning skies cleared of cloud cover, the sun broke through and made for a beautiful Day 1 of the annual High Rollers Showcase in Coronado, CA.

       Middle School and High School players filled three fields on Coronado's beautiful athletic facilities from 8am-9pm this Saturday. Lining the sidelines were college coaches from every division and from programs spanning the entire country. They were excited to see the brightest the West had to offer with every high school class competing against one another.                                                                                                                                                   

DAY 1 TEAM PREVIEWS

Inside Lacrosse

The first half of play had some big hits and some fast paced, albeit sloppy play. It was an early morning and it was obvious many that had made the long trip still needed to get their legs under them. Much of Team IL's production came from the midfield, with athletic dodging from Sean McCanna (Woodlands High) and Hayden Ruiz (Santa Margarita, CA). Attackmen Ben Cummings (Brophy, AZ) and Carson Dutkanych (Park City, UT) worked well together all day, while senior Tanner Zigrang (Bishops, CA) was a steady presence in the cage.

Lax Tech

Like Team IL, Lax Tech got great goalie play from another senior in lefty Grant Cigliano (Palos Verdes, CA). Juniors Mark Bublitz and Ryan Ellis from Piedmont dodged hard in the second half from all over the field, running through Team IL's defense for a handful of goals between the two. Tony Romeri (Palos Verdes, CA) moved well off ball and finished off a couple nice feeds. Lax Tech also got inspired play from John McCallum (Scripps Ranch, CA) who dominated face off play and hustled all over the field.

Skilz

Team Skilz, coached by Rory Doucette, showed a lot of promise in their first matchup. They attacked the South Swell defense from all angles, led by Jack Trask (Air Academy, CO) and future standout Justin Anderson (Centennial, NV) at the midfield and attackmen Chase Williams (St Margarets, CA), Chase Warner (Tesoro, CA), and the small, but fierce freshman Blake Warner (Jserra Catholic, CA). The defensive end was locked down by another freshman from Jserra Catholic in Gunner Garn, a young gun many coaches believed to be one of the day's top goalie prospects. In front of Garn was lefty defenseman Austin Johnson (Laguna Hills, CA), who was physical throughout the day.   

South Swell  

Attackman Jack Fojtasek (St Mark's, TX) initiated a lot of South Swell's offense today, dodging hard off the wing through defenders followed by confident, pinpoint shooting. Lefty attackman Wesley Greason (Acalanes, CA) had flashes of quickness and worked hard dodging opposite Fojtasek. Defenseman Marcus Kosloff (Lake Oswego, OR) was very athletic covering a number of skilled attackmen from throughout the West.

P360

Quinton Eissler (Coronado, NV), brother of Hopkins bound Kieran Eissler, showed he had a style all his own and had flashes of great play throughout the day. Joe Rodrigues (Bellarmine, CA) was able to push the pace of play at the attack, turning the corner on a number of occasions and creating opportunities for the otherwise stalemate P360 offense.

Adrln Movement

Adrenaline was anchored by some great goalie play from two promising future prospects. Lefty goalie Sam Tomei (Las Lomas, CA) handled the ball well and was a vocal presence on the defensive end while goalie Bryan Cooper (La Costa Canyon, CA) was his steady, stoic self in the cage. Colin Mcmahon (Bishops, CA) was a big, physical presence in front of both goalies, throwing some well-timed checks. Offensively, Sean Ryan (Malibu, CA) and Drew Bossert (Scripps Ranch, CA) made some tough, gritty plays off the ground and used their speed to contribute a number of scores.

Vitamin Water

Starz had a couple standouts distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack today. Peyton Garrett (San Clemente, CA) had his hand in a number of good looks today, feeding his teammates and stepping in for himself on occasion. On the defensive end, Danny Weiss (Alexander Dawson, CO) played well during his time in the cage, standing tall inside on a number of point blank opportunities.

Game Time Footage

Casey Mix (Corona del Mar, CA) impressed coaches with his confident dodging throughout the day. He managed to keep his head up during his dodge and found cutting teammates for easy goals. Midfielder Keenan Assaraf (Cathedral Catholic, CA) was very impressive today, showcasing his athleticism up and down the field with some quick dodges initiated from the midfield.  James Kingsley (Jserra Catholic, CA) showed well at the attack, handing the ball well under pressure and riding hard in between the lines. Another midfielder, Nick Hernandez (Grossmont, CA), gave coaches a preview of his unique style, reminiscent of a typical indoor player. Along with his slick stick and ability to step in with room and time, he showcased his athletic ability as well in his hustle up and down the field. Defensive Matt Jungemann (Juan Diego Catholic, UT) got in on the scoring from the defensive end with his nifty stick handling and was a terror off the faceoff wing as well.

West Side Lax

This High Rollers squad, representing WSL, was a hard riding group at the attack. Cole Schleppy (Jserra Catholic, CA), Jack Beall (Camas, WA), and Clayton Frank (King's Way, WA) operated the most potent midfield of the day, each one dodging hard through checks. Fellow midfielder Liam Barnes (Torrey Pines, CA) showed his athleticism in a number of long clears and quick dodges, burying shots with both hands in the morning session. Chris Groel (Palisades Charter, CA) looked good as well, an integral part of the success of WSL's defense.
 

LaxSnax

Bryce Cady (Torrey Pines, CA) was one of the top goalies of the day, moving well in the goal and making a number of difficult saves for LaxSnax.  Jackson Teague (De la Salle, CA) moved well off ball and finished a number of opportunities inside off of well timed cuts. He also was able to turn and shoot left-handed off the dodge. Jake Gonzales (Columbine, CO) dodged with purpose from below the cage, turning the corner with speed and putting pressure on opposing defenses. Spencer Smith (Brophy Prep, AZ) distributed the ball well from behind the cage and dodged with confidence throughout the day.

Powerbar

Team Powerbar had some struggles defensively throughout Day 1, but Taylor Rathbun (Grossmont, CA) was still able to showcase his large frame and athleticism. Offensively, Nick Heller (Beverly Hills, CA) showcased good speed and quickness to recruiters. Tripp DeHaven (Cherry Creek, CO) worked with fellow attackman Jack Ortlieb (Corona del Mar, CA) throughout the day. DeHaven was able to run by defenders and turn the corners from below the goal line while Ortlieb showed flashes of confident, aggressive play. 

Powerade

Team Powerade was a fierce matchup for offenses on Saturday, with physical defensemen Doug Strazza (De la Salle, CA) and Chandler Rendl (Foothill, CA) anchoring down a unit in front of their poised and vocal goalie, Alex Larson (Chapparal, AZ).  Midfielder Dalton Tuor (West Linn, OR) was all over the field, facing off as well as shooting hard off of tough alley dodges. Steve Brandenburg (Los Alamitos, CA) dodged with conviction from all over the field, occasionally stepping in to shoot from distance. On the other side of the attack, Mitchell Kelln (Portsmouth Abbey, CA) utilized his savvy stickwork to pepper goalies in the evening session.

Adrenaline

Arend Broekmate (Eastside Catholic, WA) is a young, promising defenseman coached by Lewis Ratliffe. Alex Keuilian (Foothill, CA) was another bright spot in the Adrenaline defense, following up his good play at the Sonoma Shootout this summer with a good High Rollers showing.  Christian Bender (Palos Verdes, CA) is another promising young face on this squad who looked great in transition and made some great unsettled plays. Syracuse bound Spencer Schmidt (Cathedral Catholic, CA) also showcased his athleticism in his runs up and down the field. He is tough to stop once he gets a full head of steam.

Brine

Zach Payne (Air Academy, CO) had some crafty moves around the cage, throwing effective fakes on the goal line. Trent Schulte (Coronado, CA) had faceoff duties and handled the ball well in unsettled situations.

Warrior

Ian Kadish (Skyline, UT) was another big, physical midfielder at High Rollers with a big shot with both hands. Skyler Rockey (Santa Margarita, CA) did well to move off ball, making some great well-timed cuts followed by nice finishes. Dakota Hollister (Mt. Baker, BC) played in a similar fashion, going right at his man on most dodges and frequently splitting double teams. Andrew Parker (Rancho Bernardo, CA) stood out on the defensive end, a promising freshman pole with good feet and a big, athletic frame. Shout out to Zach Burbidge (Pleasant Grove, UT) for the late night sky whammy, a certain highlight in a day filled with great plays.

FINAL THOUGHTS

       This year's rain-free weather was a refreshing change of pace from the High Rollers of 2010 and certainly lent to more attentive recruiters, a better atmosphere, and a high level of play that many have come to expect from this event.

       The impressive list of college recruiters in attendance is simply a testament to the level of play exhibited from high schools all over the west. College coaches are buzzing about the recent successes of prominent west coast club programs against perennial powerhouses across traditional hotbeds in the east. With 2012, 2013, and 2014 commits not in attendance, the level of play at this year's High Rollers remained an impressive sight and a promise of things to come regarding talent in the west. Check back in at westsidelax.com for a day 2 recap, photos, videos, and more.