IL contributor Ty Xanders attended the Nike Blue Chip camp at Queen's University this weekend. Check out Part 1 of his report below, and tune in tomorrow for a look at the defensemen and goalies.
The nation’s top uncommitted players congregated this past weekend at the lovely lacrosse facilities at Queen’s University in Charlotte (N.C.) to showcase their talents in front of a bevy of college coaches. The event was recently created by Blue Chip founder Jake Reed after college coaches came to him and expressed their desire for one last organized event before the recruits began their junior seasons.
With a good chunk of the top players arleady committing to programs (including a whopping 40 out of 50 IL Young Gun Juniors), this Blue Chip camp offered players in the next recruiting level an opportunity to shine. It was a fantastic event from top to bottom and a huge opportunity for the players yet to find the school for them. Recruits arrived Friday night and had a long day Saturday, getting at the field early and having three sessions, with the final whistle begin blown at 9:30 p.m. under the lights. The morning session was split in half, with the opening thirty minutes being drills so the players could develop chemistry together before beginning the organized games.
ATTACK
There was fantastic and seemingly underrated talent at attack, with lots of players that dodged the crease well and were capable of scoring in bunches.
Chad Cohan (St. Ignatius, Calif.) This junior stood out all weekend with some great moves and a knack for a big play. Strong two-handedness, off-ball movement and lacrosse IQ coming from the stud from NorCal.
Really enjoyed watching two standouts, Harry Dellaferra (Friends Academy, N.Y.) and Nick Doktor (Irondequoit, N.Y.), work together. Dellaferra is a little guy at 5’7, 140 pounds but killed it all weekend, scoring 4 goals in Saturday’s afternoon session. Doktor, a lefty, is more of the quarterback type and has better size although might need to beef up a little bit. He produced big-time and fed Dellaferra well.
Matt Sexton (Niskayuna, N.Y.), IL’s #12 Young Gun junior, was arguably the top player there and backed up his ranking with lights-out play all weekend. The Penn State commit is a slick lefty with superb vision – he made some eye-popping plays and has a cannon from all over.
Jimmy McBride (New Westminster, B.C.) made some beautiful plays on the crease that definitely the caught college coaches’ eye. Real feisty inside and caused a handful of turnovers on the ride as well.
Some other standouts: Joe French (St. Michael’s, Ont.), Quinn Maroney (Manhasset, N.Y.), Chad Marino (Mt. Sinai, N.Y.), Nick Kilkowski (Summit, N.J.), Cabot Noyce (Xaverian, Mass.) and Frank Fusco (Yorktown, N.Y.).
MIDFIELD
This was the best group of players at the event, especially some tough two-way guys that proved their worth in between the lines and found the net as well. Tough to names here, as so many impressed, but here are a few.
Sammy Davis (Governor’s Academy, Mass.) was pretty unbelievable to watch this weekend, especially in the first few sessions. Possessed blazing speed with a nice outside rip. Scooped up some big ground balls and played tough D as well. His teammate at Governor’s, A.J. Enchill, had many of the same skills that Davis did, played incredibly hard and has serious wheels. A bit raw in terms of lacrosse IQ but is capable of playing at a middle to high tier college program with his athleticism.
Billy Heidt (Brunswick, Conn.) was another one of the top players the event. Scored a goal or two every session and has good size, athleticism and a hard and accurate shot.
Tyler Mardian (Collegiate, Va.) was by far the most dominant faceoff guys at the event. The Delaware commit did a great job popping to himself and sparking transition. Probably won close to 75 percent on the weekend and is one of the better FOGO’s that I’ve seen in the junior class.
Nick Price (Andover, Mass.) stood out on Saturday’s afternoon and night sessions. Was a one-man clear, fueling his team’s efforts with big goal after big goal. Can faceoff as well.
Other standouts at middie: Danny Czerkawski (Landmark, Mass.), Joe Guidarelli (Harborfields, N.Y.), Matthew Graham (Chaminade, N.Y.), Grayson Helm (Wyomissing, Pa.), Steele Stockskill (St. Andrew’s, Fla.), Eric Rankel (Downingtown West, Pa.), Nic Mahaney (Deerfield, Mass.) and Blake Pfohl (Niskayuna, N.Y.)