The first session of the Baltimore Summer Kickoff took place from Friday, June 14 to Sunday, June 16 at the St. Pauls School in Maryland.
The teams participating were an impressive, diverse group featuring players from the 2014, 2015 and 2016 classes from all over the country. The event, run by High Point head coach Jon Torpey and his outstanding staff, showcased some excellent talent.
Here are five players that stood out among the 2015 & 2016 classes and some others who made an impression.
BALTIMORE SUMMER KICKOFF SESSION 1: FEATURED FIVE (2015/2016):
1. JOE MANOWN
(Saunderstown, RI/La Salle Academy)
Position: Attack
Class: 2015
Club Team: Clams 2015 AA RW
Overall: An incredibly quick and shifty athlete, Manowns game has a “wow” factor attached. Throughout the day, he was able to score almost at will, pulling defenders out to the deep lower corners and blowing by them on his way to the cage. He had the best first step of his age group, and while a bit undersized did not shy away from scrums for loose balls. His game has some flash on at least one occasion he used some nice stick-trickery on a goal but he still plays intelligently and makes the proper play, be it scoring or finding an open teammate.
From the Notebook: Wow factor. Lighting-quick. Fast. Athlete. Smaller. Shifty. Flashy but nothing stupid. Makes smart plays. Good vision.
Commitment: Duke
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2. JOSH KIRSON
(Newton, MA/Rivers School)
Position: Goalie
Class: 2015
Club Team: Clams 2015 AA RW
Overall: Kirson had a solid day and was tremendous in the 2015/2016 All-Star game. He displayed very solid fundamentals, consistently playing the correct angles and squaring himself to shooters. He made some good saves inside, showing the athleticism necessary to make one-on-one stops when plays broke down. Was also notably vocal identifying ball position and sets.
From the Notebook: Solid. Technically sound. Good when things break down. Hustles to end line on shots. Directs traffic well.
*For more on Josh, including his highlight reel, check out his SportsRecruits.com profile here
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3. SKYLER MICKUNAS
(Peabody, MA/St. Johns Prep):
Position: LSM
Class: 2016
Club Team: Clams 2015 AA RW
Overall: Mickunas garnered attention throughout the day with his slick stick-handling in the clearing game, but what impressed us more was his athleticism and range defensively. He was able to cover a lot of ground, beating opponents to spots on the field and thwarting their movement toward the cage. He is a fluid player and was able to get his hips open and parallel to the sideline in order to run with midfielders. He was very good in transition, starting numerous fast breaks.
From the Notebook: Rangy. Athletic. Covers ground well. Excellent stick. Great GB guy. Pushes ball offensively.
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4. STEVEN SHOLLENBERGER
(Damascus, MD/Bullis):
Position: Attack
Class: 2016
Club Team: Bullis
Overall: A feed-first dodger, Shollenberger is an offensive QB. He made his mark during the day initiating from X, utilizing a good first step to evade defenders. He plays with his head up, surveying the crease area for open cutters. He also displayed the ability to finish on his own, scoring on a few mid-range shots in the games we took in.
From the Notebook: Initiator. Offensive QB. Dodging to pass. Looks for teammates. May force crease at times, but look was there. Plays older than age.
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5. COLIN STRANGE
(Lancaster, PA/Hemfield High School)
Position: Midfield
Class: 2015
Club Team: Low and Away U19/Lancaster
Overall: Strange is a solid two-way player who displayed an impressive skillset on both ends of the field. Offensively, Strange is an effective dodger and has a hard, accurate shot. Defensively, what caught our eye was his ability to close out from help position on the crease back up top on skip passes. He showed outstanding body control, bringing his feet underneath him as he flew out to cover the ball.
From the Notebook: Two-way player. Hustles. Plays smart. Outstanding defensive position. Brings feet with him defensively. Hard shot.
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Others who made an impression:
Justyn Jean-Felix, LSM/D, 2016 (Suwanee, GA/Lambert High School): Jean-Felix impressed with his stick, scooping up ground balls with ease and using his athleticism to spark transition. He was outstanding in-between-the-boxes and played solid defense.
Patrick Battista, A, 2015 (Forest Hill, MD/Loyola-Blakefield): A feed-first attackman, Battista has solid size and was able to get steps on defenders from behind the cage. He plays a smart game.
Greg Bayne, D, 2016 (Seven Fields, PA/Seneca Valley High School): Bayne has great size, which is noteworthy because he has plenty of time to grow. He played physical, sound position defense while on the ball and was also excellent off-ball, timing slides well, while also showing a good ability to get contested ground balls.
Bennett Faloni, M, 2016 (McMurray, PA/Peters Township High School): Faloni stood out most because of his excellent hustle and determination. He was very active all over the field, noteworthy in the riding game, where was outstanding in tracking down ball carriers and using the sideline as an extra defender to force the ball-carriers hand. He also dodged well and displayed an accurate shot.
Hugo Reisenbichler, M, 2015 (Dallas, TX/Highland Park High School): A solid finisher, Reisenbichler showed a good burst and ability to free his hands on multiple occasions. Has a knack for getting to the cage and scoring tight goals.
For our Featured Five from the Class of 2014, click here