Blue Dogs Lacrosse Blog
Welcome to the first ever Blue Dogs Lacrosse Blog! This is your place to read up on everything you need to know in the world of lacrosse, coming at you every two weeks so you’ll never miss a thing with ample time to catch up between posts. Written by a combination of all the guys here at Blue Dogs, you’re sure to find something you’ll like.
This week we have some D1 commits during the early part of the committing process, PLL Conference Championship recaps, and a little PLL Championship preview at the end. Enjoy!
5 Star Commits (Sep. 6, 2024)
As the 2024 lacrosse commits get underway, the spotlight is increasingly turning toward the promising talents of the Class of 2026. These juniors are making very important decisions. At the time of writing this on the 6th of September there have been a handful of 5 star commits. What is important to note, is that the colleges and players could only communicate starting 5 days ago. This means that some of these players are committing without using all of their official visits. Some players have dream schools and when given offers will take them. Below are listed some notable commits from 5 stars as of September 6th. Important things to note about these early commits is the connection before the date of September first.
Dylan Faison - St. Andrews (FL) - Notre Dame
Dylan Faison’s older brother, a current star at Notre Dame for lacrosse and football, set the path for his younger brother. Following in the footsteps of his older brother Jordan, Dylan committed to play football for Notre Dame as well, which allowed him to commit to the school before the spring sport deadline of September 1st.
AJ Theodorakakos - Penfield SR High - Army
The Military academies get a head start on recruiting. Starting in July the academies get a two month head start on the competition. AJ Theodorakakos was clearly bought into serving his country as he committed on July 1st.
Brian Burke - St. Sebastian's School (MA) - Harvard
Brian Burke who is from Massachuesetts commits to Harvard, electing to stay in the 6th state. It should be noted that he has two older sisters who also played and attended Harvard and he grew up going to games there. This was likely an easy decision that he had already made before September.
Hunter Metz - McDonogh - Notre Dame
Hunter is the second offensive player to commit to Notre Dame for the class of 2026. Recently it seems like Notre Dame can take whoever they want. Collecting two out of the ten players is a very strong start for this class. While Notre Dame can almost take whoever they want, Hunter Metz was locked into going to South Bend since he was a kid. Hunter told us Notre Dame has always been his dream school. “The amazing academics. The coaches at Notre Dame were incredible, I really clicked with them. To be honest it has been my dream school since I was a little kid!” Hunter posted a picture of him in a Notre Dame jersey as a kid alongside his commitment edit.
Hunter Mezzatesta - Yorktown HS (NY) - Virginia
Hunter was always going to attend pretty much whatever school he wanted. Hunter played up a year for club, setting the standard for the other goalies in the class of 2026. With all the pressure of being the best in the class Hunter balled out consistently which is all you can ask for in a goalie!! Virginia who is known for having elite goalies just grabbed themselves another.
Joe Ligas - Whitney HS (CA) - Notre Dame
Joe Ligas made a jump from 89-91 with his Inside Lacrosse analysis which allowed him to jump into the top 10 in the rankings. With his commitment to Notre Dame we are watching Notre Dame re-stock with what looks to be a dynasty in the making!!
PLL Conference Championships
The dedication it takes to write this while on a train heading to Miami does not go unnoticed, that’s why Sam is winning our Blue Dogs Blog Employee of the Month, decided upon by the editors of this blog. Congratulations Sam, you earned it! However, something a little more valuable was on the line this weekend, as the PLL Conference Championships took place at Hofstra on Saturday. Below is a recap of the games and shed some light on what this means for the upcoming championship game.
The first game of the afternoon was one of the best playoff games in the history of this league. Both teams have a legitimate claim to the top attack lines in the PLL, and while this league is still young, this matchup sets the stage for a classic, gritty rivalry for the future.
Unfortunately for New York fans the early fireworks did not last all 4 quarters, but the Atlas did jump out to a quick 3-0 lead. The resilient Maryland squad clawed back to keep it close at the end of the 1st, closing the quarter trailing 6-3. One thing to note is how much transition and isolation ball was played by both teams. This observation would cause one to think the Whipsnakes would have kept it closer given how nightmarish it is to guard Matt Rambo and Zed Williams in a 1-on-1 scenario, but the Atlas defense held their own and the Whipsnakes helped them out by appearing relatively uninterested in getting those 2 involved. The second quarter saw both teams fall into a bit more of a rhythm, as both teams would match each other’s scoring output for the whole quarter. The real story here is the Whipsnakes defense and specifically Brendan Krebs standing on his head, helping hold the Atlas 2 for 9 on shooting. 8-5 NY going into the half.
The third quarter saw the Whipsnakes start on the backfoot by taking a penalty, but once again their vaunted defense is equal to the task and kills the penalty. Maryland begins to pull closer with a goal after half by Zed Williams, finally getting the isolation while both teams were subbing leaving Zed with a ton of space to operate. It’s not fair to say the dam broke, however the momentum certainly began to shift as the Whipsnakes offense began to find their rhythm. Each possession felt as though more of the players were touching the ball, in addition to some phenomenal dodges on an individual level including a smart, tenacious dodge by Heacock on Jake Stevens without a stick. Only up by 1 goal, New York had a couple of prime scoring chances, one in transition and another coming on the Power Play. The scoring drought continued for New York as they would go on to miss 13 straight shots from their last goal in the 2nd quarter through the end of the third. The Atlas offense never seemed to find a sense of urgency or rhythm as many of their offensive possessions would include 2 dodges at most and very little sustained pressure with subsequent dodges. As the quarter was drawing to a close, Maryland kept mounting their comeback with a miraculous 1-handed wraparound shovel shot from TJ Malone to tie the game at 8 and the put the Atlas on their heels going into the 4th quarter.
The Atlas were not going to go gentle into that good night, with Liam Entemenn committing one count of 1st-degree felony robbery on Matt Rambo, keeping the Whipsnakes at bay for another possession to give his guys a chance to retake the lead. New York takes a quick transition shot, to no avail, Entemenn makes another great save on the ensuing transition shot by the Whips, and again in transition Bryan Costabile drills a 2-pointer to give the Atlas a jolt of life. After another penalty on Maryland, and another failed Power Play, NY retained possession and exploited the rapidly tiring Maryland defense for an absolute rocket by the MVP favorite, Jeff Teat, to put the Atlas up by 3, and more importantly, 2 possessions. If PLL games only had 43 minutes, then I would be writing about how this NY franchise is so well deserving of a championship match. But PLL games have 48 minutes, and the Atlas were facing off against the only back-to-back champions in PLL history. First, the midseason trade acquisition Ryan Conrad drains 1, then the age old combination of Heacock and Rambo net the next 2 to send this game to overtime. An we all know what happens when the Whips go to overtime. Although the two teams traded blows, including a hectic scrabble that ended with a shot ringing off the iron. It may as well have been a funeral toll for the Atlas as they would not see the ball again, only forced to watch Levi Anderson allegedly ward on a swim dodge that led to the OT winner.
Before comforting the Atlas fanbase, it would be good to mention that the entire Whipsnakes offense needs to pool their game checks and take Krebs out for a steak dinner, as he is the sole reason they were able to stay in this game. It would also be a slap in the face to journalists everywhere if we didn’t acknowledge the fact that the Whipsnakes were able to steal a goal as Coach Pressler threw a challenge flag about 3 seconds too late on a goal that was clearly in the crease. Maryland fans rejoice in your good fortune, Atlas fans read the following statement to make yourselves feel a little better. The Atlas’ season is over, I’m sorry New York fans. It was a wild ride, and there is much to be excited for as the entire team is young and elite. It doesn’t do much to ease the sting of defeat in the moment, but if it is any consolation, at least you performed significantly better than the Chaos in the following matchup.
And the attention turns to the aforementioned team, the Carolina Chaos. The majority of the guys here at Blue Dogs picked them as a result of Tom Schreiber’s unfortunate collar bone injury and the long history of the Chaos upsetting the Archers in the playoffs. However, history does not always repeat itself, as the Chaos were unable to score for the first 47 minutes of the game. Reminder from earlier, PLL games are 48 minutes. There is nothing more to say other than the Chaos pissed down their leg and got beaten like a ridden mule. Sure, Brett Dobson had over 95% save percentage, and you can argue that 10 goals is a normal amount of goals to let up in a playoff game. While all of that is true, going 1 for 40 in a professional game, a conference championship no less, is inexcusable. This writeup is not really meant to rub salt in the wound of the Chaos faithful, it's simply a byproduct of the anger felt after watching what was supposed to be a great matchup. At any rate, the Archers move on to, in a funny twist of fate, try to become the second ever repeat champs and knock off the only team to accomplish such a feat in the process. This game does not warrant much more of a writeup than this, but first, here is something for you Chaos fans out there. Take heart, you have the best goalie in the league, and some really talented and cohesive pieces on offense. You’ll be back, and if you need any extra support, go watch the 2021 championship game.
Two teams, one game, and a chance to cement a place as one of the early dynasties of this league. Will the Whipsnakes extend their ring count to 3, or will the Archers match them at 2? This matchup will be absolute dynamite at every level of the field, Nardella vs Sisselberger at the stripe, two elite defenses with virtually no weaknesses, and two high powered offenses with chemistry, fire power, and poise. If you have a pulse, this game will get your heart pounding. So who comes out on top? There isn’t a clear answer, but there are a few keys to victory for both teams. Whichever team’s offense can cohesively apply pressure deep into the shot clock will probably win. As obvious as that sounds, the Whipsnakes had a hard time getting settled offense going until the second half, and the Archers are without their former MVP lethal weapon on offense. These defenses are too good to simply play iso-ball and the goalie are equally superior to eat ill-advised shots. This game will come down to which team’s offense can synergize the quickest and longest, mark my words.
Thank you for reading the Blue Dogs Lacrosse Blog, we will be back in 2 weeks (9/23) where we will update you with more D1 commits, PLL Championship recap, and some NLL previews as we approach the box season. If you need a reminder, go outside and play some lacrosse today.