Is HE the BEST 8th Grader in Lacrosse??

Good morning.

I’m Jake and this is Recruit Report presented by Apex Lacrosse Events.

I’m your friend who tells you everything you need to know about high school lacrosse.

Apex just opened up limited spots for the Apex Fall National Showcase.

Over 200 alumni are now playing D1 lacrosse, and there’s over 30 college lacrosse coaches attending.

Spots are closing soon, and you can fill out an interest form here.

Now, let’s get into it!

September 1st is Finally Here

Happy September 1st week to those who celebrate.

If you’re a junior, it might be a day you’ve anticipated for many years. College lacrosse coaches can finally contact you and get you on campus for a recruiting visit.

If you’re expecting to get some calls, congratulations! You’ve earned it, and it’s exciting that you get to see your hard work pay off.

If you feel behind or discouraged, let me tell you a story. 

Meet Asher Nolting. He’s one of the frontrunners for the MVP of the PLL this season. The former High Point attackman is dominating the sport right now.

But before he was a professional lacrosse star, he was an overlooked recruit from Colorado. He didn’t commit to High Point until April of his senior year - 1 month before he graduated!

So if you want to play high level college lacrosse, there’s plenty of time left. If you’re not getting calls, use it as fuel to work harder to become even better.

This leads us to the next section of this email…

What Johnny Manziel Can Teach Us About Lacrosse

This week I finally caved and watched the new Johnny Manziel documentary on Netflix.

But Jake…what does this have to do with lacrosse? 

Good question. Although Johnny was a football player, we’ve all seen his story play out in our sport.

Long story short, Johnny Manziel went from an unknown football player to winning the Heisman trophy. He started hanging out with Drake and LeBron James, and he had a case for being one of the most famous people in America.

People were calling him the next great NFL quarterback.

Fast-forward a few short years, and he was considered to be one of the biggest busts in NFL history.

He later said he watched zero film during his time with the Cleveland Browns. It was quite the rise and fall.

We’ve all played lacrosse with players who make the game look effortless. They have all the talent in the world, and the game comes easy to them. They don’t work as hard as you, but they get more playing time and looks from coaches. Maybe you’re that guy on your team right now.

But guess what…it doesn’t matter if you’re the #1 recruit in the country. Or if you go on to win the Tewaaraton award. If you aren’t disciplined…if you don’t put in the work…it will catch up to you.

So when you think about your own lacrosse game, ask yourself, “Am I just relying on my talent? Or am I putting in the work?”

This Might Be the Best 8th Grader In Lacrosse

Sometimes you’ll see 8th graders playing 1 grade up with their club team.

But a rising 8th grader playing with rising sophomores? That’s a different story. 

Meet Sam Kelleher - he’s an LSM from Pennsylvania who lit up the summer lacrosse scene.

He’s in the class of 2028, but he played with the 2026 group in the New Balance All-American games.

Long story short, he’s making a strong case to be one of the best 8th graders in the country.

His highlights are on repeat for me this week. Let’s see how he progresses as a high schooler.

Remember, every week we feature a recruit. Respond to this email to nominate a player!

Talk to you soon.

P.S. Make sure to fill out an interest form before the Apex Fall National Showcase spots close.

Best,

Jake