The Fastest High School Lacrosse Player Is...

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!

This is the Most Important Thing You’ll Learn Today

I wish someone showed me this graphic earlier in my lacrosse career.

The journey to becoming a top lacrosse recruit is hard. It’s also not linear - it’s full of ups and downs.

You already know this, but let me give you some of my favorite examples:

• Brennan O’Neill was held scoreless in the college lacrosse national championship game this year. He then scored 5 goals in the world lacrosse championship a month later.

• Chris Gray was unranked when the first Inside Lacrosse high school rankings came out. The next year, he was ranked the #8 player in his class.

• Luke Wierman missed a wide open, game-tying shot to send Maryland to overtime in the 2021 college national championship. The next year, he was a 1st team All-American and won the national championship. 

• Sergio Perkovic and Myles Jones have been called some of the best lacrosse players in the world. This week, they got demoted to the reserve roster in the PLL. Next year they could be All-Pro players.

Use this as motivation. If you’re not where you want to be, keep going. If you think you’ve “made it,” keep going.

How to Dominate at Tryouts, Pt. 3

Last time we talked about becoming the missing piece on your team.

Now for Part 3: learning your team’s offensive and defensive schemes. 

In tryouts, you’re trying to find any “edge” or leg up you can. If you know how the offense rotates and what the defensive terms mean…

you’ll be one step ahead of your competition.

Coaches will think: “Okay great. He’s already a quick learner and can fit into my system.”

So how do you do this? Well get your hands on last year’s film or playbook. Ask a returning varsity player if you need to.

Channel your inner detective and see what you can find.

You Need to Listen to This Lacrosse Interview

This week, Paul Rabil released a video of a PLL Players Roundtable.

It was a conversation with some of the game’s top players like Michael Sowers, Blaze Riorden, Tom Schrieber, etc.

This is a must-watch. You get to understand how the best lacrosse players in the world operate.

A few of my takeaways:

• Every player as a different approach to practice. Blaze Riorden says he usually doesn’t practice leading up to a game. He feels that being “fresh” is more important, because he’s already put in the countless hours to be the best goalie. Other players said they practice multiple times each week leading up to a game.

• Ryder Garnsey on his mindset when shooting: “I think I’m an irrationally confident person. So if I miss [a shot], I think the next one’s going in.” No matter what, you have to be confident and believe in yourself.

• A good reminder for all lacrosse players: Romar Dennis said, “I wish kids knew how much time they need to spend to be on Team USA or to play at Notre Dame or Duke.”

Featured Recruit: Matt Jeffery

He’s the starting QB for the football team. The starting point guard for the basketball team. And this year, he was named the Connecticut lacrosse player of the year.

Matt Jeffery is currently ranked the #2 recruit in the class of 2024, but he’s making a strong case for being the #1 recruit when the new rankings drop.

I’m not sure there’s a faster, more explosive player in his class. He can break you down with his split dodge, or pick you apart with his lacrosse IQ.

He’s been better at dodging with his head up, making him a dual threat as a shooter and passer.

The Notre Dame commit has a chance for serious playing time as a freshman for the Irish if he keeps this up.

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

Talk to you soon.

Best,

Jake