Take a look at 25 of the top high school boys’ lacrosse players to watch in 2021. Organized by region, we highlight five players each from the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South, Midwest and West. The players are listed alphabetically by last name.
NORTHEAST
By Dylan Butler
Keith Boyer, Yorktown (N.Y.), D, Sr.
There’s been a litany of great lacrosse players at Yorktown, from Paul Carcaterra to Brett Makar to John Ranagan. Boyer could be among the best Huskers ever. An All-American in 2019 as a sophomore, the Duke-bound defender follows older brother Jose (Notre Dame) to play Division I college lacrosse.
Andy Demopoulos, Darien (Conn.), G, Sr.
A starter as a sophomore, Demopoulos was highly influential in Darien’s latest state championship run. Originally committed to Johns Hopkins, the senior made the switch to Brown when Dave Pietramala was let go last April and is the latest in a long line of spectacular Blue Wave goalies.
Andrew McAdorey, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.), M, Sr.
The cerebral midfielder follows Brennan O’Neill as a “Best in Class” at St. Anthony’s, and like the bruising attackman, McAdorey will play for John Danowski at Duke. The senior, who had 23 goals and 21 assists as a freshman, is a force on both ends of the field and always plays at 100 miles per hour.
Aidan Mulholland, Manhasset (N.Y.), M, Sr.
A dynamic midfielder, this Michigan-bound senior can score with both hands and dodge from seemingly anywhere. He opened eyes at the World Series of Youth Lacrosse and continued to showcase his next-level skills at Manhasset, where he had 36 goals and 18 assists as a sophomore.
Joey Spallina, Mt. Sinai (N.Y.), A, Jr.
Once a child prodigy, Spallina is the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2022 and a newly minted Syracuse commit. Son of Stony Brook women’s coach Joe Spallina, the junior had 66 goals and 65 assists as a freshman at Mt. Sinai.
MID-ATLANTIC
By Tom Peace
Luke Engelke, Pingry (N.J.), FO/M, Jr.
Committed to Duke, Engelke is a huge asset for his team on faceoffs, as he tends to win the ball quickly to himself and take it directly toward goal. The lefty has solid stick skills and is athletic for someone of his tall stature.
Chrishawn Hunter, Westtown (Pa.), M, So.
Hunter is one of the young talents to keep an eye on in the Mid-Atlantic region as a 6-foot-4 right-hander who has made the rounds on the national stage through club lacrosse.
Remington Reynolds, Gilman (Md.), LSM, Sr.
The Rutgers-bound lefty midfielder brings a defensive motor but also poses an offensive threat in transition. He’s aggressive but controlled and has strong stick skills.
Luke Rhoa, St. John’s College High School (D.C.), M, Jr.
A three-star prospect according to Inside Lacrosse, Rhoa has a good combination of speed, physicality and high lacrosse IQ. He’s committed to Syracuse.
Brian Ruppel, Catonsville (Md.), G, Jr.
The Maryland commit is considered among the top goalies in the region and will be one to watch this season.
SOUTH
By Justin Boggs
Trace Davidson, Gulf Coast (Fla.), M, Sr.
The Maryland recruit was impressive during a 50-goal, 60-assist sophomore season and was just one of 13 sophomores named a US Lacrosse All-American in 2019.
Christian Fournier, Westlake (Texas), D, Sr.
The Army recruit helped the Chaparrals to a 16-2 finish in 2019 and remains a key part of their defense this season.
Matthew Nunes, The Woodlands (Texas), G, Sr.
The Virginia commit is rated as the third-best goalie in the class of 2021 by Inside Lacrosse. Nunes’ accomplishments include being a previous Under Armour Underclass Tournament MVP.
Conor Spagnolli, Southlake Carroll (Texas), D, Sr.
The Townson recruit led the Dragons to a 13-5 season in 2019.
Joe Taraboletti, Ponte Vedra (Fla.), M, Sr.
Taraboletti was part of the 2019 state championship team. He is headed to Denver in the fall.
MIDWEST
By Jonah Rosenblum
Adam Blind, Culver Military Academy (Ind.), G, Jr.
New coach Jon Birsner says the Eagles junior is the “No. 1 goalie in the country for a reason.” According to Birsner, Blind is “calm in the net, explodes to the ball (and) will anchor our defense.”
Crawford Bundy, MICDS (Mo.), M, Sr.
Bundy impressed as a sophomore, compiling 17 goals and 30 assists in 2019. As a senior, the Georgetown commit already has five goals and three assists through two games.
Bo Lockwood, Hartland (Mich.), A, Jr.
Talk about a big freshman season — Lockwood poured in 66 goals and 46 assists back in 2019. The All-American’s efforts that season included five assists in the quarterfinals against Lake Orion and six goals and two assists against Brighton.
Nolan Rappis, Kettle Moraine (Wisc.), A, Sr.
It’s little wonder that the Marquette commit earned All-American honors as a sophomore in 2019. He had 17 assists in his first four games, scored multiple goals in 12 straight contests and finished with 53 goals and 60 assists.
Luke Vrsansky, St. Xavier (Ohio), M, Jr.
The Air Force commit wasted little time showing what he could do, scoring 47 goals and 25 assists as a freshman. His 2019 heroics included a five-goal performance in the state semifinals against Upper Arlington.
WEST
By Laurel Pfahler
Joe Azelby, Eastlake (Wash.), LSM/D, Sr.
The Dartmouth commit is considered an offensively-inclined, high-motor defender with clean stick skills. He’s a consistent spark for his team and capable of momentum-changing plays.
Matt Carbonell, San Ramon Valley (Calif.), M, Sr.
A versatile, natural lefty with a slick stick, Carbonell is expected to play a big role for the Wolves this season, as they look to build off a 17-2 finish in 2019. Carbonell is committed to Holy Cross.
Dewey Egan, Torrey Pines (Calif.), A, Sr.
The UNC commit is a versatile attackman who tallied 11 goals through the first two games of 2020 and should be the team leader this season. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, he is a matchup nightmare and brings a diverse skill set that makes him difficult to stop and a threat off ball, too.
Duke Reeder, St. Ignatius Prep (Calif.), D, Sr.
Committed to Stanford for football as a linebacker, Reeder is one of the top defenders in the state on the lacrosse field, too. The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder is physically dominant, can bully dodgers with heavy checks and also is considered solid off-ball.
Jack Ringhofer, Regis Jesuit (Colo.), A, Sr.
A captain, Ringhofer was all-league in 2019 and has been a key contributor for the Raiders since his freshman year. The four-star Princeton recruit tallied 26 goals and 28 assists as a sophomore.