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SPARKS, Md. — Will Chiasson threw a one-handed wrap check riding back on Hunter Lubiniecki that dislodged both stick and ball from the Team Ontario midfielder. He scooped the ball from the Tierney Field turf, lobbed it up the field and sprinted to the substitution box.

“Phew,” he said, breathless as he moved through the line of outstretched gloves ready to compliment him on his gritty play. “I did not think I was gonna land that.”

Chiasson, a sophomore midfielder at Noble and Greenough School (Mass.), scored two goals and induced that yard sale to lead the USA Select U16 boys’ team to a 8-3 win over Team Ontario in the Brogden Cup at USA Lacrosse on Sunday. The U.S. also defeated the Haudenosaunee Nationals 6-1 to complete a four-game sweep in its division.

“There’s no greater honor than wearing the red, white and blue,” Chiasson said afterward. “I’d rather be playing for these guys than any college team in the country.”

That sense of pride — and seeing a palpable pathway from U16 to U18 to U20 and senior national teams — was what USA Lacrosse envisioned when it launched the National Team Development Program three years ago.  

“It’s not a typical club weekend where they go play with their buddies. There’s a lot bigger meaning behind this,” USA Select U16 coach Brian Phipps said. “And ultimately, there’s an end goal. Hopefully they’re here in the Fall Classic six, seven years from now playing for the men’s team.”

Phipps praised the play of midfielders Justin Brown and Milki Conway-Reppert, as well as attackman Luke Miller. Brown and Miller are local standouts at St. Paul’s (Md.) and McDonogh (Md.), respectively. A recipient of the Coaches Award, Conway-Reppert plays for Loomis-Chaffee (Conn.).

Phipps also noted the geographic makeup of the roster, citing strong performances by faceoff specialist Flynn Wilson and goalie Hunter Keller. They’re from South Carolina and Utah, respectively. All told, the 22 players on the USA Select U16 boys’ team come from schools in 11 different states.

“It’s not just the hotbeds. We have two kids from Seattle,” Phipps said. “They’re all good players. It’s not like, ‘Oh, we should take them because we have to from this tryout pool.’ No, they’re here because they’re the best players.”

Chiasson said the players developed chemistry at the National Team Development Program Combine in August that carried them through this weekend. He hopes he can stay with the program in the coming years.

“I’d love to keep making it. As you get older, the competition gets better,” Chiasson said. “I’ve got to keep working to keep playing at the highest level.”