2023 Charlotte Games to Watch
When we started The Scoop back in 2016, one of our goals was to fill the void in high school lacrosse media coverage in the Carolinas. While traditional sports like high school football, basketball and baseball are receiving daily coverage from the local media, you rarely hear anything about lacrosse and the success our players and teams are having. We want to be able to shine a light on some of the great things going on in our sport locally!
Similar to when we kicked off our coverage of the college lacrosse season with five games and 10 players to watch in 2023, over the next two editions of The Scoop, we’ll take a look at five high school games and 10 players to watch this upcoming season.
First up, five games that we are looking forward to this Spring:
Charlotte Catholic vs. Cannon – March 28th
Charlotte Catholic and Cannon are expected to be two of the top teams in North Carolina this Spring. Cannon is the clear favorite to win the NCISAA Championship while Charlotte Catholic is expected to compete for a championship this Spring. Cannon will be led by UNC-Commits Brayson and Brevin Wilson on each end of the field. Senior Brayson “Goose” Wilson is one of the top goalies in the country while younger brother and Junior Brevin Wilson is widely considered one of the top attackmen in the country within the junior class. Both are exceptional athletes. Cannon’s midfield will be one of the strongest in the Carolinas with Will Crispino (Middlebury) expected to play more offense and defense while freshman Quinn Frood steps in to take more faceoffs. Crispino will run with juniors Cole Frood (Brown) and Will Swartz (High Point). Ben Maynor (Delaware) will be asked to fill the defensive void left from 2022s Miles Edmiston (Monmouth), Aidan Swartz (Salisbury) and Dillon Casey (Georgia) who all graduated in 2022. Catholic will counter with an equally impressive lineup headlined by Georgetown commit Jack Ransom, Towson commit Colin Mendicino and sophomore Jack Baade at attack. With Ransom and Mendicino at attack, I would expect sophomore Brendan Leonard to come out of the midfield box and run with fellow sophomore Max Sovie and senior Mikey Giroux. Catholic Junior Brady Kam is one of the top goalies in the Carolinas while midyear transfer and sophomore faceoff midfielder Cannon Ridinger may be the key piece to pushing Catholic into the State Championship conversation.
Marvin Ridge vs. Weddington – March 31st and April 27th
Marvin Ridge versus Weddington is a rivalry in every sport and the lacrosse match-up has not disappointed over the last few years. The teams play each other twice each season and the games are always a battle. Marvin Ridge won a state championship in 2021. Weddington won a state championship in 2018 and 2019 before the 2020 season was cancelled but returned to the finals in 2022. Marvin Ridge will lean heavily on juniors Jack Nicolette (Providence College), Ryan Ormond, Michael Ormond and Riley Charrette as well as seniors Owen Canata, Declan Houlihan and Mikey Palombella. Weddington will replace a lot with Ryan Kazella (York College), Gabe Montognese (Christopher Newport University), Will Mitchell (Penn State) and Dane Johnson all having graduated in 2022. Charlie Smith (Providence College) is one of the top defensemen in the Carolinas and will be the unquestioned leader of a young Weddington team. He’ll be supported by Johnny D’Agostino (University of Indianapolis) and junior Noah Williams. They will also lean heavily on a strong sophomore and freshmen class highlighted by Anthony Long, Ryan Gatch, Drew Tsefrikas, Spencer Wright, Liam Grace, Thomas Wirth, and Case Shelley.
Myers Park at Charlotte Country Day – April 1st
Myers Park versus Charlotte Country Day School is another one of the top high school rivalries in the area. A lot of the players live in the same neighborhoods and have grown up playing together. The game also has one of the best crowds every season. On the field, Myers Park will lean heavily on the midfield line of senior Andrew Luff, junior Fletcher Curtis, and sophomore Brady Knutson. Eric Mendenhall and Max Forsyth will likely be the primary playmakers at attack. Junior Mason Adams is one of the top faceoff specialists in Charlotte and should give Myers Park an advantage throughout the Spring. Country Day will be one of the youngest teams in Charlotte this Spring. Senior Mack Sommerkamp (Embry-Riddle), senior Marshall Merz and junior Colin Rocco will be surrounded by freshmen. The two names to know are Crandall Wilkins and Mason Maher, two of the top freshmen in the area. Mason will likely be asked to fill the quarterback role (and get the ball to Sommerkamp on lefty finishes) for Country Day while Wilkins will be asked to everything from taking faceoffs to playing offense and defense for a thin Country Day squad.
Hough vs. Lake Norman – April 6th
Hough was expected to win the State Championship in 2022 before being upset by Weddington in the State semifinals. Gone is the best faceoff specialist in program history, George Kalos (UNC). Meanwhile midfielders Jackson Farris (Queens) and Ewan McAloon Cabrini), Attackman Peyton Turner (Tampa), defensemen John Long (High Point) and Kevin Stiff (Tampa) have graduated while junior Quinn Falasca (St. Johns) has transferred to Cannon and midfielder Mason Sulek has transferred to Lake Norman. There is still plenty of talent on the roster though led by senior Notre Dame commit Karter Williams. Seniors Nick Stagliano and Sawyer Hamilton will carry the weight offensively while Aidan Lockhart gives them a veteran in cage with a lot of experience. Sophomore Will Stagliano is one of the top faceoff specialists in the Carolinas and should provide Hough with plenty of possessions throughout the Spring. Lake Norman will lean heavily on two of the best sophomores in the state in midfielder Brandon DeBerardinis and goaltender John Torpy. Lake Norman and Hough have some of the best players in the state every season and both ask more of their players in the offseason than any other program in the Carolinas. However, they have combined for just one state championship in the last 10 years. Someone is due to win another!
Providence Day vs. Charlotte Christian – April 18th and May 4th
The Battle of Sardis Road. Providence Day School and Charlotte Christian sit just over 1.5 miles from each other on Sardis Road in Charlotte, NC. The high school football game has become a huge rivalry over the last few years and the lacrosse game looks like it may be on a similar path. Providence Day midfielder Connor Clark (Denison) and Charlotte Christian’s Logan Fox (Grove City) are two of the most athletic midfielders in the Carolinas. They will be asked to play in a similar role for their respective teams. Both will take the wings of faceoffs, play defense and be a focal point on offense. Providence Day’s left-handed attackman Will Thompson (Ohio Wesleyan) has a very high lacrosse IQ and is as smooth a player as you’ll find in the area. He’s great at finding seams in the defense then throwing skip passes to open shooters. Charlie Hanson (Sewanee) adds a veteran presence on defense for Providence Day. Away from Logan Fox, Christian will lean heavily on sophomore Beckett Vance. You’ll see him play both attack and midfield as he will rarely leave the field much. Junior Cal Girard adds another scoring threat for CCS and is another player capable of playing attack or midfield while Kurt Anderson is turning into a tough go on short stick defense. Defensively, senior Baker Reale (Palm Beach Atlantic) and sophomore Griffin Fox give Charlotte Christian a very strong back end along with junior Noah Wright as Jayden Stall enters his second year as the starting goaltender.
If you’re looking to get out and watch a high school lacrosse game this Spring, these should be five of the better games of the season and you’ll have the chance to watch some of the top young lacrosse players in the Carolinas.
Can’t get to one of these games? Shoot us a DM on Instagram @Team91CLT and we’ll point you in the right direction to some other great ones!
In our next edition of The Scoop, we’ll highlight 10 High School players in the area to check out this Spring.
Enjoy,
Ryan Flanagan
