By Brett Hughes, Senior Editor

St. Paul's School in Maryland had it's largest class to sign Division 1 lacrosse. Coach Rick Brocato mentioned that four of his players have been on St. Paul's campus since they the age of two.

"Two of these guys are 16 year vets," he mentioned, "while another two of them are thirteen year vets." 

Thats a pretty amazing number from the always powerful high school program. Coach Brocato has 17 returning seniors headlined by Midfielder Pat Powderly, who signed his letter to play ball for Syracuse.

Check the video out here to hear from some of St. Paul's best about their college choice's. 

By Brett Hughes, Senior Editor

Check out some of the "hot off the press" National Letter of Intent signings. Jack Reilly just put his name on the line at noon yesterday making it official that the Hopkins Blue jays landed the best athlete in the class. 

UNC has absolutley put together an incredible class.. Mark McNeill might be as strong an athlete as Reilly and continues to develop at a steady rate. If the time is put in McNeill who, Inside Lacrosse has as the No. 3 recruit, may end up being the top player in the class. Will Campbell from Worthington Kilbourne is an absolute man amongst boys and with Duncan Hutchins signing with UNC, the Tar Heels have the a bright future between the lines. TJ Kemp from McCallie, Tenn., can absolutley shoot the rock so look for him to make his way on the field on extra man early.

Hopkins and Syracuse are right around the same level, on Inside Lacrosse the have Hop as No. 2 and Syracuse as No. 3. I believe that the top of Hopkins recruiting class is better than 'Cuse, but there is a lot of talent for 'Cuse from top to bottom.

Kevin Interlicchio is another player who has a chance to be a repeat All-American at Johns Hopkins and will spark the Blue Jays on offense. The pipeline to Dublin-Jermoe, Ohio, continues with Eric Ruhl, which will make three players on the Jays roster. Something that is pretty unusual for an Ohio team. The big gun in that class is Jack Reilly, he is just flat out a space eater and the type of kid who is going to learn whatever it takes to blow up at the next level. Dave Pitremala has some talent to get Hopkins back to the top. It doesnt take him all that long to do it as we have seen before.

Maryland and Virginia just did what they always seem to do. Maryland got some talents players with that get to work mentality that Maryland seems to carry. Yesterday, Maryland added to their roster, Geoff Shannon of Inside Lacrosse reports that Peter Boyle also committed, staying in state to play for Dave Cottle. I also love Quinn Haley from Queen Anne's Md. He is a tough attackman that can turn the corner and I believe will fit in will with the squad in College Park.

Virginia will post another athletic class with Scott McWilliams, Rob Emery, and Pat Harbeson leading the way. The two St. Anne's Belfield boys, Austin Geisler and Owen Van Arsdale, will be contributers as well and with the glaring hole being a goalie for the future Austin "A-Money" Geisler will have a chance to step up down the road.

Ohio State coach Nick Myers landed some good talent as well in his mission to bring the Buckeyes into the national spotlight after departure of Joe Breschi to UNC. Look for Adam Trombley to help the Buckeyes out on attack and Calvert Hall goalie Greg Dutton will be solid between the pipes whenever his time comes for OSU. Check out some others on the IL Big Board.

Inside Lacrosse has it laid out here. 

By Brett Hughes, Senior Editor

Carl Walrath is a two sport star for Haverford School (Pa.). The Midfielder/Attackman is also stars on the gridiron and is closing in on 1,000 yards rushing on the season. He hopes to pass the benchmark this weekend. Haverford's football team is 7-3 with a tough overtime loss to Chestnut Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.) this past weekend.

Walrath verbally committed to Dom Starsia and the Virginia Cavaliers. He looks to end his football season strong before gearing up with a cast of talent at Haverford for big lacrosse season.

Staying grounded and dedicated is something you hear often when discussin Walrath.

"My Parents are my mentors. They both work extremley hard and have taught me a lot of important lessons in dealing with life and sports," he said giving credit to his parents. 

This is why Walrath may be one of the up and coming stars on a team full of them.

When asked if he thought about playing football anywhere in college it was simple, "Playing football in college would be amazing, but lacrosse is the better choice for me." 

As Walrath closses in on his 1,000 yard season, the Fords punctuated with a win over Malvern with a last second field goal. The win marked the first time the Fords beat Malvern Prep (Malvern, Pa.) since 1992. His eyes are not on the linebackers in front of him, but with his teammates heading to play lacrosse with him like Matt Wlaters to 'Cuse, Conor Kelly to Notre Dame and Goran Murray to play  at Maryland.

it's hard to not be excited for the Phiily based team that plans on impressing this spring in a tough league.

ESPN RISE looks forward to following Walrath and his team and keep checking back in as we see how Havefords season winds down on the gridiron and gears up for lacrosse season.

By Brett Hughes, Senior Editor

As promised our stars from top to bottom share with you the shoes you'll want to look into. I personally must say shoes are about as important as anything in sports, so take time, get what fits best, just make sure you get a good pair. And as far as style, well thats all on you. Send us a link to your favorite pair to me here. Email:Brett Hughes

Brendan Mundorf
Denver Outlaws/Team USA/ UMBC Alum
A: Classic Timberland work boots, great to just kick around.
 
Connor English
Unviersity of Virginia
A: Favorite pair of shoes has to my lime green high dunks
 
Frank Price
Holy Springs, NC.
UVA
A: My favorite pair of shoes by far are my combat boots.  Comfortable and reliable, cant beat em.
 

Quinn Haley
Queen Anne's, MD.
Maryland
A: My go to shoes for the last few years were hardly shoes, SANUK light canvas slip-ons.
 
 
Jake Haley
Queen Anne's
Georgetown
A: My favorite pair of shoes are probably my brown reefs I've had since freshman year.
(too hard to call on athletic shoes)
 
John Urbank
Chaminnade
Georgetown
A: I am a flip flop guy when it comes to shoes. My favorite pair of flip-flops is Sanuks. They're made in like Hawaii or somewhere. Really comfy.
 
Tyler German
Midfield
UVA
1.My grandparents own a condo in Ocean City, so our usual vacation spot is staying there for a few weeks in the summer.

2. My favorite pair of shoes ever... um I'm gonna have to go with my red, white and blue Gilbert Arenas shoes that I had my best basketball game in.
 
Bruce Pirie
Indian Hills, N.Y.
Bryant
A: My favorite pair of shoes ever were skate shoes. Brown/ tan high top IPath Grasshopper's. If they still made them I'd have 10 pair in all colors.
 
Mark Brashears
Broadneck Highschool, MD
Undecided
A: Clarks Wallabees

Tanner Ottenbreit
Regis, CO.
UVA
A: My favorite pair of shoes are the Charles Barkley Series Air Force Ones (White/Blue)
 
Pete Rosetti
Collegiate, VA.
Georgetown
A: White Nike Air Force Ones... not even debatable there.
 
Tobey Armour
Choate Rosmary Hall, CT.
Johns Hopkins
A: Favorite shoes would have to be all black Nike air max...greatest shoes ever
 
Jack Reilly
Christian Brothers Academy, N.Y.
Johns Hopkins
A: Favorite pair of shoes ever - certainly not this ortho boot I'm in right now but when I was about 5 or 6 I had a rocking pair of sneakers with flashing lights in the heels - they were mad cool - wish they had those in size 16's.  
 
Zach Rogers
Palos Verdes, CA.
Providence
2. My favorite pair of shoes are my green Vans
 
John Hardesty
Upper Arlington, OH.
Ohio State
A: Nike Pumps
 
Paul Harrison
Dematha
Drexel
A: Probably this pair of Nike Dunk SB's that are hemp that I got from Journeys, they are pretty nasty.
 
Josh Matanin
St. Paul's MD.
Undecided
A: The best pair of shoes I have ever had are the Nike Hyperdunks.  They are really comfy and they're really light.  I like the way they look and I can wear them on the basketball court as well.

By Brett Hughes, Senor Editor

It was a good Halloween weekend of lacrosse at the Hawaii Invitational with great pictures and costumes coming back from the Islands.
 
This week we asked some of our past and present RISE UP BOYS and pro laxers about their own get-away favs, and in part two tomorrow we ask their favorite shoes to kick it in. With the weather starting to get cold and grey we asked our boys where they love to go and relax… everything from campfires to the Bahamas, our boys have their own ways to unwind.
 
We also welcome in a newcomer to the ER Lax blog, UMBC alum, current MLL star and recent TEAM USA selection Brendan Mundorf. The Mundorf has steadily made himself one of the top attackman in the world and continues to get better every year.  This summer will be one of the keys to team USA reclaiming the world title from Canada.
 
We also welcome back an original RISE UP BOY, Connor English. The Long Island star ended with a bang claiming MVP honors. He hasn't skipped a beat posting a five goal and one assist scrimmage earlier this fall for the Virginia Cavaliers. Connor will be fighting for a starting spot as a freshman for the Cavaliers joining good company, who did the same before him, Conor Gill, Steele Stanwick, Matt Ward, John Christmas, Danny Glading, to name a few.
 
Brendan Mundorf
Denver Outlaws
1.  I love to hang out outside.  Any bar/restaurant with an open air feel or large patio is awesome.

Connor English
Unviersity of Virginia
1.Favorite vacation spot def has to be Bermuda, its so nice their and my spot around town to relax is the turf I just go up and shoot and it calms me down

Frank Price
Holy Springs, NC.
UVA
1. Not really one spot, but I love hanging around a bonfire.

Quinn Haley
Queen Anne's, MD.
Maryland
1.We do big family vacations with all our cousins on the southern tip of Hatteras Island, NC where the land is so skinny you can see water all around you, and no big crowds so you can get a little crazy and enjoy the nice surf or takeover the beach with an epic ultimate frisbee game.
   
Jake Haley
Queen Anne's
Georgetown
1.  For a regular hangout, I like Greenwood Creek - just off of Eastern Bay -  with a great atmosphere for swimming, crabbing, fishing, and water sports, or just chillin on a pier.    
 
John Urbank
Chaminnade
Georgetown
1. My favorite vacation spot is probably Cape Cod. My aunt has a house out there right on the beach. Also the seafood is awesome.
   
Tyler German
Midfield
UVA
1.My grandparents own a condo in Ocean City, so our usual vacation spot is staying there for a few weeks in the summer.

Bruce Pirie
Indian Hills, N.Y.
Bryant
1. My Vacation spot is Beach Haven Long Beach Island. It's the REAL Jersey Shore, not that slimy seaside...I mean seaside that people typically think of. It's a beautiful, calm island my family has been going to for over 40 years, and if you asked anyone from my family where their favorite place to relax is, it would be Ramapo Lane Beach Haven, LBI.
 
Mark Brashears
Broadneck Highschool, MD
Undecided
1. My favorite place to vacation would definitely be the Bahamas. All the people were so chill and relaxed and the beaches and water are so nice.

Tanner Ottenbreit
Regis, CO.
UVA
1. No favorite vacation spot but I love going up to Vail in the summer time to just relax with friends and family and play some lacrosse.
 
Pete Rosetti
Collegiate, VA.
Georgetown
1. I would have to say that my favorite vacation spot is Duck Village on the Outer-Banks of North Carolina and my favorite place to relax in town has to my basement.

Tobey Armour
Choate Rosmary Hall, CT.
Johns Hopkins
1. Block Island...go there in the summer...chillest spot ever.
 
Jack Reilly
Christian Brothers Academy, N.Y.
Johns Hopkins
1. Favorite place to vacation/relax - I enjoy chillin on the beach in Chatham, MA every August.
 
Zach Rogers
Palos Verdes, CA.
Providence
1. My favorite vacation spot is Kaanapali Beach on Maui because of the great
weather and pristine water.  Shaved ice at Whalers Village is super legit.
 
John Hardesty
Upper Arlington, OH.
Ohio State
1. Cruisin' anywhere in the Caribbean!
 
Paul Harrison
Dematha
Drexel
1. About every year my family and some family friends go down to Corolla Light in the Outer Banks for a week, there are some sick houses down there right by the beach and there is a pool and different types of shops right there in the main complex... Its a pretty chill place.

Josh Matanin
St. Paul's MD.
Undecided
1. My favorite vacation spot is Deep Creek Lake.  When I'm there, I don't have to worry about anything.  I can just relax and get away from the world.  At the same time there is so much to do.  I could go out on the lake or I could go up into the mountains.  I could have a bonfire with friends or just sit back and watch a movie. Deep Creek Lake is just a great way to get away and relax.

What do you want to ask our RISE UP BOYS Email me Brett Hughes.

Posted by Brett Hughes, Senior Editor

Geoff Shannon of Inside Lacrosse brings some good news for five schools in his latest recruiting roundup.

I think the big winner this week is Ohio State, with recent news of Luke Treece from Upper Arlington, Ohio, and now another in-state Blue Chip player Kyle Bernlohr have helped the Buckeyes' class.

Treece, who I have seen multiple times because he is a star from my alma mater will bring not only good skills, but he has the potential to grow in college and become a solid Division 1 player.

Brenlohr might be one of the best goalies in the class. I think where Ohio State wins with these two players is the idea of protecting its boarders. Ohio may not have the number of Blue Chip players that Maryland or New York, but they do have enough to field a pretty strong team if they can keep kids like Treece and Bernlohr in state. Coach Myers will continue to grow the Buckeyes and we will be hearing more and more form them, when they find out how to keep all these guys along with a Will Campbell and others we may see the "Bucks" deep in the playoffs.

Check out the other recruits and where you will be seeing them in years to come on the recruiting roundup. 

Welcome back to the RISE UP BOYS, fall is underway and some of our boys have moved on to college and are enjoying fall all workouts and preparing for spring lacrosse. We have added some new faces from all over the country to our team and every week will have one of our MLL All Stars check in and answer the same questions as our boys on the RISE. In week one we have Kyle Harrison, the Face of STX and NIKE Lacrosse, owner of Playmaker Lacrosse, and lead counselor on the Nike Elite Lacrosse Camps by ESPN RISE. He is on the road all the time with USA tryouts and promoting his new K18 line so our questions are perfect for the Johns Hopkins legend.

	ESPN RISE
	Kyle Harrison

Patrick Harbeson (Annapolis, MD)
DeMatha Catholic High School
UVA
Midfield

What are you doing this fall?
This fall I am playing football... our team is 6-0 and working hard for the best season possible. As of right now, our team is ranked 10th in the nation according to ESPN RISE FAB 50. We have a common goal of winning our league championship (WCAC), and if possible going undefeated. This is only possible through hard work, becuase we play in one of the toughest leages which 'anyone can beat anyone'. Personally this season has been a blast, it's my senior season and it has been fun playing for a team that has so much potential. Aside from football this fall, I am alsoworking on sharpening my stick skills and mentally preparing myself for the offseason and ultimatly the spring season.

Ipod Top 5
No Particular order
1. We Be Steady Mobbin', Lil Wayne ft. Gucci Man
2. Almost Famous, Young Berg
3. Mary's Song, (Oh My My My), Taylor Swift
4. Imma Star, Jeremiah
5. Congratulations, Drake

Frank Price (Holly Springs, NC)
Holly Springs HS
UVA
LSM/D

What's going on this Fall?
This fall I've been working out at a cross fit gym four times a week, speed and agility training twice a week, hand to hand combat classes twice a week and my travel lacrosse team just started practice
 
iPod Top 5:
1. Big Green Tractor- Jason Aldean
2. Gettin you home- Chris Young
3. Jokerman- Bob Dylan
4. Born in the USA- Bruce Springsteen
5. Bartender- Rehab

Quinn Haley (Grasonville, MD)
Queen Anne's
Maryland
Attack

Whats going on this fall?
Just Football!

iPod Top 5
It's always changing, but for now I'd say
1. Chiddy bang, Kids remix
2. Kid Cudi, Up up an away
3. Super Mash Bros, I Bleed Purple and Gold
4. Matt and Kim, Daylight
5. Ray Barbee, Find Enjoyment
If am getting pumped up I like stuff like the Gladiator theme music they played at Sean taylor's tribute, and if there's dancing going on, I like all the Super Mash Bros.

Paul Harrison (Silver Spring, Maryland)
DeMatha Catholic High School
Drexel University
Defense/ LSM
 
Whats going on this Fall?
We are doing a lot of work this fall with DeMatha, lifting 3 times a week as a team and getting in stick work and 6 vs 6 practices once to twice a week. I am also playing in a  fall league with most of the DeMatha guys which is full games every Sunday. Once November starts I will be playing in tournaments with DeMatha and my club team Blackwolf.

Ipod Top 5:
1. Californication- Red Hot Chili Peppers
2. Young Forever- Jay- Z
3. That Was a Crazy Game of Poker- O.A.R.
4. Wonderwall- Oasis
5. 'Till I Collapse- Eminem

Josh Matanin (Ellicott City, MD)
St. Pauls School for Boys
Undecided: I have visited UNC, Duke, Georgetown, Navy, Towson, and plan on looking into many more. So I do not have a List of Top Schools yet.
Defense/ LSM

What's going on this fall?
I am training every day to gain an advantage on the field.

Ipod Top 5:
1. Remember the Name- Fort Minor
2. Are You Gonna be my Girl- Jet
3. Headstrong- Trapt
4. Till I Collapse- Eminem
5. By the Way- Red Hot Chili Peppers

John Muti (Mountain Lakes, NJ)
Mountain Lakes
Navy
Goalie

What's going on this fall?
I am playing football for the Mountain Lakes Herd. We are having another successful year with an 5-0 start.

Ipod Top 5:
1. Say Yeah- Wiz Khalifa,   
2. Gangsta- Maino,   
3. Bubble Toes -Jack Johnson
4. Somewhere Over the Rainbow- Israel Kamakawiwo'ole    
5. Make Her Say- Kid Cudi ft. Kanye West and Common

Jake Haley (Grasonville, MD)
Queen Anne's
Georgetown University
Goalie

What are you doing this fall?
Football! Queen Anne's is 6-0 and looking for a 2A state championship after making it to the semis last season.

iPod Top 5
1. Living the Dream, Super Smash Bros
2. Kids MGMT Remix, Chiddy Bang
3. Young Forever, Jay Z
4. Skinny Love, Bon Iver
5. Mr. Pitful, Matt Costa

Mark Brashears (Annapolis, MD)
Broadneck High School
Undecided
Midfield

What's going on this fall?
I am on the Golf team and working out!

Ipod Top 5:
1. Juicy- Notorious B.I.G.
2. Young Forever- Jay Z
3. Hello Seattle- Owl City
4. Congratulations- Drake
5. Drop- East Clubbers
 
Kodie Englehart (Coronado, CA)
Coronado High School
Vermont
Midfield

What are you doing this fall?
I am QB for our Islander Football Team and playing Indoor Lacrosse on Saturdays

Ipod Top 5: 
1. Can't Be Touched -Roy Jones Jr.
2. I Rock Skinnines, Fresh Boyz
3. Ambitions As A Ridah -Tupac
4. Man I Miss My Dawgs -Lil Wayne
5. Let Me Clear My Throat -DJ Kool

Michael Ehrhardt (Westbury, NY)
Chaminade High School
Maryland
Defense

What are you doing this fall?
I am playing wide receiver for Chaminade's Football team.  
 
iPod Top 5:
1. Replay-Sean  Kingston
2. Glory Road- Bruce
3. All the Above- Maino
4. Time to Pretend- MGMT
5. You Belong With Me- Taylor Swift

Craig "Goodie” Goodermote (Holtsville, New York)
Sachem East High School
Marist
Goalie

	ESPN RISE
	Zach Rogers

By Brett Hughes

Fall ball is heating up for high school ballers all over. For those of you in season be it football, cross country, golf, water polo...etc., that does not mean you should stop getting better at lacrosse. I'm not telling you to bring your long pole to practice to help you with your cover 2 assignments.

Instead head out to see some top college, pro, and even National Team games coming up over the next month and a half. As we saw in San Francisco, that showcase drew almost 5,000 and the fans got a chance to see UNC and Brown square off.

The COLORADO LACROSSE SHOWCASE: The Denver Outlaws are set to take on the Denver University Pioneers. This game should be great for the community recently ranked by Inside lacrosse as the No. 1 lacrosse town in America. The Stars will all be there for the Outlaws as Jesse Schwartzman, Kyle Harrison, Lee Zink, Brendan Mundorf, Max Seibald, Brian Langtry, and the rest of the Outlaws take on a college team on the rise. This also marks the first time the DU community will see legendary coach Bill Tierney in action on the DU sideline. The former Princeton coach is arguably one of the best to ever walk the sideline. These MLL vs NCAA games are always great as the MLL guys who do not practice everyday want to show why they are the best players in the world, and the NCAA guys just want to knock off the guys on top. These are great oppurtunity to watch great lacrosse and even meet some of the guys you may model your own game off.

Team USA SET TO TAKE ON NAVY, MARYLAND, AND UVA: If you are anywhere near Annapolis, Md., this Sunday go catch one of the four games slated to take place on two different fields. These games will be white hot, as the fellas on Team USA never want to lose, and they have a chip on their collective shoulder. From llast year, the 40+/- players on the Blue and White teams are still fighting for a roster spot when Team USA heads to Manchester, England this summer. Coach Dave Pressler will be continuing to evaluate these players and you can imagine the intensity these teams will bring. On the other side of the ball these teams happen to be playing three strong NCAA opponents. Navy, Maryland and Virginia will all be incredibly hard to beat. 

Players to watch when you go: USA: Kyle Harrison (hometown kid, dodges better than anyone), Max Seibald (works as hard as anyone on any field), Eric Martin (plays all over the field and always gives middies issues), Joe Walters (might be the best shooter in the game), Paul Rabil (the best offensive midfielder in the game), Kevin Levielle (as creative as the get), and Ryan Boyle (every team needs a QB, he is seen as one of the best and a hometown) 

NCAA: Max Schmidt (D), Dan Groot(M), Ryan Young(A), Shamel Bratton(M), Steele Stanwick(A), Ken Clausen(D), Brian Carrol(M), Tim Paul(A). Keep your eyes on these boys and many more. 

Team ENGLAND vs HOFSTRA: On October 17th The Hofstra Pride are set to take on Team England who just suffered a loss to Loyola this past weekend. These games are great because it is a chance for Hofstra to get excited about playing someone new, and you will see a Team England giving all the have to get their squad ready for Manchester this summer. 

The fact is you do not have to be playing to get better, find a player pay attention to what he does with the ball in his stick and what he is doing when the ball is spinning around. If you want to be one of the best, just get out and learn from them! 

Posted By Brett Hughes

Our friends at Inside Lacrosse have reported that Mike Daniello, a top 10 recruit, has gone back on his verbal committment to Joe Breschi and the UNC Tar Heels, on Sept. 28th. Daniello has now decided to join former high school teammate and friend, Jamison Pickel, on the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays roster. 

Read more about Mike Daniello and his decision here. 

By Brett Hughes

Posted By Brett Hughes

More and more of the top players are finding homes in the early fall. Three Juniors in Eric Chadderdon (Ohio State), Tyler German (Virginia), and Junior Jordan (Johns Hopkins) have all made decisons.

Virginia lands a monster in Tyler German who can score and create from he midfield. The Queen Anne's junior will team up with the Haley brothers (Quinn and Jake) for a dangerous coast to coast team.

Check out Geoff Shannon's "Recruiting Roundup"

by Brett Hughes 

	Kirstin Olsen/ESPN RISE
	NELC JHU MVPs #653 Paul Harrison

Paul possesses the ability to play anyone on the field with great feet and an aggressive almost football like mentality around the crease. This is something that every goalie in the country as well as coach can appreciate.

His ability to smile and act like just another kid enjoying lacrosse is never misunderstood. Then the pads go on. He is as fierce a competitor.  His worth ethic is easy to see in the way he effortlessly covers a lot of ground. A few colleges remain in the picture for Paul Harrison although he has his favorites Loyola, UNC, Duke, UVA. Wherever he lands he will make an impact at the next level with his speed, size. If he develops more strength that will put him on the same level as the other defensive blue chippers in his class.

by Anthony Kelly special to ESPN RISE

	Zach Heffner/special to ESPN RISE
	NELC Coach Anthony Kelly.

It's always exciting to see how the game is exploding outside of the traditional hotbeds as we pushed westward. At OSU we had over 80 great players! The talent didn't stop there as we mixed in the Denver stop and the Nor Cal and So Cal stops. The kids out on the west coast were also very impressive, and I know all the kids were pumped in our efforts to add them to the tour.

After a long 2 weeks of training, lacrosse, and traveling, we closed out the NELC tour at Johns Hopkins. It was probably our most talented group of young players we have seen in one camp all year. We had numerous Division 1 and 3 commitments on hand at Friday's camp. It was awesome to watch them all playing and interacting with one another. I was thoroughly impressed with the guys when we got to 6 vs. 6, and the up and down 3 vs. 2 "basketball” drill. The stick skills and lacrosse IQ of these players was very obvious at this point.

As we closed out the day and all headed back to our normal lives, it was nice to sit and reflect on the camps. What's great about the NELC tour is that it gives these great players an opportunity to come to a camp, for FREE, work with some awesome trainers from Zone Ready, play some stress free lacrosse getting them away from the "recruiting summer”, having an opportunity to meet new friends, and most importantly have fun doing it and learn a bunch of new concepts to take home and incorporate into their own training. All of which will ultimately make them all better lacrosse players and hopefully better people. For me, it's just exciting to be able to help they young players achieve that and watch them grow as players. 

We'll see you all next summer!

By Brett Hughes

Gatorade, G2, Vitamin Water, Powerade, or maybe even H2o, This week we asked the boys to weigh in on what sport drink the prefer, and also what is the best sports commercial of all time. You tube some of these to get a laugh or remember some of the best. 

I went back and looked into te ESPN archive and found what readers have said over the years. You can compare these guys to what we at ESPN have decided are the best sports commercials of all time.

Check out the ESPN top 25 commercials. 

 Quinn Haley: Queen Annes' (MD.)

1. During games I stick with pure H2o, after games I like either Vitamin Water Revive or G2..
2. The Terry Tate Office Linebacker commercials are the best.. I like the one where he crushes the guy for not refilling the coffee machine.."you kill the joe, you make some mo..!! whooaaaa!!!!"

Chris Lapierre: Shawnee, (N.J.)

1. No Question... Gatorade,
2. Best sports commercial is the one played during last year's Masters of Earl Woods explaining why Tiger is the best golfer in the world.  

Tobey Armour: Choate Rosemary Hall, (Conn.)

1. Vitamin water....love it. 
2. Best sports commercial ever was the one aired during the '98 world cup.  had the brazilian team playing soccer through the airport.  so great.

Criag Goodermote: Sachem, (N.Y.)

1. Vitamin water. My school just put in brand new machines with them in. Cant
go a day without my XXX or formula 50 drink.
2. The Nike "Fate" commercial with LT and Polamalu has to be on eof the best.

Jake Haley: Queen Annes', (MD.)

1. Vitamin Water - Revive goes quickest in my house, but like to have an Energy before and during games.
2. LT and Troy Polamalu "Leave Nothing" commercial shows them growing up from kids to pros, then facing eachother.

John Muti: Mtn. Lakes, (N.J.)

1.Gatorade without a doubt.
2. The "chicks dig the long a ball"; commercial with John Glavine and Greg Maddux.

Stay tuned for more from our future stars.

By Brett Hughes

ESPN RISE and the RISE UP BOYS check back in with a new topic. What is the best book our boys have ever read? The guys have a wide range of books from athletic, military, and some of the more legendary novels...

A big congratulations to our RISE UP BOYS as some have made the UA All Star game and others enjoying their best seasons yet. Stay tuned for more.

Michael Morris: Deerfield (Deerfield, CT)
One of my favorite books I ever read was the net force by Tom Clancy. I read it a while ago and I read it again recently and still found the concept of futuristic Internet intriguing.

Tyler Knarr: LaSalle (Eagleville, PA)
Definitely has to be To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  I've read it a couple times and every time it impresses me more.  It's a brilliantly written novel about an unjust trial, but it's really about so much more than just the trial. It carries some great messages.

Craig Goodermote: Sachem East ( Holtsville, N.Y.)
The best book that I have read so for has to be The Great Gatsby. Its
Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The book takes place on Long Island during
"The Jazz Age" and the Roaring Twenties.

Luke Armour: Lawrencville (Lawrencville, N.J.)
My favorite book of all time is called "It's Not About the Bike" by Lance Armstrong - it's about Armstrong's battle with cancer and his attitude throughout his devastating series of treatments and procedures. He fought back to win several Tour de France races. Inspiring for everyone.

Jake Haley: Queen Annes' (Centerville, MD.)
The best book I have read is The Inner Game of Tennis by Tim Gallwey, which was recommended to me by Coach Tierney on a visit to Princeton last fall.  It's not so much about tennis (which I've hardly ever played), but more about the power of the mind dealing with focusing and challenging situations... Basically teaching athletes how to clear out their minds and focus on the task at hand, letting their instincts take control... Pretty cool for goalies..

Marcus Holman: Gilman (Baltimore, MD.)
Marcus Luttrell's book Lone Survivor is the best I have ever read. It's about this team of Navy SEAL's that are ambushed in the mountains of Afghanistan, and Marcus is the only one who survives.  I couldn't put it down.

Quinn Haley: Queen Annes' (Centerville, MD.)
Friday Night Lights is my kind of book, but I have to say The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho got to me the most.  It's about a boy being brave enough to follow his dream in a spiritual journey across the desert.

Connor English: Manhasset (Manhasset, N.Y.)
The best book I have read is A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah.  It's a story of a of child becoming an child solider by force and his life story of what he went through and how his life takes a turn for better.
 

Posted by Brett Hughes

Incase you have not seen the NELC site check it out. We will update it throughout the summer with pictures and video as well as hear from players, coaches, and staff on each camp as we tour the country in year two.

There is a link on the page to email us with any questions you have on the Nike Elite Lacrosse Camps. 

Posted by Brett Hughes

RISE UP BOYS is back after a little break to allow our guys to get the season underway. We asked the boys to weigh in on the best games of the season and drop some love on the player they feel deserves the MVP. Many times these players write me and mention other guys who should be talked about -- so I gave them the mic to shout out, like Ryan Seacrest's morning radio show.

We also have some accomplishments to highlight, from players becoming captains, to players earning National Honor Society nods. The boys are continuing to impress on and off the field, which is why they are at the top of the game. This is a two-part RISE UP Boys, .


Patrick Harbeson: Dematha (Washington, D.C.)
Our best game of the season so far has to be our 7-5 victory over St. Mary's Ryken (Leonardtown, Md.). It was our first conference game and it went down to the wire. At the end of the game, St. Mary's Ryken had two chances of scoring on EMO as we were two men down, but our defense came up big towards the end.

Personally I played OK (1,1). What made the difference was the team play we had, playing unselfishly and distributing the ball. Actually, six different players scored six of our seven goals and five of the goals were assisted.

But what kept us alive in the game was our defense. They were our team MVPs -- from our D-Middies to our goalie.


John Urbank: Chaminade (Mineola, N.Y.)
We just beat St. Anthony's 9-6. Sick game. We moved up a sophomore goalie John Connors and he had 15 saves. He's legit, definitely the MVP of the game. Connors and junior attackman Matty Gillan had awesome games. Matty went like two and three.

We have some really good seniors on our team who haven't gotten a lot of love. John Hannan, a middie going to Holy Cross, and Bob Lucas, a middie going to Princeton, are really good players. Also Tom Schreiber from St. Anthony's is filthy, so I will add him to the mix.

Connor English: Manhasset (N.Y.)
Our best game so far has been against John Jay; they used the stall offense to keep it close but we ended up winning 11-5. It was good though 'cause it made us patient. I had two goals and two assists in the game but the MVP was our junior middie Drew Balinskey, he came up big with three goals that night.

Marcus Holman: Gilman (Baltimore, Md.)
The LaSalle game was definitely the best game of our season. Scoring the OT winner was great, but our comeback in regulation was even better. And in my opinion our team MVP in that game was Davey Emala, who dropped 4 g's. He has the quickest release I've ever seen on a shot and he handles everything.

Jake Haley: Queen Annes' (Centerville, Md.)
My favorite game was against Easton when we scored the last four goals in a shootout to win 14-9. It was fun for me because I had a bunch of groundballs and long runs up the field... I got the game ball (17 saves, 9GBs) along with Brandon Kimbles, the younger brother of Jamie Kimbles (UMBC). Brandon had a career-high of six goals, which was huge because Quinn Haley had to miss a lot of the game with a shoulder injury after his three early scores. It was a big win for us after losing to them by one last year.

Hear from Quinn Haley and more tomorrow in the continuation of RISE UP BOYS best game of the season.

By Brett Hughes

BALTIMORE -- It was a finish worthy of a national No. 1 vs. No. 2 meeting.

However, there was one small problem. Inside Lacrosse No. 2 La Salle (Philadelphia) lost its season opener last week, taking a bit of luster off Wednesday's showdown with top-ranked Gilman (Baltimore).

The La Salle Explorers, out to prove itself a worthy opponent, held a 5-1 halftime lead but Gilman rallied for a dramatic 8-7 overtime victory that will likely keep the Greyhounds as the nation's top-ranked team.

In overtime, La Salle started with the ball and an extra man. A shot from La Salle's Sean Carlin had the Gilman goalie guessing wrong, yet the shot missed by inches. After a change of possession and quick pace by Cooper Brown, Gilman began to work the ball around the La Salle goal until senior captain Marcus Holman was left wide open on the backdoor for a game-winner 2 minutes, 19 seconds into the sudden-death extra session.

Holman's goal prompted a dogpile by Gilman players before hundreds of Gilman students rushed the field to join the celebration.

Gilman's dramatic win would not have been possible had it not been for the late heroics of senior Jack Doyle, a Harvard commit. After being held scoreless by outstanding play by La Salle goalie Niko Amato (Maryland commit), Doyle scored Gilman's last two regulation goals in a four-goal fourth quarter that knotted the game at 7.

Until the closing minutes, it appeared La Salle would hang on for the victory after a stellar first half.

The Explorers demonstrated a physical style of lacrosse that affected Gilman from the game's opening minute. Gilman looked a bit lost as it tried to find a way to finish the few opportunities it was presented in the first half. At half Gilman was looking at a 5-1 deficit and not much light at the end of the tunnel.

The third quarter was still no different for the Greyhounds as they struggled to find a groove on offense, but started to get settled in on defense and most of the quarter was spent in between the lines or outside of the box. Both goalies began to play a little stronger making the saves they were expected as the game began to develop a greater sense of urgency on the Gilman bench.

So what does Wednesday's outcome mean in a national sense? For starters, La Salle is for real. Secondly, it was evident that a senior-driven Gilman team is able to climb back in any game, even against a top high school lacrosse power. Finally, this game cemented the fact that lacrosse is on the rise, in part, due to elite teams going out of their way to make sure national matchups such as Gilman vs. La Salle happen.

Posted By Brett Hughes

I had a chance to stop by Inside Lacrosse yesterday to preview the Gilman vs LaSalle game that ESPN RISE will be covering from Baltimore MD. tonight.

Terry Foy of Inside Lacrosse and I discuss the big match-up between Jack Doyle and Tyler Knarr as well as the entire scope of high school lacrosse as it pertains to this match-up. We expect it to be a good one so check out this pod-cast to get ready for a big game, and tune in later this week for more on how the game played out. 

By Brett Hughes

I wanted to start the ESPN RISE Top 25 Senior list today with 25-21. RISE will have a chance to see #21 Marcus Holman of Gilman tomorrow vs LaSalle (Penn.). A player you may have never heard of is Cody Solaja out of Dallas, Texas. If you ask around the NCAA everyone will tell you that coach Tierney at Hofstra landed a kid with incredible potential and can be a difference maker on Long Island.

25. Patrick Fanshaw, Calvert Hall (Baltimore, Md.), Attack, Loyola (Md.)

24. Howie Long Jr., St. Anne's-Belfield (Charlottesville, Va.), Defender, Virginia

23. Cody Solaja, Episcopal (Dallas, Texas), Defender, Hofstra

22. Patrick Murray, Kent Denver (Englewood, Colo.), Midfielder, Georgetown

21. Marcus Holman, Gilman (Baltimore, Md.), Attack, North Carolina

Posted by Brett Hughes

There were a bunch of ideas running through my head on what I could/should do for ESPN RISE Lacrosse on St. Patricks day. However, when i came across a piece my good friend and freshman dorm roommate had written it became eveident this was the piece to post, even if it is not mine.

Landon graduate and former Cornell lacrosse standout George Boiardi, passed away during a game nearly five years ago. The entire lacrosse community was extremely affected by the loss of one of our own. Then when the stories of this young man's character started to come out we began to see that even if he was gone on the field and in his friends and families lives, this individual would never be forgotten. Cornell and the Boiardi Foundation have gone a step further and made sure that his memory still influences all that are fortunate to hear his story. Teddy Lamade writes of remembering his friend and teammate on St. Patricks day.

By Brett Hughes

In just over one week, Gilman (MD.) will host La Salle (PA.) in Baltimore. The game will have a few story lines to follow. Most obvious is the number one team in the nation hosting number two. Outside of that both teams are stacked with D1 talent and some young players looking to bust on the scene.

Tyler Knarr (LaSalle) vs. Jack Doyle (Gilman) is as good a matchup as you will find in high school lacrosse. Knarr is as good a defenseman as there is in the nation and Doyle is arguably the same. A sub plot of the game will be how Doyle is used to attack the Explorers. A do it all midfielder, Doyle could be used as an initiator, or open him up to go right to the goal. Either way will be great lacrosse.

We will be visiting this match-up more and more as we get closer to the game March 25th.  

Check out IL's breakdown of the two teams. 

By Brett Hughes 

In light of todays game, where the Gvozden brothers square off for the first time ever , I wanted put this story up again. Andrew is making his first start in goal and it is no surprise you read his words below. Mike remains a steady fixture in goal and it should be fun to watch the brothers face off on one of the games biggest stages.

This past summer I had a chance to be around one of the NCAA's primer players in Mike Gvozden, a top-returning players on one of the top teams in the country in the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays. We got talking about his road to becoming one of the elite in college lacrosse. I also found out that his little brother is in the process of starting his college lacrosse adventure, so I reached out to both of them to find out how fall ball was going and their thoughts on the experience leading up to the spring.

	Courtesy of the Gvozden Family
	Gvozden is one of the top returning players on one of the top programs.

 Mike starts us off telling us a little about the fall season so far, and all of the things he has noticed or went through himself over the past years at Johns Hopkins. Then we will hear the other side from his younger brother Andrew up at Hofstra with a different struggle to fight.

"The new freshmen are well underway to getting into the grove of how things work here. With a rather large class of 12, the guys are doing just fine. The biggest difference from high school to college for them right now is the fact that they have to treat practice and preparation to play like they are preparing for a spring practice or game, even though the Spring season is five months away. When I was a freshman, I was absolutely thrilled to be wearing the blue and black for my first fall ball practice. Along with the thrill, I was a bit nervous.

 As a freshman here at Hopkins, along with any other college lacrosse team, one is faced with the challenge of re-proving himself to a new team. When I arrived at Hopkins I asked myself a number of questions, "Will the guys think I'm good enough... Is coach happy with what he spent two years recruiting", and on a different note, "How do I look in this black and blue get-up?" What I soon found was that I would not be able to answer all of my personal questions during the first practice of fall ball (other than the question of my attire).

Fallball is a season for growing as a player and as a team. It is not a season where a team wins a National Championship and a player is named an All-American. That being said, it was easy to see the nervous and excited energy in all of our freshmen during the first practice. Coach Pietramala scheduled us a night practice beginning at 8pm to kick things off.

During the fall we run a rather consistent schedule. We have practices that are just as fast paced and serious as the spring schedules Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. We also lift weights as a team twice a week with our strength and conditioning Coach Jay Dyer. Add schoolwork into this schedule and you have quite a busy week. Fall Ball in college is taken just as seriously as the spring season is. Lacrosse in college is really a year-round sport, so you have to be on your toes at all times.

Now that we are into the fall, we have a good idea of how most of the freshman can play. The first fall tournament of my freshman year was quite an experience. It was the first time where I really accepted the fact that high school is over, and I am now part of a new family and a new experience.

As an upperclassman on this team, and as one of the goalies, I am now in the position to start helping to lead this team on the field and off the field. This is a job that I have found to enjoy. I love helping our two new goalies out with the task of leading the defense here at Hopkins. They have done a tremendous job so far. We have a fun group of guys this year, and I'm really excited to see what the future holds for us."

-Mike Gvozden

Andrew Gvozden, a freshman at Hofstra, is seeing things not only as a new guy, but also as a new guy on injured reserve. With a torn shoulder and so much anticipation it provides another set of issues and thoughts. It is no wonder he speaks highly of the TEAM concept, where you rely on the guy next to you and your leaders to keep spirits high until you get back on the field. Gvozden is a player who "gets it" and his hard work and understanding of what it takes rings true through his words. He understands what he must do to not only get on the field, but help the Hofstra Pride.

"Since recovering from a torn shoulder, I don't have as much playing experience but I still witness all that goes on. The change from high school to college is significantly different, both on the field and off. Classes are much harder and require you to do all your work. The coaches here are very particular on having a high GPA, so attending all classes is a must and doing your homework and studying as well. Practices are must more fast paced, and unlike high school where the talent ranges significantly, everyone is good and kids stand out more than you do."

"Being hurt is miserable because you realize how much you miss lacrosse and how much potential you know you have. The coaches are great and are very insightful.... when they are in a good mood of course. The best part about college lacrosse is that you are apart of a family. You have 40 brothers that look out for you and you see everyday, and coaches that are always there for you. It's a great a feeling. In order to play college ball you have to make a commitment. If you can't commit to lacrosse you will wind up falling behind. Even though I have only been here for a short time, I have already learned a lot about college and lacrosse. I hope to learn more as I go..."

-Andrew Gvozden 

By Brett Hughes

Blue Chip defender John Urbank verbally committed to Georgetown last friday. Urbank will bring good size and athletic ability to the Hoyas' defense. With Jake Haley in goal, Tyler Knarr a year ahead as well as players like Michael Morris, Brennan Bicknese, and Chris Nourse going to Georgetown, the Hoyas are set for a great lock down defense.

Urbank likes the idea of being in Washington D.C. History being a favorite subject he mentioned, "There is so much to do and see there (D.C.) and history is my favorite subject in school. You can't get more historic than DC."

The main reasons for going to Georgetown are the school and the team, "The coaches and guys on the team were awesome when i went down. I just felt a good vibe when i was down there."

Coach Jack Moran at Chaminade High School will still have two more seasons with Urbank and his talented group in Mineola. Urbank, Will Himler, Michael Earhardt, and others look to have a strong season on the Island this year.

Urbank landed on Georgetown after strong consideration of Harvard, Maryland, Duke, and Princeton. Hear more about John Urbank and other blue chip athletes on the RISE UP BOYS on ESPNRISE.com.

By Brett Hughes

Brine Shootout: The Brine Shootout brings some of the top teams all over the country to a convenient and structured recruiting event hosted by the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). With the fields set up well and in close proximity, coaches and players alike can navigate the tournament with ease. Growing every year, 2009 should be another chance to receive maximum exposure.

UVA Team Camp: University of Virginia Rising Junior Team Camp is quickly becoming a must-stop for the best teams as well as coaches from all over the D1 landscape. The camp provides a high quality experience for a select group of club teams. Last year's camp had eight teams including: the Baltimore Crabs, Long Island Express, Madlax, and Tristate. The camp takes place around the last week of July and is a perfect last stop for a more intimate recruiting event on your all important junior summer tour. Limited availability so spots fill up fast.

Rutgers Team Camp: Coach Jim Stagnitta of Rutgers has run lacrosse camps for over 18 years and this may be his best. Centrally located to most lacrosse hotbeds, Rutgers Campus is home to over 50 coaches in attendance for the tournament. They do the right amount of homework to not just get a good number of teams, but a good number of the right teams. This helps to make the quality of lacrosse and competition of the games as good as you will find in the larger team camps.

Empire Games: Yeah I know they are going under, but hopefully it is not forever because the kids deserve a chance at what could easily be called the New York Olympics. This event is a perfect mix of recruiting and fun. Everything from tryouts to the championship game is considered top-notch recruiting opportunity, but the kids play for more than exposure which usually makes the lacrosse even that much better in a place that is easily considered a hot bed of lacrosse. Lets all cross our fingers that this event will return.

Denver Team Tournament: The tournament hosted at Dicks Sporting Goods Park outside of Denver, Colo. The tournament will host 40-50 teams nationally with just as many colleges coaches present representing Divisions I, II, & III. A unique addition to this is an all star game played in INVESCO Field. (Home of the Denver Broncos and Denver Outlaws lacrosse team) This camp will bring teams from all corners of the nation and is as good a team camp as you will find west of Ohio.

By Brett Hughes

RISE UP BOYS back again with Super Bowl predictions and some of the music our players are listining to.  The guys have pretty good mix of music so I may have to make an iTunes mix of it and see how it sells. From Weezy to The Allman Brothers… Slightly Stupid and back to the Temptations.  This might be a chance to make the all time warm up mix for our viewers.

	Goodermote Family
	Craig Goodermote.

Steelers Win… MVP- I'm thinking Big Ben but I'm pulling for Troy Polamalu.

Frank Price II: Holly Springs (Holly Springs, NC.)

Top 5 songs:

1) Some Devil- Dave Matthews

2) Move if you wann- MIMS

3) Its the Final countdown- Europe

4) Put on- Young Jeezy

5) Bama Breeze- Jimmy Buffet

Even though I don't want them to win, I think the Steelers are going to win.  And Ben Roethlisberger will be the MVP.  Hopefully I am wrong.

Will Campbell: Worthington Kilbourne (Worthington, OH.)

Top 5 songs:

1)    Ramblin' Man- Allman Brothers Band

2)    Blue Sky- Allman Brothers Band

3)    Black Water- Doobie Brothers

4)    Free Bird- Lynard Skynard

5)    Enter Sandman- Metallica

I'm predicting the Cardinals will win by the slimmest of margins.  Plus I'm a Browns fan so it's a sin to root for the Steelers.  Although many people think Larry Fitzgerald will be MVP, I personally believe Kurt Warner will win it.  The receiver can't catch the ball if the quarterback can't throw it to him.
 
Tyler Knarr: La Salle (Eagleville, PA.)

I've always listened to pretty Indie music so a lot of these songs aren't that famous with the exception of a couple. The top five songs on my ipod right now are:

1) I was a lid (by Manchester Orchestra...they're not an orchestra)

2) Luca (by Brand New)

3) Gimme the Loot (by Biggie Smalls)

4) Wolves at Night (by Manchester Orchestra)

5) In Fear and Faith (by Circa Survive)

Superbowl pick is the Steelers, Mvp Roethlisberger.

Connor English: Manhasset (Manhasset, NY.)

Top 5 songs in no order are :

1) Rock Star by Lil wayne ft Chamillionaire

2) Walk it out remix by unk

3) X gonna give it to ya by DMX

4) Hypnotize by B.I.G.

5) Krazy by Pitbull ft. lil jon

I predict that the cards win it al,l with my boy Fitzgerald as the MVP.

John Muti:  Mt. Lakes (My. Lakes, NJ.)

The top 5 songs on my ipod at the moment are:

1)Say Yeah by. Wiz Khalifa

2) Boyz N Da Hood by. Eazy E

3) I Love College by. Asher Roth

4) B.O.B by. Outkast

5) Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations.

And the Arizona Cardinals will win the Super Bowl with Anquan Boldin as the MVP.
 

Check back in next week for some more RISE UP BOYS, if you have a question send an email to brett@student sports.com.

By Brett Hughes

John Glesener: (West Genesee, N.Y.) has verbally committed to Navy to give a huge boost to the Midshipmen in 2010. Glesener is two way midfielder who posseses good skills and has the ability to get to the cage often.  He is a top tier midfielder and may bring back visions of Graham Gill (Navy 2005) with his offensive ability. The West Genesee product should be an immediate impact player and was high on most of the colleges wish list.

We will try to catch up with John this week to see what made him head to the Military Academy, and what he thinks about the spring for one of the most storied programs in the high school ranks in West Genesee.

By Brett Hughes

Under Armour will now have players from Upstate NY, Long Island, New England, and the Midwest playing in the Under Armour underclass all star games. They will join Baltimore, Washington D.D., Philadelphia, and New Jersey in the games.

The games will be held on June 27th and 28th at Towson University in Baltimore Maryland. Inside Lacrosse has more on the event here.

Patrick Harbeson Has given his verbal commitment to the University of Virginia. Harbeson brings obvious lacrosse talent and athleticism to the Cavaliers up-tempo  style of play. Working with Paul Rabil (Asst. Coach at DeMatha) will help him prepare for the years to come. Patrick will bring his leadership and toughness to Charlottesville, something that every school looks forward to having in a student athlete.

Here is a previous Q and A with Harbeson and we will catch up with him to discuss his choice and the upcoming season.  (Read full post)

By Brett Hughes

Continuing with the theme of getting ready for spring, we asked the boys how they prep for a game in the kitchen. As a former high school and college player I must say that some of these boys are pretty lucky they can eat the way they do before a game. A college coach of mine once told me he would eat as many egg McMuffins as he could: 

"the number of McMuffins I put down would be the number of goals I would have... but remember Brett, nutrition is different now than it was 15 years ago."  -Chris Colbek

Seems that some of our boys subscribe to the same nutrition plan as my former coach. After these boys eat and its time to play one of the most important and interesting aspects of our sport is the lacrosse stick in and of itself. So we asked the RISE UP BOYS what their weapon of choice is on the lacrosse field

ESPN RISE:

1. What do you eat before a game?

2. What type of stick do you use? 

Criag Goodermote: Sachem East (Holtsville, NY.) continues to roll through his hockey season as they stand at 17-0 and only have a few more games left on the schools scheudle hoping to go undefeated for the first time in the schools history.

1. My favorite meal is a handful of double stuff Oreo's... haha, actually I usually keep peanut butter and some bread in the coaches office and make a quick sandwich before every game. 

2. I use an orange Nemisis head with a Diamons shaft.

Connor English: Manhasset (Manhasset, NY)

1. My Favorite pre game meal is a chiken cutlet with hot sauce and ranch dressing on a hero.

2. My Favorite stick is the one I am using right now, it's a Proton Power with a Gait Ice shaft.

Luke Armour: Lawrenceville (Lawrencville, NJ.)

1. I try not to eat before games.If I have anything I'll have half a Clif Bar or Power Bar with some Gatorade.

2. Although I don't use it now, when I was younger I copied whatever Jesse Hubbard was using. For a while it was a classic Razer with a tradition six diamond (leather) pocket. The handle was a Levitation, which I thought was the bomb. When maintaining the leather became to much I succumbed to using mesh and have been ever since, but I must admit, my game has consequently suffered.

Matt White: Ridgefield (Ridgefield, CT.)

1. My pre game meal I have either a bacon, egg, and cheese or just a bag of Goldfish.

2. Favorite stick would be a Titan classic with the Maverick Juice head on it.

Chris "Shocker" Lapierre: Shawnee (Medford, NJ.)

1. Pre game meal is grilled chicken and pasta. It's not a lax thing as much as it is for football, but definitley the way to go.

2. My favorite stick is the Razor Pro (not the 2.0 with the girly designs) and a Titan Pro shaft.

Tobey Armour: Choate Rosemary Hall (New Haven, CT) 

1. Pasta for a pre game meal, and a lot of water.

2. Favorite stick would have to be the one I'm usuing right now, an STX Scandium with an Excalibur.

Owen Van Arsdale: STAB (Charlottesville, VA.)

1. I like to eat a ham sandwhich as a pre game meal and then eat a bagle right before game time.

2. My favorite stick right now is the Gait Fuel, but that is not being made anymore so I guess I need to stock up on those.

Will Campbell: Worthington Kilbourne (Worthington, OH.) 

1. I dont each much before my games, but I do usually snack on some Sun Chips, a big bag or two.

2. My Favorite lacrosse stick would be the one I am ussing right now. It's a black Proton Power with a white Swizzle shaft.

Frank Price II: Holly Springs (Holly Springs, NC.) 

1.I have a specific pre game meal ritual that I go through every time I compete. In this Order: Bottle of water, banana, bagel with cream cheese, raisins, and then repeat a second time closer to the game.

2. I use Warrior poles, and a Gait Wizard head, I call it "Hercules."

John Muti: Mt. Lakes (Mt. lakes, NJ.)

1. Favorite pre game meal is mac and cheese.

2. My favorite head and shaft combination would have to be the Brine Eraser and the Carolina Blue Krypto pro shaft.

Michael Morris: Deerfield (Deerfield, MA.)

1. Pre game meal is always something small, preferable a PB&J or a bowl of pasta. I always have a Gatorade or two, and always the yellow colored flavor.

2. My favorite stick is the Gait-Ice. I saw a Duke game, and I think it was either Parker McKee or Tony McDevitt, but a defenseman had a black shaft. That day Duke had their black uniforms on, and the D-man with the black shaft had a pretty sick look going on. Since then I've always rocked a black shaft.

Quinn Haley: Queen Anne's (Centerville, MD.)

1. Favorite pre game meal: In the morning, pancakes. Later on- Chipotle burrito. If I run out of time just a Power Bar and an energy drink.

2. My favorite lacrosse stick. I experiment with a few at a time, but usually end up going with a Proton head with hard mesh (nicely broken-in) and any good lightweight shaft, I am not particular. 

John Urbank: Chaminade (Mineola, NY.) 

1. My favorite pre gamemeal is a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. Usually we play in the morning so I need some good fuel to start the day.

2. I don't really have a favorite stick as long as it is light, strong, and throws nice, I'll use anything.

Marcus Hollman: Gilman (Baltimore, MD.)

1. I honestly do not have a specific pre game meal, but last season I did eat a bowl of ice cream the night before every game..

2. My favorite lax twig is the Proton Power. I've been using them since ninth grade. I have an old STX Deep Freeze pole on my started now, it's pretty throwback.

Jake Haley: Queen Annes' (Centerville, MD.)

1. Favorite pre game meal :Anywhere with all my teammates. We have a limited time between our school day and game-time, so usually most of the guys on the team meet at a place like Coliseum, the local pizza place. For summer tournaments with the Crabs we like to find a local Chipotle for burritos.

2.My favorite stick is an Eclipse head with monster mesh and I have always used the Gait DB803 or the Gait Ice shaft. I like the light weight and the feel of them.

Tyler Knarr: La Salle (Eagleville, PA.)

1. I keep it really light with a Power Bar, a banana, and some Vitamin water.

2. My favorite stick is a Gait Torque on a Kypto pro shaft.

If you have a question for ESPN RISE or any of the RISE UP BOYS email brett@studentsports.com and the RISE UP BOYS may be answering your question next.