Top Lax Recruits
Top Lax Recruits -
By Chris Goldberg
TopLaxRecruits.com, Posted 11/22/21
DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. – Cade Faulkner (St. Viator-Ill., Team Illinois) said he took an aggressive approach to competing in the NXT Philly Boys’ Showcase Saturday at United Sports.
“You have to be playing your heart out every time you step on the field,” said Faulker, an attackman named the 2023 Showcase Games MVP. “You have to keep playing with confidence. When you have a guy on you, you can’t be scared. You have to attack him and try to be top side all the time.”
How was the competition?
“The competition was great,” he said “Most of these kids are going to end up going D1; and everyone is coming from all over the country. Playing with Canadians and players from the East brings the best competition in the world. It brings up your game; everyone plays well together.’
Faulkner said his goal was to show that the talent in Illinois and the Midwest can match up.
“I would say that Illinois is looked down upon,” he said. “Actually, there is a lot of good talent in Illinois. I just wanted to play with confidence. I think all the wall ball in the backyard has paid off.”
Click here for the full list of Showcase All-Stars.
Reaction from the other Showcase Game MVPs:
2025 – Jacob Thibodeau, ATT, Middlesex School-MA, Top Gun Clams
A quick and adept dodger at left-handed attack, Thibodeau displayed his all-around skills with a nifty ally-oop goal in the All-Star Game.
“I just wanted to come here and have fun,” he said. “I had a good experience last year (he reclassified after a transfer from West Springfield) at the Showcase. I wanted to be an All-Star, but I couldn’t have done it without the showcase team. We had a lot of chemistry.
“I felt my legs were fresh. My dodging the first couple games went really well. I was beating my man and finding someone open or getting to the front of the net and scoring. I think dodging is my best attribute.”
2024 – Luis Gonzalez, ATT, Ashley-N.C., Nationals
Gonzalez said one of the best parts of the showcase was having players on his team and other teams from every region of North America.
“Like every other player here I wanted to be an All-Star, but I also wanted to have fun,” he said. “I got to meet new people. It was awesome; even on my team there was a kid from British Columbia, and I got to find out what he’s about, what he likes. There were people from other cultures and backgrounds.
“It was a great experience overall. I played my best and it turned out well. I was a on a great team (in the showcase games) and we had good team morale. I played my heart out.”
Gonzalez – who suffered a broken bone in his shoulder and missed half the scholastic season, held in January and February for public schools in North Carolina – said his fall season has gone well.
“I got back for the summer and I have been showing out every event I go to. I am always having fun,” he said.
King of the X champion Giuseppe Morici, 2023 FO, Washington Township-N.J., Legacy/SJ Shamrocks
Faceoff specialist Giuseppe Morici committed to St. Joseph’s University less than 3 weeks before entering the Showcase.
He never considered dropping out of the event.
“I just wanted to get the reps in and i felt it would be good exposure,” said the Washington Township (N.J.) 2023 who represents Legacy and South Jersey Shamrocks. “It’s definitely good bragging rights for South Jersey and also I figured it would build up St. Joe’s.”
Morici did his part Saturday in gaining exposure for his current and future teams by winning the King of the X faceoff competition and being named a 2023 All-Star.
“I did pretty well in the showcase games,” he said. “It was pretty good competition, I had to watch my opponents before I played them so I knew what to do in the games.”
What was the key to winning the King of the X?
“Defensive exiting,” he said. “Everybody knew how to counter, and knew what they were doing.”
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