COACH COHEN
Class of 2025 Top 15 Rankings
Coach Cohen has been traveling the country watching all of the best 2025 Faceoff specialists. Below are what he believes are the best 2025's in the class in alphabetical order.
Aidan Diaz-Matos
Brunswick/Prime Time
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Aidan, in my opinion, has the quickest hands in the class. His clamp was so fast that it didn't matter if his opponent threw a rake or a counter. He would win the clamp 80% of the time AND he would have an exit ready to go no matter the situation.
Alex Swinnie
Lawrenceville/Express North
Alex is one of those guys who is ready to switch from his clamp and into the rake to help his team win. Alex is not a prototypical fogo. I've seen him play. He's a faceoff athlete. His footwork to escape pressure after winning the faceoff is what coaches dream about.
Ben Cuomo
Calvert Hall/FCA Maryland
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Ben somehow got the ball to his wings where least expected. After having coached against him at Junior's Open, I watched him move his wings around and place the ball exactly where his wings would be to get the win. Although his exits are great, he has trouble getting out quickly against a counter and holds on to the clamp a little longer than I would like to see.
Cole Gibstein
Salisbury/Sweetlax
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Cole's hand speed is incredible. When he exits and the ball is on the ground, he more than likely will get the first time ground ball. He does have trouble when going against poles.
Dylan Furshman
Jupiter/Sweetlax
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I believe, and so do most coaches, Dylan is the strongest faceoff athlete in the class. Dylan reminds me of a linebacker who can hit but can also drop into coverage. Dylan exits fast enough that it causes separation against his opponent. I could see Dylan going to a Big 10 team.
Eli Friedman
Belmont Hill/3d New England Red
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Eli had a great year at Belmont Hill. Eli is a Showtime All-Star and he deserves it. After having met Eli last summer at Showtime, I was thoroughly impressed with his play. Eli is always ready to throw counters when he loses the clamp, which is something that I, and other coaches, love to see in their faceoff unit.
Griff Meyer
Haverford/Team 91 MD
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Griff showed his strength all summer. While at Showtime, Griff showed that even if he loses the clamp or faceoff, he will make you work hard to keep it and may even get the ball back. When he would clear the ball, he moved just like an elite running back.
Kyle Hata
Choate/Laxachusetts
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Kyle is a strong clamper with a way to escape any faceoff by any means necessary. Kyle has an athletic build that allows him to be a great faceoff athlete. He may have bounced around club teams this summer, but he is still loyal to those he plays around.
Luke Cascadden
Garden City/LI Express
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Luke has some of the fastest hands of the class. I saw this all Spring when he played for me. One look at Luke and you'd think he doesn't have the footwork of a division 1 athlete. That's where you're wrong. Luke is very quick when he has the ball. He rarely gets stripped when the ball is in his stick. His stick protection is off the charts.
Mikey Ramirez
Pope John/BBL
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Mikey showed how fast his hands were at Junior's Open. His exits were fast and efficient. One look at him and you'd think he wasn't fast. Guess what? He is. Mikey is still growing and still has more potential in his athleticism. I think he will grow more muscle as he gets older.
Quinn Ball
Chaminade/LI Express
Quinn is one of, if not the, strongest clampers in the class. He split time with Chaminade this year and helped win a ton of games. He has proven to throw effective quick rakes. Quinn is great on ground balls. I've seen Quinn look off the point man on a break and hit the WIDE OPEN attackman in front of the goal for an easy dunk.
Russell Fitzgerald
Taft/Prime Time
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Russell had himself a First Team All-Tournament weekend at NLF Championship. If there were All-Tournament awards, he would be named First Team. Russell's clamp into his exit is extremely fast. This allows him to create separation to pick up his own ground balls. During the championship game, Russell had a dominant game, going around ~70%. With a short showing this summer, he has had an All-American Summer.
Tay Rodriguez
Culver/Sweetlax
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Tay is incredibly athletic. He uses all moves and all counters effectively. Reminiscent of Rob Simone, he can effectively use both his clamps and his rakes and he can play lacrosse very well. Tay is also a threat in transition. You will need to respect him when he goes to the goal.
Vincent Gaylord
Avon Old Farms/Orange Crush
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Vince is one of the toughest faceoff athletes in the class. In the last two years I have seen him, he has slimmed down and is exponentially more athletic. He has the central New York grit to his game that I love to watch whenever I see him play.
Zach Arbuckle
Trinity Pawling/Team 91 LI
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Zach is, I believe, the most athletic faceoff athlete in the class. He will beat you in a footrace if the ball is on the ground. Dyson should name a vacuum after him for the amount of ground balls he picks up. His rake is elite. I wish it wasn't through his legs, but I would take it if I was his coach.
HONORABLE MENTION
Luka Vecchione- Lawrenceville/Balitmore & Florida Crabs
Cannon Ridinger Charlotte Catholic/Team 91 South
Kaden Fenno TMI/Denver Elite
Scott Conte Don Bosco/BBL
Cooper Revis Bullis/DC Express