Austin Pifani's Final Four Defenseman Class of 2024

Fox Took Home the top defender spot in the 2024 class, and he more than deserved it. Fox has the perfect frame for a close defender, and still has years to fill out. On approach Fox had near perfect footwork all weekend long, never seeming to over pursue or apply too much pressure. His range allows him to comfortably remain in offensive players hands without ever putting himself in a compromising position. He is physical and throws heavy checks while never losing a step on his opponent. Always demonstrating restraint by waiting to throw takeaways until the outcome is going to be successful in his favor. Fox is young, but already seems to have the IQ and skills of a veteran defender playing angles to perfection and minimizing the attackers ability for quality chances. Fox has the potential to develop into one special defenseman with continued development and growth. 

Sheumack was a ball hawk all over the field this weekend. Sheumack is as patient as they come as a defender. He never seemed to over pursue or push an approach to the ball carrier. Using the full stick length,  he made it difficult for attackers to breath on Sunday in the tournament round crowding their hands and not allowing them to get set into a dodge. Sheumack did a great job of staying between his opponents hips turning them away from GLE with a strong top hand punch followed by great footwork. A slick stick and great off the ground Sheumack has the makings of a very talented defenseman. 

Not afraid to turn up the pace and pressure,  Durnan was picking offense players pockets all weekend long in Warwick, NY.  In the championship bracket Durnan was causing turnovers almost every other rep with some perfectly timed back checks, but never seemed to put himself out of position. His quick foot speed allows him to cover ground alarmingly fast and recover into a strong defensive stance if he ever was in a compromising position. He is a strong communicator and that showed in small part drills like 3 on 3's, able to perform seamlessly with new defenseman every rep.  

Standing at 5'11 and weighing 175 LBs Shepherd was a tough matchup for almost any player based on his frame alone. Despite his size at such a young age he is extremely athletic and has some incredible range. throughout the weekend Shepherd was harassing offensive players with effective and efficient lift checks frequently dislodging the ball. he plays with controlled aggression throwing heavy checks but keeping the stick in offensive players hands, never getting to stick happy and losing position. He was excellent off the ground and seemed to have a motor that never stopped. His pace on the defensive end frustrated offensive players as they never had a second to catch a breath without being pressured. Shepherd has some stellar footwork allowing him to make turning would be dodgers at GLE look effortless. Throw in his slick stick work, and shepherd seems to be a future leader on the defensive end. 

Austin Pifani's Final Four Defenseman Class of 2023

Chandler is a straight up ball hawk on the field. His Motor didn't seem to get matched by any defender this weekend while playing despite some nasty weather. Chandler is aggressive in-between the lines, but has the Athleticism to fly around without compromising technique or positioning. Chandler is strong  and was physically moving ball carriers with well placed jams. He took full advantage of his stick length to harass ball carriers and was causing turnovers routinely. During the Final Four matchups against some tough competition he didn't seem to give up a shred of ground dominating almost every matchup. His ability in the transition game has to be mentioned as he is great at pushing transition and letting the ball fly with some crazy heat. Chandler is the real deal from out west, he is raw and gritty not afraid to make a play in every aspect of the game. Look out for Chandler in the coming months as he should be popping up on coaches radars. 

Colella continues to impress at Apex Lacrosse Events, and is showing time and time again that he is one of the toughest defenders out there. He will pressure offensive players just about anywhere on the field. His ability to apply such pressure is directly related to his textbook stance. A strong bent knee stance that he never seems to come out of, Colella has extreme discipline on approach as well as while covering would be dodgers. Using his full stick length he is efficient and smart with his checks never throwing anything he can't back up. Colella has continuously improved event over event, and watching him dominate matchups has become a sight to see. 

Wu plays a textbook style of defense, and it showed all over the field this weekend. He isn't flashy with checks, and plays a simplistic style of defense but it is very effective.  Getting low in his stance and riding opponents hips Wu is very effective at knocking offensive players off their line.  He plays angles extremely well, and one of his strengths is dominating GLE.  Wu does an excellent job of combining a top hand punch with bringing his foot around to force would be dodgers back towards X. His high lax IQ was on display in the small part drills when he was making some collegiate level hedges and slides, filling in half spots to eat up space. Wu is everything you ask for in a reliable defender who can lock down just about anyone.  

Pope was bringing the body all weekend putting offense players into the turf rep after rep. He is as physical as they come with a strong punch to the hips that moves offensive players off their line forcing a reset or moving the ball to another player. He has a strong base backed up by some powerful leg drive that allow him to play his physical style of play. His checks are heavy and can dislodge the ball from offensive players sticks without ever placing himself out of position. He has great foot speed for his size, able to close the gap on would be dodgers crowding their initial dodge. Pope is a great lockdown cover guy, and seems to be ready to take on some big time matchups and perform well doing so. 

Austin Pifani's Defenseman Showcase Final Four Class of 2022

Athletic as they come Sawransky is a force in between the lines. Throwing just one strong check Sawransky was able to knock the ball loose from almost any attacker he was matched up against. He isn't stick happy as he seems to throw an effective check one time and maintain contact in the gloves of his opponent. Sawransky has some incredible acceleration able to close out on ball carriers quickly without rushing his footwork. He displayed great burst of speed after jarring the ball loose and scooping up balls of the turf. Physical with great frame Sawransky looks to be ready to make impact plays at the collegiate level, bolstering any defense with his controlled aggression style of play.

Young is a do it all defenseman who was dominating matchups all over the field this Sunday in Warwick, NY. He displayed strong discipline throughout his game from his stance to his checks he was dialed in from the first whistle. Young looked strong on the ball never giving the offensive player a second to breath.  He has a textbook jam and does a great job of maintaning contact throughout the dodge, driving attackers to where he feels most comfortable. Young does a great job of abusing offensive players who lack stick protection able to throw some heavy hitting checks to dislodge the ball with ease.  Well Rounded and possessing a High lax IQ Young looks ready to make the jump to the collegiate level, and become an impact player.  

When Swartz is on approach attackers tended to tuck and run because he always seemed to find a way to knock the ball loose. Swartz is as aggressive as they come, but backs it up with some incredibly athletic play. He has the ability to throw a flurry of precise checks without losing a step on his matchup.  There wasn't a matchup that Swartz didn't feel comfortable pressuring as his confidence on ball is high. He is no slouch with the ball in his stick either able to push transition and early offense like a midfielder. Swartz is versatile and seems to fit well into the evolving role of the collegiate LSM.  

Kubala has incredible range and size that allow him to cover ground and close the gap on offense players quickly. He always seemed to approach with his stick out front, and on arrival would throw a hard check that often dislodged the ball from some talented attackmen. His footwork is top notch able to play comfortably in the trail position without ever seeming to lose position on his matchup. He’s excellent off the ground, maintaining great stick protection off the pick up and knowing exactly how to protect his stick from riding attackman. Throw in a physical slide game and his ability to bluff slides to deter dodgers, and Kubala seems to have all the pieces of a great defender at the collegiate level.