By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/28/11
The second Lehigh Valley Showcase concluded tonight at Lehigh University with an All-Star game between the top players from a three-day camp and the Lehigh Valley Keystone State Games boys’ lacrosse team.
The camp and All-Star game were run by the Lehigh men’s lacrosse program. The all-stars handily defeated the Lehigh Valley squad with help from three Lehigh rising senior recruits from Philly: goalie Steve Brodeur (Strath Haven), LSM Eidenshink (La Salle) and attackman Reid Weber (Germantown Academy).
Other Philly players on the Showcase All-Star team were attackman Connor Haab (Episcopal Academy rising senior), midfielder Will Mette (Tower Hill rising junior) and goalie Garrett Miers (Emmaus rising junior).
The camp drew 125 players from 14 states and Canada and featured instruction from many college coaches as well as seminars on leadership and recruiting and games between six teams. Sixteen college coaches attended the All-Star game.
Other Lehigh recruits on the All-Star team were Ridgewood (N.J.) defenseman Tripp Telesco, Bridgewater-Raritan (N.J.) midfielder Raymond Mastroianni and Bishop Guerin (Mass.) midfielder Will Eaton.
“The idea originally behind the event was to get the best kids in the Lehigh Valley a chance for exposure for the rest of the country,” said Lehigh assistant coach Brendan Callahan, the Showcase cooordinator and All-Star co-coach with Mountain Hawks head coach Kevin Cassese. “Over the two years it’s grown to be a national event with players from 14 states and Canada.
“We had the Keystone team from the Lehigh Valley here to help us fulfill our mission for the Valley. We also brought in someone for the leadership seminar and had a recruiting seminar. It’s an event about exposure, but we did other things for the kids.
“On staff, we had coaches from Villanova, Loyola, Georgetown, Lafayette, Muhlenberg and DeSales, so it was a good mix.
“We had a lot of good feedback from kids and parents and the overall talent on the All-Star team could speak for itself. We’re happy with the turnout for Year Two.”
Eidenshink, an All-Catholic League pick for the Explorers, was happy to get to know some of his future teammates.
“It was a good experience getting to know a couple kids in our class that committed here while playing for the Lehigh coaches,” he said. “They taught us little things on being a leader and communication.”
“It was an awesome experience to be able to play for the coaches I’ll have in a couple years,” added Weber, who scored 70 goals in 2011. “It was great to familiarize myself with some of the other commits.
“And beyond that, with all the talent the games were extremely competitive. It was a great experience. The next level of college will be a whole new ballgame and I have to prepare myself in every way.”
Brodeur, an All-American this year who had seven saves and allowed just two goals in the All-Star game, agreed: “It was nice breaking the ice with everyone and seeing the competition and how we (the Philly players) would play against them.”
