By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 10/29/17
NORTH EAST, Md – Trey Lignelli, a 2020 defenseman, knew the competition would be keen from the more experienced players Saturday at the Victory Events Fall Showcase Camp at Calvert Regional Park.
But the tall and rangy Lignelli, of Boyertown (PA), was one of the defensive standouts and left the event pleased with his play and lessons learned.
“Coming in and being a 2020 I expected tough competition; there were not many younger guys,” said Lignelli, who plays club for Black Bear (PA). “I wanted to prove I had a chance against these guys.”
The event featured elite college instruction from Division I and III coaches, capped by showcase games. More than 40 coaches attended.
“The coaches were focusing on little stuff such as positioning and keeping you stick up,” Lignelli said. “I think I helped my team, I did a lot of clearing, getting the ball to the offense.”
What did Lignelli learn that he can take to the Fall and Spring seasons?
“Little things like stick placement; we also worked on footwork. The big part was working and adjusting your game to the college coaches’ expectations.”
What type of school is Lignelli looking for?
“I am looking for business and a medical school,” he said. “My family has been in the medical field and I am just trying to follow in their footsteps.”
Others who excelled:
Talon Campbell, 2019, MF, Reservoir/HoCo, MD
On the event: “I wanted to run hard all day. I got a lot of groundballs and my shooting percentage was pretty good. I learned a lot about face-offs; I had never faced off before but I had some good success. It (the competition) was pretty good, there were many high-level players, but I played up at Lehigh and was prepared coming in.
On his college preference: “I want to go to an Engineering school. D1 is the goal but anything is acceptable. I need to get into the weight-room.”
Matthew Scandone, 2019 MF, Allentown Central Catholic/Duke’s LC, PA
On the event: “My goals coming in were getting exposure and to bring my game to the next level. I thought it went well; my dodging was good and I worked well with my teammates.”
On what he learned: “I learned to shoot toward the goal and tips on dodging. Also, I learned a lot about face-offs – which I was not a big fan of.”
On his college preferences: “I am looking for a business school; you can do so much with a business degree.”
Greg Santa-Anna, 2019 ATT/MF, Parkland/Big4HHH, PA
On the event: “I think I played well; I just wanted to get a lot of exposure and learn as much as I can from the college coaches. I think our team played well as a whole.”
On what he learned: “I think I learned some new dodges from behind X; have some new moves. I am looking for a good business school, it doesn’t matter if it’s city or rural. We have big expectations for the 2018 season; we are shooting for a state championship.”
Maximo Eriksson, 2019 LSM, St. Thomas Aquinas/Florida Xtreme
On the event: “The main reason I came up was to check out the competition up North. I thought I did pretty well. Once you get the handle of how a player plays – what hand they use – you understand how to approach them.”
On what he learned: “The coaches emphasized how to approach a player through placement and setting your feet. I really took it to heart from these coaches. I am looking at business schools; any school with good academics.”
“On his college preferences: “I would prefer a D1 school, but when everything comes together if the competition is good, it doesn’t matter. It’s the academics are what set you past college.
Brandon Smith, 2018 MF, Douglas Freeman/C2C, VA
On the event: “My main goals were to get noticed. I came up here thinking it would be a good event and it turned out being a great event for me. Today, I felt I was dodging well; the attackmen were in the right spot and I was feeding or they were giving me room to score – we all got along somehow. We all respected each other and amazingly through only two games we got to know each other.”
On what he learned: “One coach stressed about getting your hands high and back and away to really create a lot of torque when you shoot. That’s my MO for playing lacrosse, I am a big right-handed shooter, who is fast and likes to play physical. Another coach helped me on defense by getting my feet set and showing me how to approach people that might be shiftier than I am by using my speed sand strength.”