By Matthew De George – For Phillylacrosse,com, Posted 6/30/12
Philip Busenius had a handful of stops on his summer itinerary on the East Coast.
For the 2025 attackman from British Columbia, that meant a couple of college visits. He and his Royal Bay teammates played at a couple of showcases, before Busenius and his Royal Bay/Team BC mate Ronin London added the One Percent Showcase in Conshohocken to the list.
“I thought this event brought some really good competition, which I thought I needed,” Busenius said after the 2025 All-Star Game, which he qualified for. “It’s an amazing event. A lot of kids out here came out and showed their best, and I think I came out and showed pretty good. I think playing against these guys is really cool.”
Busenius made his way to the All-Star Game Tuesday at the tournament at the Proving Grounds, bringing a little international flair to proceedings.
Busenius impressed early and often. The big-bodied attackman has the skill you might expect from a Canadian box player, with quick hands to move the ball in the attacking half and a blend of physicality and footwork off the dodge. His long arms and long stride make him hard to stop, in the open field or when he’s trying to get a shot off.
The high level of competition is exactly what he was after in venturing far from home for a summer of exposure.
“It’s super competitive and super fun,” he said. “Some people might think the easy games are really fun, but I think the ones where you’re getting beat up and you’re having to take a couple more hits, they’re much more fun.”
One of the big adjustments, which Busenius sought out, is the switch from box to field lacrosse. He has aspirations of playing lacrosse in the United States in college, and melding his box skills to the more open-field, up-and-down game is something he’s working on.
“I think the pick-setting is something that they brought out as Americans,” he said. “In box, that’s how the whole game is played, around pick-setting and getting over the top. So that really shows the box and these guys’ level.”
Busenius was on the White Team in the All-Star Game, which was on the wrong end of an 8-5 decision to the Black Team.
Matthew Triolo (Glenn/Team 91 LI) scored twice to go with an assist for the Black team, and Gary Merrill (St. Anthony’s/Team 91 LI) had a goal and an assist in the final. The Black team got a pair of pole goals, thanks to Keegan Smith (Riverside/VLC) and Kellen Gardner (Haverford School/Mesa), the latter an outstanding behind-the-back marker in transition.
Parker McDonald (St. Anthony’s/Team 91 LI), on Team White, was voted the 2025 Defensive MVP for the day. Wyatt Bowman (Georgetown Prep/Express North) scored twice in the final and was named the 2025 Offensive MVP.
Garnder was joined by Haverford School teammate Reese Childs in the 2025 All-Star Game, which also included Malvern Prep/Freedom defenseman Aidan Seibel.
The 2026 All-Star Game was washed out by inclement weather that moved in. Goalie Hunter Mezzatesta (Yorktown/Express North) and midfielder Dylan Faison (Saint Andrews/Team 91 LI) were the defensive and offensive MVPs, respectively, in that division.
The Philly area was better represented among the ’26 All-Stars. Mesa had two players in the All-Star affair, Haverford School’s Braiden DeLacy and La Salle’s Dan Kuriger. They were joined by Freedom/Downingtown East defenseman Caleb Aikens and La Salle defender Cooper Heilig (Team 91 Maryland).
Wednesday brought the 2027s showcase, which culminated with a 14-5 win for the Black team against the White team. Chris Colsey, an attackman from Ridgefield/Eclipse, scored four goals and an assist on the way to the Offensive MVP award. The defensive MVP went to St. Sebastian’s/Laxachusetts LSM Sam Weston.
Luke Perriello (Brunswick/2Way) and faceoff man Tommy Massaro (Mount Sinai/Team 91 LI) scored twice each in the final for the Black team. Rocco Spallina (Massapequa/Team 91 LI) had a goal and an assist, and Marco Linton (Dexter Southfield/Laxachusetts) dished two assists. Paul DiBlasi (Seaford/Team 91 LI) chipped in a pole goal.
Team White got a goal and an assist each from Sam Coluzzi (Wesleyan/Team 91 Georgia) and Ryder Scott (Mount Saint Joseph/Team 91 Maryland). Kane Quenault of Delbarton and Leading Edge was the leading faceoff guy on the day with seven wins in the final, and Carson Meredith (Hill School/Mesa) battled in goal with five saves for White in the face of an incessant attack by the Black squad.
Mesa/Radnor attackman Finn Petrone scored a goal for Team White in the All-Star Game. He was joined by club teammates TJ McDermott (Malvern Prep), Adam Dodia (Salesianum) and Carson Meredith (Hill School) in the game. Cooper Schreiner (Springside Chestnut Hill/Big 4 HHH) and Alexander Piasecki (Haverford School/Mesa) also earned spots in the All-Star Game, as did Tower Hill/Jersey Express attackman Sullivan Keith.
