There was an abundance of talent in Charlotte this past weekend for the Jake Reed Fall Blue Chip.  Several Florida players made the trip up and made big impressions.  St. Thomas Aquinas’ JP Crowley, St. Andrews’ Keith Mahler (pictured above)  and Benjamin Kennedy, and Jupiter’s Conor Alexander all got very favorable press from Inside Lacrosse. From IL A few hundred of the nation’s best players from the class of 2014 and 2015 were on hand for Jake Reed’s third annual fall Nike Blue Chip showcase on the campus of Queens University in Charlotte, N.C. Split up by class, the recruits participated in five games between early Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon before heading home. Among college coaches spotted: Loyola, Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, Denver, Harvard, Yale, Brown, Penn, Princeton, Cornell, Georgetown, Ohio State, Dartmouth, Colgate, Army, Navy, Bucknell, Hofstra, Fairfield and Michigan. New programs High Point, Furman, Boston U. and Richmond were all present as well.

Attack

It’s certainly no surprise that the most dependable finisher all weekend was a Canadian. Dawson McKenzie (Culver Military ’15, Ind.) was phenomenal in tight quarters, showcasing an excellent stick and off-ball movement. Isn’t a dodger by any means but could fill the net on a regular basis. A recent Towson commit, J.P. Crowley (St. Thomas Aquinas ’15, Fla.) raised his stock in my book. His size, slickness and smarts are legit, and he could beat his man from X without much problem. Strong shot from the outside, and worked well in tandem with Colton Rupp (Landon ’15, Md.) and Matthew Hahn (Avon Old Farms ’15, Conn.). Just a few days after verballing to Duke, Joe Manown (La Salle Academy ’15, R.I.) made the trip down and impressed. His change of direction is excellent, making him tough to stop around GLE. Did a good job of dodging with his head up and finding the open man, but will need to work on riding harder consistently going forward. Riley O’Sullivan (Don Bosco Prep ’15, N.J.) had a nice weekend, dodging with precision and setting up his teammates. A tad undersized but a strong recruit who is also a nice asset in the riding game. When I watched them, the 2014 attackmen didn’t catch my eye a ton, but there were a few standouts. Though listed as a midfielder, Alex Kelly (Brunswick ’14, Conn.) played attack and dazzled, tallying four goals and an assist in the game I checked out. He demonstrated an impressive lacrosse IQ, not forcing any passes and taking smart shots. Liked using the roll dodge but could also score off the catch and shoot effectively. His prep teammate Cameron Stafford (Brunswick ’14, Conn.), a lefty, put together a few nice games as well, scoring multiple goals. Others Who Impressed: Alec Orazietti (Mountain Lakes ’15, N.J.), Conor Walters (Lake Forest ’15, Ill.), Jacob Shaver (Deep Run ’14, Va.), Joe Rodrigues (Bellarmine Prep ’14, Calif.), Michael Kraus (New Canaan ’15, Conn.), Alex Roesner (Loyola Blakefield ’15, Md.)

Midfield

Keith Mahler (St. Andrew’s ’15, Fla.) was impressive all weekend, excelling in transition and showing off a super quick release. Mahler’s vision was also strong, dishing it off when the slide came. His older brother, Grant, is a senior bound for Cornell. Read the whole article here.