Last weekend, we were in Schaumburg, Illinois just outside of Chicago to evaluate talent at the Team Illinois Fall Invitational.
Sunday was jammed with teams from Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota.
The belle of the ball undoubtably was Western Reserve despite missing commits from Ohio State and Hopkins.
Click here for our Saturday showcase athletes.
2023 Ty Banks - Defense - Western Reserve - West Coast Starz - Georgetown
The five star recruit was by the far the most talented pole at the event. He is a perfect blend of athleticism and junkyard dog mean. Off ball posture and communication is as impressive as his on ball physicality.
2023 Kellen Marks - Midfield - Barrington - Yeti - Bellarmine
At 5'6" 135lbs, you might miss Marks on the field. Until, the speed demon touches the ball. He is incredibly quick and willing to dodge into the danger areas to score goals. He has the confidence and skill set to score goals in a variety of ways when he gets leverage.
2023 Sean Mullan - Attack - Maine South - East Ave - Marist
Mullan was listed as an attackman in the book but we seemed to catch him playing a lot of midfield. At 6'3" 195lbs, he certainly has the size you want in a Division 1 midfielder. Against Western Reserve, he split a triple team near the midfield line, then dodged a short stick and scored behind the back as the slide was arriving. He was also very comfortable covering midfield dodgers.
2024 Josh Schlackman - Attack - Western Reserve - Juiced Cherries
The weekend was not bereft of talented left handed offensive weapons but Schlackman might have been the best shooter of the group. Additionally, he seemed to be automatic when he beat his defender top side running the two man game in Reserve's offense.
2024 Jared Maznik - Attack - Western Reserve - West Coast Starz - Harvard
The Canadian got off to a slow start the first night at Juniors Open but tallied multiple goal games thereafter. He got off to a blistering start immediately on Sunday. An almost unfair compliment to Schlackman on the other side of the field in Reserve's settled offense.
2024 Caiden Ramos - Midfield - Brother Rice - Juiced Cherries - Air Force
Ramos showed off a non stop motor on Sunday. He was the lone multi goal scorer for the Cherries against Reserve. He forced a turnover on defense, scooped up the groundball, and scored in transition. Later in the second half, he beat his man underneath with a quick shake and finish.
2024 - Gunnar Bick - Midfield - Hutchinson - UNRL Minnesota
The Minnesota middie is built like a young Michael Kimmel. He showed off a heavy shot on the run and with his feet set against Steelhead and East Ave.
2024 Carter Blackburn - Attack - Waunakee - Alpha - Loyola
Blackburn popped immediately effortlessly splitting a defender from the top corner of the box before drawing a slide and attempting a behind the back shot. The lefty seems to float while dodging and is an equally willing creator for his teammates. At 6'1" 180lbs, the lefty has the size and speed to contribute for the Hounds.
2024 Tyler Coryea - Goalie - Western Reserve - Resolute - Maryland
The Terp netminder also seems to have taken another leap forward since we saw him at Juniors Open in late June. Not that he didn't look like an elite D1 goalie in June, but Coryea lived up to the fair or unfair pressure of being a Maryland commit. He confidently directed the defense with verbal and visual cues while most importantly making every save he was supposed to make to go along with saves he shouldn't have made. He's not the biggest goalie in the country, but with the save total increasing you could notice shooters becoming more timid to challenge him.
Additional athletes of note:
2023 Cade Faulkner - Midfield - St. Viator - Second City - Utah
2024 AJ Serna - Midfield - Western Reserve - True Illinois - Air Force
2024 Drew Lockwood - Midfield - Hartland - Juiced Cherries
2024 Ethan Conto - Midfield - Muskego - Alpha
2024 Charlie King - Attack - Waunakee - Alpha
2024 Magnus Salmon - Midfield - Western Reserve - Juiced Cherries
2024 Riley Murphy - Defense - Benilde St. Margaret's - UNRL Minnesota
2024 Logan Leatherberry - Goalie - Oregon - Alpha
2024 Liam Liskey - Goalie - Crown Point - East Ave
2025 Cooper Tieson - Attack - Grand Ledge - Juiced Cherries
2025 Logan Chavez - Defense - Kettle Moraine - Alpha
2025 Andrew Gryzenia - Defense - Detroit Country Day - Juiced Cherries