Los Angeles Riptide FO specialist Anthony Kelly brought The FaceOff Club a new dimension - the MLL's Fastest Shot. Clocked at 109 mph, Kelly tied the league record set in 2004 by David Evans. Kelly continued to show that he is multi-dimensional by scoring 3 goals (including a 2-point shot) and adding an assist. This was all in addition to him faring well at the X against East All-Star Pete Vlahakis by going 24 of 45 on faceoffs.
Ortolani Dominates X On Way to All-Vail Recognition
After concluding his 3-time All-New England collegiate career for Endicott in the title game of the Commonwealth Coast Conference, John Ortolani entered the post-collegiate ranks in style. Orto led the Brine Elite team at this year's Vail Lacrosse Shootout en route to garnering All-Vail honors at the faceoff position. Not only did he display excellence on draws, Orto collected 5 assists throughout the tournament. His ending stat line at the X was 49 of 75 for a 65% winning percentage.
FaceOff Club High School Players Named USL All-American
Players from the National Faceoff Combine have been named US Lacrosse All-American for the 2008 season:
Zach Pall (Ward Melville, NY)
Brian Foster (Medfield, MA)
Davis Butts (Walpole, MA)
Jim Queeney (Reading, MA)
Greg Rushing (Fort Collins, CO)
Tyler Granelli (John Jay, NY)
Congratulations to all players in their success!
Stevens Headlines Latest College Commitments On Way to Johns Hopkins
Unionville (PA) faceoff specialist Grady Stevens is the third man in line in his family legacy at JHU. Other FaceOff club alums to make recent Division 1 college commitments are Trey Wilkes of Urbana, MD (Ohio State), Chace Caulkin of Mullen, CO (Manhattan), and Jack Miller of Shoreham-Wading River, NY (Presbyterian).
YALE-BOUND YEAGER LEADS TOP 50 LIST OF PRESEASON 2009 HIGH SCHOOL RANKINGS
Cole Yeager of Radnor, PA comes in at #1 on our current Hot List rankings. Our latest list of the Top 50 HS FO specialists in the nation has been published. See the Top 50
\\Ortolani Joins Boston Cannons for '09, Brown on Roll with Blazers
FaceOff Club coaches John Ortolani and Travis Brown extend their college lacrosse success into professional careers as Ortolani was recently acquired by the MLL's Boston Cannons, while Brown has been enjoying NLL success this winter with the Boston Blazers.
A-TRAIN MAKES MOVES TO ROCHESTER (NLL) AND CHICAGO (MLL)
FOC coach Anthony Kelly made some recent "travel arrangements" as he signed with the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League, and was reassigned to the Chicago Machine of Major League Lacrosse when the LA Riptide announced they will not be returning to the MLL this season.
Jones Edges Miller for 2nd Annual National Faceoff Combine Title
Ian Jones defeated Calvin Miller en route to winning the 2008 National Faceoff Combine. Jones eliminated several future NCAA FO specialists along the way to the finals. See the NFOC roster
\Sufferling Commits to Army, Reichert to Trinity
Blake Sufferling of Saint Andrew's School (FL) and Tim Reichert of Champlain Valley Union (VT) are the latest FaceOff Club recruits to commit to colleges. Sufferling heads to play Division 1 lacrosse at Army while Reichert will be headed off in the fall to NESCAC standout Trinity. Our College Commitments page
TFOC Announces the 2008 High School FO Specialist of the Year Awards
The votes from our panel of coaches were recently tallied and the names of our 4 regional Specialists of the Year have been announced. See the highlight video on Inside Lacrosse TV and Our press release posted onInside Lacrosse
Raising the Bar of Faceoffs in Europe: the '08 Euro Championships
Nolan Godfrey traveled to Lahti, Finland for the recent 2008 European Lacrosse Championships. He met up with teams he trained on an European tour in '07, and led a FO clinic attended by players from 14 different nations. See the Inside Lacrosse TV video for a recap!
Anthony Kelly Named MLL All-Star and League's 'Fastest Shot'