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In Massachusetts club lacrosse, longevity matters. Young athletes join Laxachusetts when they’re barely old enough to carry a stick, and by the time college coaches start calling, they’ve already spent years inside a system that feels closer to family than a team.
The latest class of 2027 commits shows what years in that environment can produce.
“We’ve got kids who’ve been here since third or fourth grade,” said program founder Sean Morris. “They’ve had the same structure, the same expectations. When you grow up here, you learn to show up every single day ready to work.”
Consistency Sets The Tone
Consistency has shaped a class built on grit and discipline more than flash. Ask around, and you hear it in every player’s voice. They talk less about highlights and more about habits, about what it takes to stay in the lineup week after week against the best talent in the country. It’s a big reason why the club already has 25 commitments in the class of 2027, the most of any regional club in the country. Laxachusetts perennially ranks at the top of the commitment counter, and there’s no secret why.
Dion Kitsos, a four-star from Milton (Mass.) headed to Duke, started with the club in seventh grade and still remembers how quickly it hardened his approach.
“Everything’s fast, intense, and detailed,” the NLF’s No. 36 junior said. “Even in practice. The coaches make you tougher. They make you think.”
Kitsos plays with an edge that shows on film, but the depth of his game doesn’t necessarily come across in a scouting report. For the defender, Laxachusetts built the mindset to handle the mental grind that comes with the position.
“You go up against older guys, better guys, every practice,” he said. “You figure out pretty quick how to compete.”
Always Time to Compete
Competitiveness runs through the program and defines the group. Five-star Jack Czepiel of Tabor (Mass.), who will play defense at Princeton, said the coaches’ messaging surrounding expectations never changes.
“You start to understand what the coaches want and why they push you,” the No. 12 junior in the country said. “It’s the play in front of you, but they also show you how to handle yourself on the field. How to communicate and how to lead.”
And leadership is indispensable for a true end-to-end defender. Czepiel takes pride in being the kind of defender who changes a game by shutting down an opponent.
“I can take someone out of a game,” he said. “That’s what I pride myself on.”
For goalies like Ben Midura, a left-handed keeper from Milton High (Mass.) committed to Navy, the lessons go well beyond technique, into game management and poise under pressure.
“The coaches all want to be there,” Midura said, adding that the Laxachusetts staff never merely goes through the motions. “They coach like it’s a real game every single practice. You learn to stay patient, stay composed, and be confident.”
Midura said the coaches also taught him that being a lefty gives him another edge.
“Most goalies are righty, so shooters get thrown off when they see me,” he said. “It gives me an advantage.”
Always Held Accountable
His father, Ben Midura, joined the staff soon after his son picked up goalie gloves and now helps train the program’s netminders. Watching his son and teammates develop gave him perspective on what makes Laxachusetts different.
“You see these kids come in as little kids and leave as young men,” he said. “They learn how to take responsibility, how to be accountable to the group. That’s what sticks long after they’re done playing.”
And long after this class of commits moves on, accountability will remain the backbone of Laxachusetts. It’s an invaluable lesson gained by the likes of four-star Matty Ramos and Daniel Guinee both heading to Army, who said the program’s structure prepared them for what’s ahead. Ramos, an attackman and midfielder from Milton Academy, said Laxachusetts taught him more than X’s and O’s.
“The coaches care about you as a person,” Ramos said. “They push you, but they make you better in every part of your life. And you’re surrounded by guys who want the same thing. It keeps you going.”
Guinee, a two-way midfielder from Andover High, began on one of the lower teams and worked his way up.
“That first year humbled me,” he said. “The coaches told me what I needed to fix, and I just kept going. It’s always about hard work here. If you put in the time, it shows.”
Each player describes the same demanding, repetitive, detailed atmosphere. Practices run with the pace and intensity of varsity sessions. Drills are constant, feedback is direct, and the message is always the same.
“The coaches nitpick everything,” Kitsos said with a laugh. “At first you don’t love it, but then you realize it’s what makes you better. They notice everything, and they won’t let you settle.”
“It Becomes Your Foundation”
All of the repetition, long practices, and constant correction forge something beyond talent. Consistency builds connection as much as skill.
“It’s been the same group of guys for years,” Czepiel said. “When you’ve been through all that together, it becomes your foundation.”
For Morris, the success of this class proves the method still works.
“Every practice, every rep, every summer, they’re competing against the best,” he said. “When you do that for years, the right habits start to form. These kids know what it takes.”
He already sees the next group of third and fourth graders showing flashes of the same drive.
“The lesson is the same for all of them,” Morris said. “They’ve learned how to work for something and how to stick with it. That’s what lasts. That’s what separates good from great.”
Laxachusetts 2027 Commitments
Ethan Abdella, M, St. Sebastian’s (Mass.) – Boston University
Michael Albert, A, Xaverian Brothers (Mass.) – Saint Joseph’s
Peter Cappadonna, A, Thayer (Mass.) – Army
NLF No. 12 Jack Czepiel, D, Tabor (Mass.) – Princeton
Nick Dunn, M, Xaverian (Mass.) – Air Force
NLF No. 57 Dylan Franzen, attack, Tabor (Mass.) – Michigan
Daniel Guinee, A/M, Andover (Mass.) – Army
Maddock Henderson, A, King Phillip (Mass.) – Stony Brook
Adam Hertel, D, Bishop Feehan (Mass.) – UMass
Cole Hogencamp, A, Mansfield (Mass.) – Brown
Dexter Izzo, A, Bishop Feehan (Mass.) – UMass-Lowell
NLF No. 16 Fin Kilbourne, midfield, St. Paul’s (N.H.) – Princeton
NLF No. 36 Dion Kitsos, defense, Milton (Mass.) – Duke
Marco Linton, M, Milton (Mass.) – Air Force
Colton McCann, M, Middlesex (Mass.) – Lafayette
Julian McMullen, LSM, St. George’s (R.I.) – Air Force
Ben Midura, G, Milton (Mass.) – Navy
James Nolan, M, Loomis Chaffee (Conn.) – Bucknell
Gavin Powderly, G, Falmouth (Mass.) – Stony Brook
NLF No. 49 Matty Ramos, A, Milton (Mass.) – Army
Marcus Rios, FO/M, Thayer (Mass.) – Stony Brook
Will Sesselman, M, Westwood (Mass.) – Albany
Jayden Walters, M, Tabor (Mass.) – Providence
NLF No. 90 Sam Weston, LSM, St. Sebastian’s (Mass.) – Dartmouth
NLF No. 81 Henry Zgrodnik, FO/M, Governor’s (Mass.) – Army