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Pull into a long driveway at the Jacobsen family home in San Diego and look to your right. Head down maybe a dozen steps with green scenery surrounding them and you’ll eventually run into a short fence. Open that up, and you’ve got something pretty unique.
Welcome to The Compound, as it’s affectionally known. The former tennis court got a major facelift during Covid, and while it’s not the only reason that Ross and Harry Jacobsen are four-star prospects committed to Dartmouth, it sure doesn’t hurt.
“During Covid, we turfed half of it and put up a goal,” said Ross Jacobsen, an ambidextrous attackman/midfielder from Torrey Pines (Calif.). “Ever since then, we’ve added every year. There’s a box goal, Elevate dummies, speed ladders, a workout area, a basketball hoop and a pickleball court. There’s a strip of turf on the other half where we can do sprints. There’s no way we’d be the players we are if they we didn’t have that. There’s no excuse not to go out and put the work in, and we use it multiple times a day.”
Recently, it even served as the host for a pre-tournament practice for Rotten Cheeseburgers. The local club, started by West Coast Starz director Jono Zissi, put on a show at The Challenge, hosted by Adrenaline. Rain washed out the first day of the event. Despite that, RC, backed by a group of 2026 and 2027 Division I and high Division III commits, rolled to a pair of wins on Sunday and flexed their muscle at an event that highlights the best in Western lacrosse.
“We work out here a lot,” Jacobsen said. “Most of the time, our TP guys will come in and shoot before practice. We also have a lot of serious longer workouts, but you can also just come out and get some reps in.”
A Versatile Chess Piece
Of course, nobody’s gotten more reps in at The Compound than the Jacobsens. It’s paying off, too. Both were central figures in an explosive RC offense that spread the wealth around. Ross, though, was the one that particularly set himself apart with his two-handed shooting ability and the skill to be an offensive chameleon. The MVP of the NLF National Championships this summer for the Starz, Jacobsen is equally adept letting it fly as a righty or a lefty. He had a smooth lefty rip sweeping up top that made people forget that he’s a natural righty. Where does that two-handedness come from? Call it a lucky break.
“I broke my right arm in fifth grade, so I just did hundreds of lefty one-handed reps for a while,” Jacobsen said. “It was all I did and I got pretty comfortable with it. A lot of kids wait a while to develop an off-hand. I just noticed at a young age that everyone gives you your left when you’re a righty, so I did more lefty reps than righty.”
A Do-It-All Prospect
Jacobsen’s also very capable of playing both attack or midfield, something that definitely endeared him to his future college coach, Sean Kirwan. Jacobsen’s lacrosse IQ is sky high, too, and there’s no doubt that he continues to cement himself as one of the premier seniors in the country.
“Ross’ “secret sauce” is that he has blended an insatiable work ethic, a joy for the process and a competitive streak to be the best player and teammate into his daily routine,” Zissi said. “It’s always a pleasure for a coach when your best players are also your hardest workers and most locked in team leaders.”
That was Jacobsen’s second to last tournament with RC, the San Diego-based club that also serves as a feeder for the Starz. While he’s always proud to represent the Starz on a national level, Jacobsen admits that there’s something unique to the RC experience. It’s one he wouldn’t give up at any point.
“RC’s a ton of fun and definitely a different style of lacrosse,” Jacobsen said. “We’ve got great chemistry because we’ve been playing together forever.”
Standouts from The Challenge
David Bryan ’27, LSM, Southlake Carroll (Texas) / NorthStar
Much like a lot of LSMs in this day and age, Bryan plays a LOUD game. He stood out early with some impressive stickwork on the wing and a physical presence on defense. Bryan had a couple of takeaways in a shutout of RS Black in a Sunday morning game. He timed up his doubles well, pressed out on dodgers and wasn’t afraid to take a chance when the opportunity presented itself – or ever, really. He ran the field very well and pushed transition effortlessly.
Kyson Rosenberger ’26, goalie, Mountain Ridge (Ariz.) / Arizona Lions
Rosenberger couldn’t quite shut down RC Elite’s ridiculously potent offense, but man, did he put on a show in that game. He’s undersized at 5-8 on a good day, but he showed quick hands and a penchant for highlight-reel saves against RC. Rosenberger had a number of absurd saves, perhaps none better than a back-to-back sequence where he denied a low shot and then sprung back across the cage to take away a high rebound. Rosenberger has quick feet and is a bit of a scrambler, and that agility allowed him to take away a number of low shots.
Jack Ryan ’26, defense, Bishop’s (Calif.) / RC Elite – Army
The kind of defenseman you’d expect from Army, Ryan has physicality and a pugnacious playing style that makes him miserable to play against. An extremely physical lefty with high-level stick skills, Ryan doesn’t back down from anybody. If he got beat in two games, I missed it, because he’s seemingly always in the right position and seems to relish the challenge of being dodged. He’ll be part of what should be an outstanding Bishop’s defense this spring.
Quinn Sullivan ’27, attack/midfield, Oregon Episcopal (Ore.) / Team Oregon
One of the top uncommitted juniors on the West Coast, Sullivan showed a high-level burst that helps him create separation from defenders. He’s seemingly omnipresent around the ball with how scrappy he is and looks just as comfortable feeding as he does dodging. Sullivan showed some impressive midrange shooting ability and is a versatile threat.
Honorable Mention
Mack Herrell ’27, LSM/D, Plano West (Texas) / Team America
Gunnar Kieborz ’26, LSM, Sunrise Mountain (Ariz.) / Arizona Lions
Kyle Landry ’27, SSDM, Marin Catholic (Calif.) / RC Elite
Max Wenger ’26, SSDM, Torrey Pines (Calif.) / RC Elite