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Lawrenceville (N.J.) is back in the Prep Nationals championship. For the first time, the Big Red will see someone that’s not host Brunswick (Conn.).
Salisbury (Conn.) ambushed the Bruins out of the gates and never gave Brunswick a legitimate shot at a comeback to finish off a 10-5 win in the tournament’s second semifinal. The two-time defending champion Big Red handled Deerfield (Mass.), 14-9. Salisbury and Lawrenceville will play Sunday for the title at 2 p.m. at Brunswick.
The Big Red got a seven-point night from four-star junior Michigan verbal Jake Sturtevant and four goals from four-star junior Johns Hopkins commit Colby Rossettie (West Coast Starz). Sawyer English (Brown) continued to display why he’s arguably the best two-way midfielder in the senior class with two goals, an assist, approximately 674 ground balls, excellent transition play and solid defense.
“I feel like (Deerfield) definitely didn’t get our best the last time we played them,” Rossettie said. “We had a long week of practice. We knew what was on the line and I think we showed up and showed them what was up.”
“For the past two years, being No. 1, we expect to win, and anything less than winning this championship would be a failure and a disappointment for our team,” Sturtevant said.
‘Bury Books First Finals Berth
It was an upset in terms of the tournament seedings, but Salisbury’s win also highlighted the four-team field’s depth. Yes, the Crimson Knights went 0-3 against Prep Nationals opponents in the regular season. However, they were also talented enough to be ranked No. 1 in the country before that. There’s no shortage of talent on the team, and it’s not an enormous surprised that Salisbury jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.
Four-star senior goalie Dash Lamitie (Johns Hopkins) made an argument as the best player in either game. He was superb, making double-digit saves and cutting off any chance at a Brunswick comeback. The Bruins had to earn every one of their five goals, and they must have had a dozen or so shots that would gone in against almost any other goalie in the country. Lamitie was having none of it, though. His explosiveness, agility and body control were all top notch throughout the game. He gave the Crimson Knights new life, particularly after their regular season ended with losses to Brunswick (12-6) and Deerfield (11-10 in overtime)
“I think we kind of used what happened last week as fuel,” Lamitie said. “We were all pretty unhappy with how we played. We thought it couldn’t have gone worse for us. Today, it just all clicked. Every guy on the team stepped up. We had a ton of injuries. Guys that don’t usually play much came on. I’m so proud of these guys and our team played great.”
Prep Nationals Semifinal Standouts
Jack Borg ’27, attack, Deerfield (Mass.) / MadLax
It’s always tough for an underclassman to carve out a major role, let alone a starting spot, on a team with as much upperclass talent as Deerfield. That’s not an issue for the 6-1, 170-pound Maryland native. The talented righty got the Big Green on the board with a first-quarter bouncer off of a top-side sweep. Later, he tossed home a high-to-high finish. Borg’s a versatile player and has confidence dodging from different spots on the offensive end.
Sawyer English ’25, midfield, Lawrenceville (N.J.) – Brown
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more versatile midfielder in the senior class. English made an impact in every facet of the game despite clearly not being at 100 percent. Offense, defense, ground balls, transition, whatever. Just like his brothers, English is a difference-maker in every way. He finished with two goals and an assist, but it felt like he was involved in a half-dozen Big Red goals.
English helped Lawrenceville crack the game open in the third quarter when he scored back-to-back goals. The first came when he picked off a pass on the ride at the midline and beat the Deerfield goalie back to the net for an easy dunk. On the ensuing possession, he essentially wore the Big Green LSM like a cape and still snapped home a shot through the five-hole on a sweep. You can’t miss 15 anywhere on the field. Find the ball and you’ll see him.
Jayden Kittelberger ’25, SSDM, Salisbury (Conn.) – Syracuse
Kittelberger’s long been considered one of the top SSDMs in the senior class. He backed up that reputation with a terrific performance to spearhead the Crimson Knights’ defensive effort against a Brunswick team loaded with offensive weapons. A tall, long-limbed prospect, he has an excellent frame for the position and, whew, he can fly. He has eye-opening speed in the open field. He also has excellent agility and the ability to change directions on a dime, both crucial elements to being a top-flight SSDM. Kittelberger was able to stymie the Bruins’ dodging options up top, which helped solidify the back end of the defense.
Salisbury Defense Tames the Bruins
“Making big stops, getting turnovers and ground balls, I think we all feed off of each other well,” Kittelberger said. “This win definitely means a lot to us. We’re excited to move forward and use it as fuel for our next game. I think (the Bruins) have a very, very strong offense, but the main part for our defense is just talking, understanding when to slide, knowing where to slide to, and just having each other’s back. Having each other’s 6 is the most important part of defense.”
Brayden Lahey ’25, attack, Deerfield (Mass.) / Prime Time – Virginia
Lahey, Borg and Griffin Cepiel (Georgetown) were the Big Green’s main offensive threats against the Big Red. The former Prime Time standout led the way as the initiator from X. Lahey shook a defender at X, then brushed off the slide and ripped a short-side blast for arguably the prettiest goal of the night. CLICK HERE if you don’t believe me. He had another goal up the hash and also picked up an assist on a Cepiel tally. Lahey’s shiftiness helped him create separation. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him also play midfield at the next level because his athleticism and finishing ability lend themselves well to playing in space.
Dash Lamitie ’25, goalie, Salisbury (Conn.) – Johns Hopkins
Lamitie and English might have been the two best players between the two games. The former was out of this world in the Salisbury cage, and he definitely got into Brunswick shooters’ heads with some of the stops that he made. The future Blue Jay had an outrageous 1v1 robbery on a breakaway in the third quarter when the Bruins had some juice going for a comeback. Lamitie stopped a high shot while also falling down to the ground, and it was a completely absurd save.
Brunswick repeatedly tested him low, and that’s akin to simply rolling him the ball and asking him to start the break for the Crimson Knights. Lamitie has to be 6-3 or 6-4, but he drops so smoothly and effortlessly to take away the low shots. He excelled in the clearing game, was very vocal and repeatedly came up with every big save to shut off any attempt at a Brunswick comeback.
“I try to think about if I can make the first save, I can make the rest,” Lamitie said. “Our close D, poles and short-stick D-middies played a great game. We held them to the shots we wanted and gave me the best looks I could have at saving them. I’m just proud of this team.”
Colby Rossettie ’26, attack, Lawrenceville (N.J.) / West Coast Starz – Johns Hopkins
There are so many offensive weapons that can shine on any given day. So much so that a player of Rossettie’s caliber can sometimes get a short-stick matchup. That’s not recommended if you’re playing the Big Red, and the California native showed why. He punished Deerfield to the tune of four first-half goals. He ripped home a high-to-high blast off of an English feed, then tallied his second on an up-the-hash bouncer.
It was Rossettie who helped crack the game open before halftime, pocketing back-to-back goals in transition. First, he buried a Jake Sturtevant (Michigan) one-more feed after Ted Rawson (Syracuse) had an impressive ground ball on the ride back. Alex Swinnie (Express North / Johns Hopkins) won the ensuing faceoff and snapped a gorgeous feed to the back pipe to a cutting Rossettie, who did the rest.
Jake Sturtevant ’26, attack, Lawrenceville (N.J.) – Michigan
Somebody’s got to get the ball to the Big Red’s talented shooters. Sturtevant was more than happy to oblige as the quarterback, finishing with five assists and a pair of goals, too. He showed excellent vision mostly from X, but he also had a dime of a top-center no-look EMO feed to Adam Ponting (Princeton) on the crease. Sturtevant had a terrific feed to a cutting Aydan Matthews on the man-up and found the Canadian sophomore later in the game for another tally. He also dished up a pass right in five-star Hansen Peck‘s (Team 91 Long Island / Syracuse) stick for another EMO finish. If Sturtevant’s got the ball in his stick, everybody’s open. He can fit passes into tight windows and knows where his guys want the ball.
“We’ve been working a lot on man-up. I’ve got to give it to the cutters. They find seams really well and I was able to see them. They were sloughing in on the back side and I think it’s just a lot of patience and poise and putting them in the right spot.
James Whitehorse ’26, attack, Salisbury (Conn.) – Virginia
The Crimson Knights were without the services of five-star lefty senior attackman Cam Kelley (Prime Time / Notre Dame). Whitehorse made sure that Kelley’s absence didn’t mean that Salisbury still had plenty of lefty offensive pop. The Texas native was outstanding as a finisher, netting four goals in the win. He had a couple of transition finishes and it’s unrealistic to expect any goalie to stop a player of his caliber on the crease. Whitehorse also popped out for a fourth-quarter goal, showing off his range when he buried a shot from up top. He’s one of the best finishers in the junior class.