National Championship AA Preview: West Coast Starz

Follow the NLF on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. This is the West Coast Starz 2020 and 2021 preview for the 2019 NLF Club National Championships. We’ll be profiling some of the top players from every 2020 AA and 2021 AA teams who will be in attendance. 

2020
Top Commits

Michael Boehm, attack, St. Ignatius (Ohio) / Michigan
Miles Botkiss, midfield, Torrey Pines (Calif.) / Harvard
Teagan Bultman, faceoff midfield, Torrey Pines (Calif.) / Brown 
Blake Erlbeck, attack, Torrey Pines (Calif.) / Syracuse 
Marshall McGuire, midfield, Lake Oswego (Ore.) / Syracuse

Top Uncommitted Players

Conrad Delgado, defense, Torrey Pines (Calif.) – The No. 2 defenseman on a very good Torrey Pines team this spring, the 6-5 Delgado is a big, tough and rangy defenseman who’s the, “highest academic kid we’ve ever had,” according to WCS director Jono Zissi.

Cole Kastner, defense, Menlo (Calif.) – If you thought that Delgado was big, get a load of Kastner, who checks in just a shade under 6-8. He’s also a collegiate basketball prospect, and his hoops background give him footwork and off-ball awareness that are special for a man his size. Add in a good stick, and you’ve got quite an intriguing player.

Christian Rasmussen, attack, Torrey Pines (Calif.) – Despite the fact that he’s not the biggest player out there, Rasmussen makes a living off of being a crease guy, pocketing a whopping 62 goals in the spring. He’s got a knack for getting open, and he’ll try any shot once the ball is in his stick.

2021

Paul Barton, defense, Sacred Heart Prep (Calif.) – The son of former San Francisco 49er All-Pro and three-time Super Bowl champion offensive lineman Harris Barton, the younger Barton is a 6-4 defenseman with exceptional footwork for such a big man. He put on a show at the Naptown Challenge and is only getting better.

Owen Gaffney, midfield, Loyola (Calif.) – An elusive midfielder who can shoot well with either hand, Gaffney routinely breaks down defenses and draws a slide. He has a superb first step and is also a more-than-capable feeder.

Matt Nunes, goalie, The Woodlands (Texas) – Nunes is carving out a reputation for himself as perhaps the top goalie in the ’21 class, an opinion backed up by his all-tournament nod at Under Armour. He’s got incredible reaction time and hands, and he can get the ball up and out in a flash.

“We haven’t seen a goalie like him in a long time,” Zissi said.