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The first NLF Class of 2028 rankings are here.
West Coast Starz attackman/midfielder Sawyer Bligh was recently announced as the No. 1 prospect in the class. A Northern California native now living in Greenwich, Bligh was a dynamic all-around force that helped Brunswick (Conn.) win the Prep Nationals championship. He’s followed by another NorCal native and former club teammate in Harrison Tyler (Lawrenceville, N.J. / Long Island Express). You can check out the full top 10 breakdown below.
The first NLF rankings of every class always feature the top 60 players in the grade. That’s a particularly hard exercise in this class, which is LOADED with offensive weapons in particular. An honorable mention list will be published next week. The pre-Sept. 1 rankings update will feature a top 100 after we have had more time to evaluate more players. CLICK HERE for the full top 60.
1. Sawyer Bligh, attack/midfield, Brunswick (Conn.) / West Coast Starz
The best of an absolutely loaded ’28 bunch at Brunswick, Bligh was a force as a two-way midfielder this spring for the Prep Nationals champions. He battled upper body injuries throughout the year and still produced to the tune of 14 goals and 30 assists. An X attackman by trade who learned how to be a two-way middie to get on the field for the Bruins, Bligh is a multi-faceted weapon who can do it all. He’s an excellent feeder and shooter, has an off-the-charts compete level and relishes dishing out contact on the defensive end. Bligh is automatic on ground balls, too. He helped the West Coast Starz 27s win the NLF National Championship last summer while playing up – he’s a natural ’28 – and was arguably their most dominant player in that run. He has his eyes set on the ACC and Ivy League.
2. Harrison Tyler, attack, Lawrenceville (N.J.) / Long Island Express
Dynamic X attackmen are always the hardest position to find in any given class. Here’s your guy if you want one of those. The NorCal native is as slippery and agile as it gets from behind the cage, but he also does an excellent job of varying where he’s dodging from. He split his time between attack and midfield for the Big Red this spring, scoring 21 times and adding seven assists on a team loaded with senior offensive talent. The decks clear a bit after four-stars Colby Rossettie (West Coast Starz / Johns Hopkins) and Jake Sturtevant (Michigan) depart, which means that Tyler will have a great chance to run the show next year. He dodges with his head up and finds open guys with regularity and is a very two-handed shooter. He buried an all-lefty hat trick in a wild Prep Nationals semifinal battle with Brunswick.
3. Chase Aquino, midfield, Hill School (Pa.) / Team 91 Long Island
The younger brother of Penn State star Hunter Aquino is pretty darn good in his own right. A 6-2, 190-pound beast of an athlete, he might be the most two-handed shooter in the class. He’s a righty, but if you didn’t know that and only saw him shoot lefty, you’d assume he was another elite lefty in a class chock full of them. Aquino went off for Hill this spring, tallying 39 times and adding 15 assists. He had a six-goal day against Hill Academy (Ont.), five to fend off an upset bid against Gill St. Bernard’s (N.J.) and a hat trick against Brunswick. He demands an early slide every time. New to Team 91 this year, he adds some offensive firepower to an already stacked Venom team.
4. Luke Martini, attack, Wantagh (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island
So does this guy, a natural ’28 that played up with the 91 ’27 Machine for years. He just helped Wantagh reach the state semifinals on the strength of a 64-goal, 38-assist campaign, complete with 49 ground balls. That last number is a nod to his ability to get involved in a number of ways, particularly for a Wantagh team that didn’t win a lot of faceoffs. Martini got involved in the midfield and did everything he could for the Warriors. He is a gifted righty finisher who can shoot, cut off-ball and handle in traffic while also keeping his head up for cutters. Martini does an excellent job of scanning the field from GLE and routinely finds teammates on the back side for dunks. He’s another elite addition to the Venom.
5. Landen O’Neil, attack, Tabor (Mass.)
The No. 1 lefty in the class with about a zillion good ones, so you know O’Neil is legit. He is reportedly five days short of being a natural ’29, which is absolutely insane because he just ran roughshod over the ISL as a sophomore. The league’s Player of the Year, O’Neil helped the Seawolves to the first title in school history on the strength of a ludicrous 62-57-119 stat line, good for more than six points per game. The younger brother of former Richmond star Aiden O’Neil, Landen O’Neil physically overpowers defenders with his 6-3, 220-pound frame to go along with terrific natural goal-scoring ability. He’s already received Division I football offers, too.
6. Hunter Hanford, attack, Brunswick (Conn.) / Eclipse
The ball comes off of Hanford’s stick in a different way than everyone else. He’s got such a snappy release and doesn’t need much time to get it in and out of his stick. He continued to blossom as the year went on for the Prep Nationals champions, scoring a team-best 37 goals to go with 13 assists. Despite not being overly big, he produces a ton of power on his shot and can put the ball anywhere. Hanford was huge in the Prep Nationals semifinals, delivering a hat trick and a patently absurd assist on a ridiculous skip pass to fellow five-star Austin Tuttle. Also a hockey player for ‘Wick, Hanford has an insane compete level and hunts people on the ride. He’s not satisfied with just trying to get the ball back. Rather, he wants to get it back and hurt some people in the process.
7. OJ Ika, attack, Loomis Chaffee (Conn.) / West Coast Starz
Rare are the times where the third lefty attackman in a class is No. 7 overall, but it’s that kind of class. Ika had a superb year for the Pelicans, torching defenses to the tune of 60 goals and 22 helpers. The Utah native is tough, physical and has a quick release. A very accurate shooter, Ika shined on the West Coast Starz ’27s that won the NLF national title last year. He thrives on contact and can easily create his own shot.
8. Max Melchionni, LSM, Delbarton (N.J.) / Leading Edge
The first defender on the list, Melchionni emerged as a force for the Green Wave, which just won the New Jersey Non-Public A championship. A devastating weapon in transition, Melchionni scored eight times for Delbarton. Tall and lanky with an elite stick, he finds a way to throw offenses off their rhythm and gets his stick in passing lanes at all. He was exceptional for Leading Edge last summer and fall, and he figures to once again be the lynchpin for one of the premier teams in the grade.
9. PJ Kennedy, attack, Culver (Ind.)
One of the biggest risers in the class off of this spring, Kennedy did it all for the Eagles, who spent a good chunk of the year at No. 1 in a number of national polls. Everyone loves how good of a scorer the Tennessee native – and he’s excellent at that – but his balance as a playmaker is understated. Kennedy put up 38 goals and 39 assists this spring while running the show from X a lot of the time. He thrives on dodging to his left from X and often shooting over defenders, but he’s a threat from everywhere.
10. Ben Hristoforatos, midfield, Chaminade (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island
Hristoforatos made an early impression in his first season with Team 91, putting forth a dominant tournament as the Venom won the IMLCA in December. This spring, he started the season as a SSDM for the Flyers before a five-goal eruption – including the OT game-winner – against Saint Andrew’s (Fla.). Chaminade had some impressive upperclassmen in the midfield, but you could make a good case that Hristoforatos is the best dodger of that group. Hristoforatos finished the season with 12 goals and nine assists. He jumps off the page athletically and dodges with a purpose every time.