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Most of the college coaches on hand for tonight’s Maverik Showtime Lacrosse National Recruiting Spotlight all-star game made a day of it.

After watching today’s morning and afternoon sessions, they were back in plenty of time for the marquee event of the four days of action at Western Connecticut State University’s Athletic Complex.

In my case, I didn’t have that luxury. But still, the all-star game did provide an opportunity to get a good read on the top talent at the event.

More than half — 25 of the 45 — players invited to play in the all-state game were from the New York/Connecticut/New Jersey tristate region. Here’s the rundown:

New York

Tim Burke, junior defenseman/LSM, Chaminade – White team
Jack Carrigan, junior defenseman, Chaminade – White team
Joe Colarusso, junior goaltender, Arlington – White team
Peter Conley, junior midfielder, Mamaroneck – Red team
John Crawley, junior attackman, Paul D. Schreiber – White team
James Forkin, junior midfielder, Long Beach – Red team
Austin Fusco, sophomore defenseman, Yorktown – White team
Andrew Keith, junior midfielder, Syosset – Red team
Chandler Kirby, junior defenseman/LSM, Jericho – Red team
Jack Lambert, junior defenseman, John Jay – Red team
Matt Ledwin, junior faceoff midfielder, Hen Hud – Red team
Nick Mariano, junior attackman, Yorktown – White team
Chris Marasco, junior midfielder, Somers – White team
Tim Muller, junior defenseman, Chaminade – Red team
Kevin Overlander, junior faceoff midfielder, Manhasset – White team
Allen Winkoff, junior midfielder, Cold Spring Harbor – White team

Connecticut

Phil Huffard, sophomore goaltender, Darien – Red team
Alexander Moeser, junior midfielder, Greenwich – Red team
Eric Persky, junior defenseman, Greenwich – White team
Duke Repko, junior midfielder, New Canaan – White team

New Jersey

William Collopy, junior goaltender, Don Bosco Prep – Red team
Jeff George, junior midfielder, Watchung Hills – White team
Michael Lloyd, junior defenseman, Glen Ridge – Red team
Josh Reinson, junior midfielder, Montgomery – White team
Eric Scott, junior midfielder, Ridge – White team

All-stars from beyond the tristate region

Pierre Byrne, sophomore attackman, Culver Military, Ind. – White team
Paul Major, junior attackman, Springford, Pa. – Red team
Johnny McNamara, junior attackman, Brewster Academy, N.H. – Red team
Justin Anderson, sophomore midfielder, Centennial, Nev. – Red team
Nick DeSisto, junior midfielder, Rivers School, Mass. – Red team
Nick Weston, junior midfielder, Aquinas Institute, N.Y. – Red team
Ryan Norton, junior defenseman, Georgetown Prep, Md.- Red team
Matt Ryan, junior LSM, Phillips Exeter, N.H.) – Red team
Alec Webster, junior defenseman, Deerfield Academy, Mass. – Red team
Connor Cannizarro, junior attackman, Cazenovia, N.Y. – Red team
Dalston Day, junior attackman, Salmon River, N.Y. – White team
Michael D’Mario, sophomore attackman, Niskayuna, N.Y. – Red team
Kieran Eissler, junior midfielder, Coronado, Nev. – White team
Luke Goldstock, junior attackman,  Niskayuna, N.Y. – White team
Grant Mahler, junior midfielder, St. Andrew’s, Fla. – White team
Scott Firman, junior defenseman, Jamesville-DeWitt, N.Y. – White team
Ryan Macri, junior defenseman, Governor’s Academy, Mass. – White team
Michael Schiappa, junior defenseman,  Loyola Academy  Ill. – White team
Dan Morris, junior goaltender, Dallas Jesuit, Tex. – White team – Red team
William Osborne, junior attackman, Menlo School, Calif. – Red team

Overall thoughts

Section 1 in particular had a strong showing this year after an off-year in 2010 at Showtime.

Two of the biggest stories centered on players from Section 1 rivals — Somers and Marasco.

Chris Marasco, who performed solidly as a sophomore at Somers but struggled to find the back of the net, played with confidence and explosiveness today, scoring five goals in less than 24 hours, including two in the all-star game.

Matt Ledwin, a faceoff specialist for Hen Hud, was a late addition to the Showtime Spotlight. So his meteoric rise to an all-star game appearance was quite a story. Along the way — and tonight — Ledwin’s dominance in the faceoff X was impressive to both coaches and fans alike. With a strong academic resume, look for Ledwin to be a target of the premier Ivy League programs — among many others.

Ledwin is actually one of two Sailors at Showtime along with junior goaltender Ed Gilman, who performed well earlier this summer at Jake Reed.

A pair of goaltenders from the region — Darien’s Phil Huffard and Arlington’s Joe Colarusso — are rising stars. Huffard, a sophomore, could be a three-year starter for the Blue Wave. Colarusso exhibited good poise and communication skills.

Chandler Kirby, a junior defenseman/long stick midfielder from a Long Island program usually not in the headlines (Jericho), is an intriguing prospect. He has good athleticism, instincts and is very coachable and hard-working.

Yorktown was the only Section 1 team with more than one player and both junior attackman Nick Mariano and sophomore defenseman Austin Fusco performed well.

Among the players from outside the tristate who I was impressed with was one as far west as Las Vegas — sophomore midfielder Justin Anderson of Centennial High School. Anderson, with two years of varsity lax already under his belt, he is an athletic, two-way talent.

Another midfielder, Nick Weston of the Aquinas Institute, is also a talented athlete. He’s already committed — to Syracuse.

Junior Alec Webster of the Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts distinguished himself as one of the top defensemen on display. He has verballed to UVa.

As far as attackmen go, Dalston Day, a junior committed to Albany, caught my eye. He plays for Salmon River Central High School.

Action in the invitation only event featuring 160 players ends Thursday morning with two games at 8:30 a.m. and two more at 9:30 a.m.

The event is run by three former Syracuse University stars: Paul Carcaterra, Joe Ceglia and Mike Springer.

Have a recruiting commitment to report? Be sure to email us at info@laxlessons.com.

You can email us at info@laxlessons.com.

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