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As part of Shore Sports Network's 2022 boys lacrosse preview, we will take a look at some of the top returning players at each position in the Shore Conference.

Midfielders are the engines of lacrosse teams. They are tasked with doing a little bit of everything on the field - scoring, defending, transition, man-up, man-down - and the best teams not only have standout midfielders, they also have depth. There are offensive middies, defensive middies, and the ones who do it all and rarely come off the field.

Here's a look at the Shore's top midfielders coming into the 2022 season.

Shore Conference Midfielders to Watch in 2022 (Listed in alphabetical order)

Max Avrillon, Sr., CBA

The defensive midfielder is one of just four returning starters for what will be a very young Colts team. He provided some secondary scoring with five goals and three assists.

 

Luke Barber, Jr., Toms River East

Barber comes to the Raiders from Toms River North where as a sophomore he scored 21 goals with 23 assists, picked up 108 ground balls, and won 55 percent of face-offs.

 

Tyler Burns, Sr., Howell

A versatile middie for the Rebels, Burns scored 27 goals and added 18 assists for 45 points and also picked up 34 ground balls as a junior for a Howell team that went 12-6 and reached the quarterfinals in both the Shore Conference Tournament and the NJSIAA South Group 4 sectional playoffs. Burns was a Second Team All-Shore selection last season and is committed to Georgian Court University.

 

Grant Carle, So., Manalapan

Carle had a great freshman season at the face-off X for a burgeoning Braves squad, winning 69 percent of face-offs and finishing third in the Shore Conference with 152 ground balls. He was a Second Team all-Class A North selection.

 

Cole Cashion, Jr., Rumson-Fair Haven

Cashion, who is verbally committed to Yale, was a Second Team All-Shore attackman last season but will shift to the midfield for 2022. He proved to be a talented scorer for the Bulldogs in his debut varsity season with 35 goals and 19 assists, helping Rumson go 20-1, win the Class B North division title, capture its seventh Shore Conference Tournament title, win the NJSIAA South Group 2 sectional title, and finish the season ranked No. 1 in the SSN Top 10 and No. 5 in New Jersey.

 

Joey DeYoung, Jr., Southern

DeYoung, who is committed to Hofstra, added even more punch to Southern's offense last season when he scored 43 goals and added 17 assists to earn Second Team All-Class A South honors from the coaches. He comprises a very good Southern first middie line along with twins Jake and Zach Washco.

 

Matt Dollive, Sr., Wall

Dollive is an all-situations midfielder who tallied 37 goals and 27 assists plus 45 ground balls last season for a Wall team that went 16-4, finished No. 3 in the SSN Top 10, reached both the Shore Conference Tournament semifinal and an NJSIAA sectional final for the first time in program history, and finished ranked 14th in the state. A returning First Team All-Shore selection, Dollive is signed to Rutgers University.

 

Torin Harmon, Jr., Red Bank Catholic

Harmon had to sit out the first 30 days of last season after transferring from Shore Regional but still put up very good numbers with 25 goals and 17 assists. With a full season in front of him, the talented Caseys junior could put up some big numbers.

 

Charlie Harrison, Sr., Jackson Memorial

Harrison tallied 19 goals and 11 assists along with 50 ground balls and won 54 percent of face-offs last season and returns as a versatile midfielder for the Jaguars.

 

Aidan Kirk, Sr., Point Boro

Kirk finished in the top 10 in the Shore in both total points and ground balls with 56 goals and 22 assists for 78 points along with 95 ground balls to earn First Team All-Shore honors. He is already Point Boro's all-time leader in goals (80) and points (122) and will once again lead the way for the Panthers.

 

Henry Lindquist, Sr., Brick Memorial

Lindquist scored 39 goals and added 12 assists last season and is Brick Memorial's leading returning scorer.

 

Doug MacKenzie, Sr., Howell

MacKenzie led Howell with 35 goals and added 11 assists for 46 points. picked up 27 ground balls. and had 20 takeaways for a Rebels team that went 12-6 and reached the quarterfinals of both the Shore Conference Tournament and the NJSIAA South Group 4 state sectional playoffs. MacKenzie was a Third Team All-Shore selection last season and is committed to Georgian Court University.

 

Sam Madalone, So., Shore Regional

Madalone burst onto the scene as a freshman with 35 goals and 25 assists for 60 points, plus 37 ground balls to help Shore go 13-5, reach the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals and advance to the NJSIAA South Group 1 semifinals.

 

Jamie Mazzacco, Sr., Shore Regional

Mazzacco put together a superb junior season in which he was a Second Team All-Shore selection and led the Blue Devils with 48 goals and 26 assists for 74 points. He also picked up 58 ground balls to lead Shore’s regular field players. He surged in the second half of the season with 36 goals in the final 11 games of the season. Mazzacco’s contributions helped Shore go 13-5, reach the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals and advance to the NJSIAA South Group 1 semifinals. A standout three-sport athlete who also excelled in football and wrestling, Mazzacco is committed to Williams College for football.

 

Max Pauwels, Sr., Manasquan

Pauwels was the Shore Conference leader in face-off winning percentage with a gaudy 80 percent win rate to earn a Second Team All-Shore selection last season. The Quinnipiac commit won 296 of 371 draws on the season and won at least 50 percent of the face-offs in 17 of 21 games. His play helped Manasquan go 17-4, win the Class B South division title, reach the Shore Conference Tournament championship game for the fifth straight season, win its third straight NJSIAA South Group 1 state sectional title, and finish the season ranked No. 2 in the SSN Top 10 and No. 12 in New Jersey.

 

Phillip Passalaqua, Sr., Rumson-Fair Haven

A Second Team All-Shore selection last season, Passalaqua was a valuable first-line midfielder for the top-ranked Bulldogs and provided secondary scoring with 11 goals and 11 assists. He helped Rumson go 20-1, win the Class B North division title, capture its seventh Shore Conference Tournament title, win the NJSIAA South Group 2 sectional title, and finish the season ranked No. 1 in the SSN Top 10 and No. 5 in New Jersey.

 

Robert Pendergist, Sr., Manasquan

Pendergist will be entering his fourth year as a starter for a Manasquan program that has been among the best in New Jersey. Last season he scored 30 goals and added five assists while also providing valuable contributions in the defensive end, on the man-down and man-up units, and coming off the wing on face-offs. His efforts last season were a major reason why Manasquan went 17-4, won the Class B South division title, reached its fifth straight Shore Conference Tournament final, won its third consecutive NJSIAA South Group 1 sectional title, and finished the season ranked No. 2 in the SSN Top 10 and No. 12 in New Jersey. Pendergist is signed to Jacksonville University and is a returning First Team All-Shore selection.

 

Luke Rohrmann, Sr., Middletown South

Rohrmann stepped up to lead the Eagles’ offense last season by scoring 35 goals and eight assists for 43 points, helping Middletown South go 11-4, qualify for the Shore Conference Tournament and win the first NJSIAA Tournament game in program history.

 

Beau Servidio, Jr., Middletown South

The Eagles' face-off ace is coming off a sophomore season in which he won 62 percent of face-offs and picked up 66 ground balls.

 

Henry Spencer, Jr., Red Bank

Spencer sank 34 goals and added 17 assists for 51 points while also collecting 60 ground balls last season when he was a Second Team All-Class B North selection by the coaches.

 

Jake Washco, Sr., Southern

Washco scored 32 goals and added 15 assists last season as a Second Team All-Class A South selection, helping the Rams win their seventh straight Class A South division title and win the NJSIAA South Group 4 sectional title. He is committed to Eastern University

 

Zach Washco, Sr., Southern

A Second Team All-Class A South selection last season, Washco scored 35 goals with 19 assists to help the Rams win their seventh straight Class A South division title and win the NJSIAA South Group 4 sectional title. He is committed to Eastern University.

 

Colin Westhoven, Sr., St. Rose

Westhoven is the Purple Roses' leading returning scorer after netting 30 goals and 16 assists and also picking up a team-leading 83 ground balls.

 

 

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