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By Tom Peace
TopLaxRecruits.com, Posted 10/26/15
DALLAS, TX – Noah Gervasi said making the trip from Valencia (CA) to Dallas to compete in the C2C Spotlight Saturday and Sunday was a great experience.
Noah Gervasi, West Ranch, CA
“It is definitely a great opportunity to play against the best kids in Texas and all over the country,” said Gervasi a 2017 attackman from West Ranch High who plays club ball for the LA MAVS and LB3 Nationals. “It’s pretty fun be able to play the sport that you love. It’s always a good time.”
Gervasi, whose traits include good footwork and the ability to engineer the offense, said working against big defenders was his biggest challenge.
“The defense here is bigger and stronger than anywhere else that I’ve played,” said Gervasi. “That is something I definitely need to work on is dodging against these bigger poles.
“Definitely trying to get recruited is a big thing. But I just want to improve my game; playing with different styles of players and adapting to situations is definitely what I’m here for, too.”
Gervasi wants to play at a school that has solid academics and a place where he can feel at home. Gervasi is eager to go visit some college campuses and see what fits.
“I want to go to a good school with academics first – somewhere I’ll feel at home and have a good experience at,” he said.
Click here for 10 Players that Shined in Saturday’s Day 1 action
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The C2C Spotlight is a big deal for Texas players and a rare chance to compete in a major showcase at home. Many from the Lone Star State circled the event with a big red marker on the calendar. One of those was 2018 attackman Dillon Marino of Wakeland High and C2C Lacrosse.
Dillon Marino, Wakeland, TX
“Spotlight is a big deal every year because we never have this many coaches in Dallas at the same time,” said Marino. “Usually, we have to go (out of state) to be seen, but it’s nice to being able to stay at home and being seen here.”
The attack position comes naturally to Dillon, who has strong stick skills and makes good decisions when he gets the ball. Marino knows his lax game is solid, but to be recruited by the top colleges his grades are equally important.
“Grades are everything,” he said. “If you have the good enough grades and you want to go to a certain school they will get you in there.”
Marino has been working mostly on his speed and agility, trying to polish his dodging.
“I have been working a lot on dodging capabilities and getting the next step in front of everyone else,” he said.
Some of the schools that are on Dillon’s radar are University of Richmond, Colgate, Bucknell. “I’m looking for a smaller school with really small classes, but really good academics.”
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Holden Markoff jokes that he wants to be the “Rudy” of lacrosse. At 5-foot-4, Markoff, a 2017 goalie from Episcopal School in Houston TX and C2C Lacrosse, has a dream to play college lacrosse.
Holden Markoff, Episcopal School, TX
“I would love to see myself at a Division I or a Division III school,” said Markoff. “What fits me academically, but to be honest I just want to play lacrosse in college. I’m keeping my options open. I just want to be with a group of guys and play my heart out with somebody.”
Markoff fared very well during the skills and fundamentals session at C2C Spotlight on Saturday. The coaches in attendance watching and running the drills were impressed with how Markoff played.
“I’m really trying to improve on what all the coaches are teaching us,” said Markoff. “It’s awesome to have these college coaches here teaching us stuff, I’m learning a lot of new things and a certain type of art that works better with my style and tweak my stance.
“I’m enjoying having some of the best shooters in the south shooting on me and doing what the coaches told me to do on those shooters.”
With the emergence of the short and stocky type goalies such as Niko Amato and Blaze Riorden from Albany, the chance for Markoff to land a decent DI program is good.
Markoff actually looks up to a player such as Amato and John Galloway from Syracuse and the Rochester Rattlers and John Kemp. “I wear the sweats because of Galloway. I love Niko Amato, shorter guy – I am not as tall as him – but he was fun to watch the way he pushed the ball.”
For Markoff he is working on being a better an all-around netminder. “I want to be able to talk, I want to be able to clear the ball, I want to be fully around everywhere,” he said.
Episcopal Houston struggled last season going 8-9, but having Markoff in cage is going to help propel the Knights in 2016.
“I love this event because it gets a lot of the kids in the south and west who are really good players and probably wouldn’t have a chance to get seen by great schools.” he said. “It brings us here and really shows what the south can do and how we can play.”
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