EPSLA Showcase puts topcollegiate prospects on display

The top junior and sophomore prospects from The Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association will be on display for college recruiters tomorrow Thursday, June 11, at Haverford College in a brand new showcase event.
The Showcase will consist of two games, one for sophomores and one for juniors. Each game will feature a public school team vs. a private school team. The sophomore game will be played first at 5 p.m., and the junior game will follow immediately afterward.
Pennsbury has a pair of sophomores playing - Dan Marr and Ricky Jutkiewicz (pictured, above). Marr was recently named to the All-Suburban One League National Conference First Team. Jutkiewicz was given the nod to join the All-SOL-N Second Team.
Additionally, Holy Ghost has a pair of junior taking part in the contest - Andrijko Andrusko and Andrew Cacchio.
"The event will start a rigorous summer recruiting circuit that many of our players endure. We believe the best players in Eastern PA will be showing their talents on June 11 at Haverford College,” said EPSLA Vice-President and Episcopal Academy Head Coach Andy Hayes.
This event has been created in the spirit of the EPSLA’s mission statement “to promote the growth of lacrosse in Eastern Pennsylvania.”
The EPSLA has historically organized an end-of-year tournament for all high school teams in the region. With the sanctioning of boys’ lacrosse by the PIAA, however, the tournament is now in the hands of the state organization and is therefore limited to PIAA member schools—a new configuration that excludes some of the best programs in the region.
The EPSLA’s Showcase promises to redress that problem by ensuring all the top juniors and sophomores from EPSLA member schools will have the opportunity to showcase their talents for college recruiters. Organizers expect The Showcase to recapture the excitement of previous years’ tournaments.
The four teams for The Showcase were selected through a tryout held on Sunday, June 7 at Episcopal Academy. Each team carries 22 players and will be coached by a staff of EPSLA head coaches selected by their peers. EPSLA member coaches nominated the top players from their teams by the end of the season, and a selection committee comprised of EPSLA coaches determined which players would be invited to try out.
The inaugural EPSLA Sophomore and Junior Showcase promises to be an excellent recruiting opportunity for the area's elite lacrosse underclassmen, and will certainly garner the attention of many college lacrosse coaches from around the country.
"It will be an honor for both players and coaches to participate in this event. We have many elite lacrosse players in this area and The Showcase will be a great way for them to get exposure to college coaches," states Dean Curtis, EPSLA President and former Pennsbury High School Head Coach.
More information about the The Showcase can be found at www.eplsa.org.