Who are the best players in the New England region? This is an open thread to discuss All-Region nominations, All-Freshman nominations, coaching awards, and more. Stay positive and keep it civil.
The best freshman in the region is Theo “Topaz” Barton at Bowdoin. He is a starting o-line handler on one of, if not the best, team in the region.
that one guy on bowdin with the red hat. someone from conn cuz their beast mode. guy called batman on middlebury
Will Burke at WPI, missed part of season but beast
Will Burke here. Joe Molder should be all region (red head on WPI #0). It’s a battle against him at practice every week, and he’s one of, if not the best defender already in the region as a sophomore. Coming from playing club, he’s better than most defenders I’ve played against on mid-level to elite teams. Also great offensive IQ. Probably part of the reason he went from d3 college to mid level mens to thunderbirds (audl) within a year if I had to guess. I’m sorry for everyone’s team’s best player, cuz they’re gonna have a tough matchup at regionals.
Danny Klein here (Williams #41).
We played an awesome close game against Middlebury and I want to shout some of those great matchups out. Malachi Raymond is incredible, one of the nicest guys on the field and makes great plays time and time again. Layout D and bookends on universe against us will be forever seared into my memory. Middlebury also has a crazy class of Freshmen, and I loved matching up against Louis and Geir, but I think the Midd freshman who impressed me the most was John Savage, quarterbacking their D line and getting off any break throw he wanted.
Tonka (#1) and Kojak (#9?) on Bowdoin (IDK their real names) are also incredible defenders and so athletic and hard to guard. Bumbo (#15) on Bowdoin was unbelievable, he made some great defensive plays and was such a spirited competitor.
I also want to shout out Bates’ Ben Fasciano (“Blues” #22) for steady handling and amazing throws all weekend long. Ben and Daniel Snider lead that bates team so well.
We didn’t play Brandeis this weekend, but Matt Sehgal (“Nova” #44) and Griffin Stotland (“Torch” #7) are both so fast and really fun matchups. Nova throwing deep to Torch is always a safe bet and scary to play against.
That all being said, the biggest stars of the weekend were on Williams. Reed Kendall (#0) never ceases to amaze me with his athletic bids. He should be a shoo-in for all region. Charlie Tantum (#8) also is probably the most athletic player in the region, skying anyone he goes up against and leading the D line with his throws and speed. Harry Wilcox (#33) is one of the greatest leaders I have ever played with. Harry’s composure on the D line allowed us to get so many breaks, and his desire to play hard set an example for the rest of WUFO to follow. Jonah Tobin (#26) is the most feared defender in the region, constantly shutting down your first option or getting layout Ds on your best player. He’s too fast to cover so don’t even bother. He’s definitely the best defender in the region. Wade Buchheit (#29) should easily be all-freshman, and watch out for him in the national rookie of the year conversation. Calm and composed O-line handling as well as the centerpiece of our O-line’s defense on the turn, he makes every play we need him to make and rarely makes mistakes.
Coach of the year is easily Williams’ Will Savage. Last year, when we were coach-less, we struggled to keep leads and we rarely came back from being down. Will has been such a vocal and incredible leader that has allowed Williams to reach the next level of competition and become a team to be respected and feared.
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The Pranksters have a ton of nominations. For all-region, Max Hanscom is one of the most dominant cutters and overall players in all of D3. Malachi Raymond, Max Rogers, and Ethan Lavallee should also be considered. Malachi is another dominant cutter and Rogers and Lavallee are very solid and capable handlers. In terms of all-freshman, U20 worlds player Louis Douville-Beaudoin should be considered and Geir Hartl and John Savage are other contenders
Ryan Turner here, coach of WPI. I can really only speak to who we played against this weekend and at that, I likely don’t know people’s names so bear with me.
From Bowdoin, #88, #99, #1, and #15 were all ballers. 88 and 99 seemed to be able to do everything, 1 was super quick and a good defender with good break throws, and 15 was the nicest men’s college player I’ve ever met. From Bentley, #6 and #66. 6 was super squirrelly and quick, and could stop and go on a dime with every throw for any situation. 66 seemed like the go to down field option who could bail out anyone when needed.
Now for some WPI guys. Joe Molder #0 (reddest hair in the division) is the fastest guy I’ve ever coached and consistently shutdown every team’s best player. He got blocks on literally anyone he covered and then probably toasted them deep. Will Burke #15 (I think? Idk my own guy’s numbers) is a do it all type of player that can possess the disc, make any throw, and play lock down D when needed. Eli Zimmerman #66 (maybe?) was our center O-line handler and commanded our offense, has every throw and the right decision making to pull them off. Last but not least is Eric Impink #16. He’s a freshman and probably got the third most touches on our team throughout the postseason. A true hybrid with dynamite throws, shutdown defense, and good timing on cuts and resets, he’s only going to be getting better for the future, especially after spending this summer with the Dig dev team. I’m sure there are 10 other guys I’d like to nominate from WPI, but I won’t. Thanks all, and good luck to Midd and Williams at nationals.
Ben Fasciano from Bates here.
Williams: Danny Klein (#41) is an unreal thrower, should be a lock for all region. We tried to play a box and one to keep him out of the play and he still got open and destroyed our defense with his throws. Charlie Tantum (#8) is also really good, super athletic and punished us after turns over and over again. These dudes are a big reason that WUFO is going to nationals.
Brandeis: Matt Seghal (#44) is their center handler, has pretty much every throw possible in the bag. He’s really hard to guard in the backfield and does a ton of work driving their offense.
Bates: Daniel Snider (#19) is a sophomore, but is easily our best player. He will probably be overlooked because we didn’t make it to nationals, but he is so talented. He can do everything, he’s athletic enough to get open as a cutter and get blocks on defense but is also our best thrower. Also just incredibly mature and a leader already as an underclassmen. IMO is the best player in the region and should be looked at in national player of the year conversations.
Also for what its worth, idk how coach of the year works but Will Savage from Williams is awesome, one of the nicest guys I have ever played against and seems like a phenomenal coach. He deserves a ton of credit.
All Freshmen: Colby #6 and #34 are two dominant freshman handlers. Colby #11 is an incredibly athletic offensive cutter.
Bates Ben Fasciano knows how the game works better than anyone and is one of the best handlers, players, and leaders in the region. He can put the disc in the end zone from anywhere and he racks up blocks when he crosses over to d-line. Robby Sheils is one of the best all-around players, running the field with poise as a d-line handler and unguardable as an o-line cutter.
Williams #41 controls their offense and can throw the disc anywhere on the field. #8 is a great defender and has solid throws as well as good decision-making.
Bowdoin Kirby is a super good handler who doesn’t make many mistakes, and Cojack is a tough defender who drives their d-line offense.
Chuck on Colby extremely quick and difficult to guard on up-lines. Colby also has Joe who is an athletic cutter who can look upfield just as well as handlers, and a group of freshmen who will be scary in the coming years.
Brandeis has a tall handler who has scoobers and lefty backhands on lock and he is an underrated thrower in the region.
Hey all, Jonah (#26) here from Williams. I want to mention a few people in the region, especially fellow seniors who have made my time in this New England community so special and fun.
Brandeis has a stand out team in Matt Sehgal and Griffin Stotland. Their ability open up the entire field as a thrower/receiver pair is incredible. Bates duo of Ben Fasciano and Daniel Snyder are the same way. They are going to work the disc up the field with amazing chemistry. Guarding them together is so hard. It was great to play Bowdoin and specifically think Kojak is an incredible player, with cuts and speed that are sure to leave you in the dust.
On Middlebury there is so much talent to shout out. As a d line player, I know matching up against their o line is a headache. Ethan Lavalee is an anchor for that team in the handler set and a player to watch this nationals. If there was a spirit award for the region, it would be hard to imagine giving it to anyone other than Malachi. Fighting back from last year’s injury, he has led them with incredible skill and grace. (Though he is injured, definitely keep your eye on Max Rogers in the future.) Lastly, their first year class is amazing but again I have to agree with Danny here and I think John Savage stood out. He’s one of the best two way players in the region with incredible handler defense and impeccable throws.
I think there have been some great shoutouts of some Williams people but I think there are a few stats that should be known about how good some of these people are. Danny Klein should in conversations for national awards. In a 13-11 game to go against Bowdoin, Danny had 11 assists and a goal. He makes everyone around him a better player and person and Williams wouldn’t win half our games without him. In terms of difference makers in the region’s first year class, Wade Bucheit might be number one. He had six blocks in our game to go as an o line player. Charlie Tantum and Reed Kendall are stand out players who have proved that can play literally every position on the field. That’s pretty rare in the DIII scene.
Lastly, I believe our coach Will Savage should be in COTY conversations. From a play perspective, we simply wouldn’t be of any significance without him. That said, his contribution to our culture and community makes him stand out. After a tough point or before a big one, the only voice we want to hear is his. He helps each person on the team (yes, all 30 of them) process emotions on and off the field. Every team member looks up to his dedication and work ethic. Somehow, after only knowing us for a few months, he has become the heart and soul of this team.
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Matt Sehgal from Brandeis here,
Bates’ Dan Snider and Ben Fasciano are a fantastic duo, extremely versatile and effective offensively and really carry the workload for their team.
Don’t remember most of the guys from Bowdoin but they had a lot of solid players, #11 was an incredibly athletic and solid defender and very nice dude, made multiple close bids safely- big props for that.
Williams’ Charlie Tantum, Danny Klein, and Jonah Tobin are all great players who deserve recognition. They contribute heavily on both sides of the disc and have done an amazing job of rebuilding their team into a nationals program. Consistently the highest energy team (by miles) that never wavers.
Brandeis’ Griffin Stotland deserves big recognition, for the last two years he’s been an unguardable receiver and scary defender, his speed and field IQ have been the basis of our success, there is genuinely no athlete like him in the region or even division. Noam Gumerman (the tall handler with scoobers and lefties) deserves equal notice, he’s a top handler in the division with an incredibly high ultimate IQ and the skillset to match, has every throw in the bag and drives our offense with remarkable patience and poise. Lastly, Noah Baumann deserves a nod for All-Freshman, in our semi against Bowdoin (and all season honestly) he was finding D’s all over the field with his speed and shooting with incredible precision into the wind, he drives so much of our offense and is a monster in the air, plus he’s worth a block a game- he’ll be the guy to watch for the next three years.