Follow the NLF on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. CLICK HERE to see the rosters for the National Senior All-American Game powered by Nike Lacrosse. CLICK HERE to read about the 2024 standouts from the Big 4 Champions League.
David Hahm was feeling it Sunday afternoon.
By “it,” the faceoff man on the Laxachusetts Black 2025 team meant the intensity of the championship game of the Big 4 Champions League at the Hill School. “It” also referred to a few gratuitous slashes from Leading Edge sticks in a testy final.
Either way, that “it” proved plenty motivational for Hahm. Hahm dominated at the faceoff stripe, leading Laxachusetts to a tight 6-5 win in the final over Leading Edge.
“Sometimes you get a couple of cheap shots once in a while,” Hahm said. “But you’ve just got to fight through it. That’s the position. You’ve got to be gritty.”
Pushing Back at the Stripe
The more punishment Hahm got, the more he dished out at the dot. He nullified two very strong faceoff men on Leading Edge – Brice Crosby and Sean McCaffery had their way in the semifinal – until Leading Edge put a pole on draws to try to contain Hahm in the final.
It was only so effective, in a game that was scoreless after one quarter. Laxachusetts went up with four straight goals in the second quarter from four different scorers, and Leading Edge made it close with two goals and a shutout in the third quarter. But the second goal of the final from Laxachusetts’ Trey Clayton opened the lead back up to three at 5-2, and Preston Evans added a goal to make it 6-3 late off a feed from Colin Kenney.
Leading Edge scored twice in the final minute, via Gavin Romweber in transition, but it wasn’t enough.
The constant for all of it was Hahm, who just kept churning out wins at the X. It didn’t hurt that he drew a handful of penalties early in the game, which helped fuel the second-quarter run.
“When a team is trash talking to you, it’s a lot of fun,” Hahm said. “It adds on to the game. I feel like that made me play better, getting hyped up.”
Big 4 Champions League 2025 Standouts
David Hahm, faceoff, St. Sebastian’s (Mass.) / Laxachusetts
Laxachusetts was dominant over the weekend. They won their first four games by a combined score of 61-3 and gave up just 13 goals in six games. That kind of annihilation doesn’t happen without a stellar faceoff guy, and Hahm is that. He’s technically outstanding at the stripe, with fast hands. He’s also got the intensity to win battles that rage on, has the compact physical strength you want in a faceoff man and can get in the minds and under the skin of the opponent, as the final showed. Call it intangibles.
Chandler McClements, goalie, St. Sebastian’s (Mass.) / Laxachusetts
Laxachusetts doesn’t do what it does without a dominant goalie, either, and it happens to have two. Both Ethan Train and McClements were very good on the weekend and are deserving of this spot. McClements gets the edge given his imposing build. He’s a big goalie already as a 2025, and he both moves and reads the game well. He made a couple of plays outside the crease on GBs and picking off passes, and for having such a large frame, he’s very good going low. Especially in the semifinal against Big 4 HHH, when they thought the book read to shoot low on a big goalie, McClements had it covered.
Will Chiasson, midfield, Natick (Mass.) / Laxachusetts
There’s a ton of upside in this midfield depending on what you’re looking for – Gus Beaudry as the most dangerous dodger; Owen Crann for his passing and facilitating. But Chiasson might have the most explosive offensive game. He plays a downhill game, with a rocket of a shot that he can deliver with power and placement. He’s also feisty on the other end of the field, doing the defensive duties.
Devin Maguire, defense, St. Sebastian’s (Mass.) / Laxachusetts
Maguire stood out because of his hustle. He seemed to be all over the field, getting up and down to put the opponent under pressure in clears and transition. The younger brother of 2022 Duke signee and National Senior All-Star Game selection Aidan Maguire, he also moves well in coverage, able to keep opponents in front of him. Maguire is great at sliding out to the ball and recover well within the team concept. Maguire came up with a huge play on a man-down to start the fourth quarter, causing a turnover and jetting up the field to help kill off the penalty.
Will Pedicano, LSM, Delbarton (N.J.) / Leading Edge
The two goals in the semifinal should say it all. But beyond the undeniable flash and athleticism in Pedicano’s game, the thing that stands out is his poise. He’s so calm with the ball, whether it’s on clears or when he gets touches in the offensive half, to take a beat, let his team recover and settle the game. Physically, he works very hard, is speedy in the open field, gets up and down the field at will and has all the defensive bona fides you want from an LSM. It’s the way in which the game seems to be a little slower for him that makes the elite difference.
Thomas Keating, defense, Eastern (N.J.) / Leading Edge
It was hard to tell sometimes which was the LSM on Leading Edge. Because you knew it was Pedicano, but then Keating also has so many of those attributes, too. There’s the speed in the open field, the ability to pick off passes and hit in transition, the athleticism to run with any middie. Keating adds a tad more on the back end, with his checking ability (his trail checks are nightmare-inducing) and one-on-one coverage. But together, Keating and Pedicano are a formidable pairing.
Asher Testa, attack, Delbarton (N.J.) / Leading Edge
There was a lot of diversity in the Leading Edge attack that made it hard to pinpoint a clear standout, and all the pieces seemed to work well together. Gavin Romweber scoring twice late in the final is an obvious moment in which he stepped up. But Testa might have shown the most flashes on the day. He’s got a strong body and is able to feed and finish. He can play through X or dictate the attack from up top, with his hard shot and passing ability.
Jack Carroll, defense, Malvern Prep (Pa.) / Big 4 HHH
As a unit, the Big 4 HHH defense was so fundamentally sound that it was tough to find one individual to differentiate themselves, since they all did their jobs so quietly and efficiently within the system. But Carroll was one of several that shined. He’s got a great stick and excellent technique when locked up in coverage to constantly be in an opponent’s hands. He’s a kind of defenseman against whom nothing comes easily.
Matt Swartz, midfield, Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) / Big 4 HHH
Swartz is a very effective midfield cog whether he has the ball or not. He’s active to get open when he’s off-ball and has the hands to catch and finish quickly under pressure. With the ball in his stick, he’s an excellent dodger. He forces defenses into decision, and he’s got the powerful shot to punish you if you make the wrong choice.
Logan Turley, midfield, Malvern Prep (Pa.) / Big 4 HHH
Turley has a lot of the same elements to his game at Swartz, which meant that defenses got no let up as they rotate in. Turley has the power and speed to get himself into and out of trouble – one goal Sunday featured him leaving a double team in his dust – and he also turned in a few impressive shifts on the defensive end of the field.
Seth Aliveto, faceoff, Saint James (Md.) / Crabs
Aliveto is bigger than your average faceoff man. His strong upper body means you’re not going to push him over, and he’s got quick hands and long strides to win draws and get himself out of trouble. He’s also the kind of faceoff man with the stick skills to contribute winning the ball, with a stride that translates to dodging LSMs or short-stick D middies and good hands to pick a pass.
Jackson Harcarik, attack, John Carroll (Md.) / Crabs
Harcarik is a pick-your-poison attackman. If you play off him, he’s going to pick out passes to teammates and beat you that way. If you press him, he’s got the quick first step and strength to run by you. He’s got great footwork in tight spaces and excellent hands to put off goalies when he’s in close quarters. He’s the attackman you get the ball to as soon as you win possession, the metronome to make sure the entire team is in time.
Cooper Perry, midfield, Crabs
Perry is one of the primary recipients of Harcarik’s feeds The physical middie has a big shot to match. He’s excellent at evading defenses, either shimmying around them or using a polished array of moves to fake them out. An excellent finisher, he can place shots to the corner sat speed, and he’s a player you must account for in transition.
Steele Croom, goalie, The Woodlands (Texas) Crabs
Croom might have been the best pure shot-stopper among the goalies in the 2025 field. There didn’t seem to be a consistent weakness in his approach, able to get low on shots, stand tall on high attempts and track long-range efforts and bouncers. He has a penchant for the outstanding save now and again, and he’s got quick feet to scamper out of the crease to cover shots or take part in clears.
