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Chris Roy knew that he had a pretty good player on his hands before his Leading Edge team made its way into the 2027 semifinals at last summer’s NLF National Championships.
Leading Edge lost a close, low-scoring 3-2 battle with eventual champion Team 91 Long Island, but Roy walked away from the game convinced that the team had a bonafide superstar on its hands. Jagger Zemachson had officially arrived.
“I mean, he dominated that game,” Roy said of the LSM / defenseman. “He caused turnovers, he picked up ground balls, he scored a goal and had an assist. I walked away from that game thinking that he’s a dude.”
Eyeing up a Big Role at Seton Hall Prep
All Zemachson has done since then is reinforce his coach’s viewpoint with every game. The 6-2, 190-pounder spent his freshman year at Millburn (N.J.), putting forth an eye-popping nine-goal, five-assist, 61-ground ball stat line. Those would be elite numbers for a senior, let alone an on-age freshman. He’s since transferred to Seton Hall Prep, one of the Garden State’s top private school programs. Zemachson will play for former Division I coach John Svec, and while he’s trying to earn a spot in the Pirates’ starting lineup, all arrows seem to be trending up for him.
“I would anticipate him being a pretty big contributor,” Svec said. “He’s athletic and he crushes the weight room. Jagger seems really excited and has great energy, and he’s fitting in really well with our guys.”
First Five-Star of the 2027 Class
It’s not hard to spot Zemachson’s talent when you watch him play. It’s the major reason why he’s the first player in the class of 2027 to be tabbed as a five-star prospect. The full rankings will be later this spring. Zemachson will be high up on the list because of his unique ability to do everything that you can ask of a long pole.
“Some of his instincts and some of the plays that he’s able to make is not something you see from many defensemen,” Roy said. “He can really take over a game. He’s also played hockey his whole life, so he has a ton of upside and he hasn’t fully tapped into his full lacrosse potential, given that he’s been a two-sport guy.”
“We have the luxury of moving him around,” Roy continued. “He’s able to control the middle of the field. You can put him on the wing and he’ll get ground balls. He’s got the ability to control the middle of the field and run transition, which is really helpful for us. I envision him damn near never coming off the field for us this summer because he’s too valuable for us. He’s also our best defenseman, so we can put him down low to erase other teams’ top attackman. More importantly, he’s a good kid with a great attitude and he’s a grinder. Those intangibles are going to help him get to the next level.”
Scouting Report
At 6-2, 190 pounds, Zemachson is already built like an ACC defenseman and plays like one, too. His versatility sets him apart. He’s significantly better in coverage than your average LSM, and he’s got a much better handle than your every day close defenseman. You can’t get comfortable if you’re dodging him, because he’s all too happy to throw a check and take the ball away from you. He’s smart when he pushes transition and he’s a scoring threat. I watched him extensively this fall, and he was dominant in every facet of the game at every event.
A March of 2009 birthday, Zemachson is relatively young compared to his 2027 peers. Couple that with the fact that he’s been a two-sport athlete for so long, and there’s an immense runway for vast upside with Seton Hall Prep, Leading Edge and at whatever school he ends up. Leading Edge has produced some fantastic defensive players of late, including Notre Dame All-American and fellow Seton Hall Prep product Shawn Lyght, Cornell freshman Michael Marshall (Westfield, N.J.), senior five-star LSM Will Pedicano (Delbarton, N.J.) / Duke), among others. Zemachson is just as good, if not better, as any of them at this age.
