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Other ’26 five-star announcements
Tuck Gilbane, A, Noble & Greenough (Mass.) / Laxachusetts
Ethan Bramoff, LSM, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) / Long Island Express
Lucas Garcia, A/M, Brunswick (Conn.) / Prime Time
There aren’t many schools that can favorably compare their goalie lineage to Yorktown.
The longtime New York Section I powerhouse has seen more than its fair share of elite stoppers. From Joe Colarusso, the program’s all-time leader in saves, to the likes of Brian Carcaterra, Steve Kavovit, Mike Bonitatibus, Adam Norris, Liam Donnelly, Rocco D’Andria, Ryan Penner and Louis Ragusa, the Huskers have had an embarrassment of riches at the position.
Yet, if you ask some, there’s a sense that the best one yet is still just a sophomore starter for the Huskers. Hunter Mezzatesta, who started last year as a freshman, is both the present and the future in the Yorktown cage. It’s a lofty goal to shoot for, especially at a goaltending blue blood, but goodness, watch the kid play and see if you can argue that Mezzatesta will at least be in that conversation by the time he’s done.
First ’26 Five-Star Goalie
The 5-11, 190-pounder has firmly established himself as the top goalie in the class of 2026. Wherever Mezzatesta goes, he dominates, whether that’s playing up for Express North 2025 as an of-age 2026 or at any individual event that he attends. He was the only freshman to earn All-Section honors last year, collected an NLF at IMG All-Star nod and is the first two-time MVP in One Percent history.
Mezzatesta’s consistency, excellence in the cage and ability to change a game from the goalie position make him an easy choice as the fourth five-star announced in the class of 2026 and its first five-star goalie. He joins Laxachusetts attackman Tuck Gilbane (Noble & Greenough, Mass.), Long Island Express LSM Ethan Bramoff (St. Anthony’s, N.Y.) and Prime Time attackman/midfielder Lucas Garcia (Brunswick, Conn.) as five-stars in the class.
“Hunter gives it his all every day,” said Colarusso, who’s also Mezzatesta’s goalie coach. “His early success is not a surprise to me. More importantly, his success in the classrom is just as impressive as it is on the lacrosse field.”
“Hunter’s always been very solid at saving the ball,” Yorktown coach Tim Schurr added. “I believe that his growth in leading the defense and clearing the ball is distinguishing him from his peers.”
Bright Future Ahead
It’s really not much of a surprise to see Mezzatesta doing so well against older shooters. For years, he’s stymied ’25 shooters as a ’26 for a very good Express North team. This past year, he led them to a berth in the semifinals at the NLF National Championships. He’ll continue to play with the ’25s in their final summer together, and even though he’s a year younger than his counterparts, Express North ’25 always has one of the best goalies in the country in its net.
“Hunter has always been first to practice and last off field,” Express North director Chris Schreiber said. “He’s a tremendous young man whose dedication to being a leader on and off field has proven successful.”
Scouting Report
There isn’t a ’26 goalie in the country that has Mezzatesta’s penchant for making the impossible look easy. Everything’s always under control and everything’s always smooth with Mezzatesta, and he has such a flair for making incredible 1v1 saves. Mezzatesta rarely guesses and he’s able to stay calm, poised and controlled with his movements to make saves.
Mezzatesta worked hard to reshape his body a few years ago and it’s paid huge dividends in his quickness and footwork. You can tell that he’s put in a lot of time to dial in his technique and it’s incredibly advanced for a high school sophomore. His outlets are pristine, rarely missing his target and often dropping 30-40 yard dimes when needed. Mezzatesta has a terrific understanding of the position and is very vocal in commanding the defense in front of him. There are college goalies who don’t communicate as well as he does.
He’s the most well-rounded goalie in the ’26 class right now, and he is in the running for the title of No. 1 player in the class.
