Will Tantillo

Lawrenceville vs. Malvern Prep Standout

An absolute assassin on the defensive end, Tantillo can make a strong argument as being the best player on a loaded Friars team. He’s phenomenal and is an eraser for anyone who tries to dodge him. He had some bad luck where he lost his footing and stick on a late Lawrenceville goal, which is a real shame because he was lights-out otherwise. Tantillo is a mean, aggressive, in-your-face defender with all of the chirps that you’d expect from a top-flight SSDM. Against the Big Red, he was everywhere on defense, causing turnovers and jumpstarting the clearing game. He had one particularly ridiculous clear where he bowled over a couple of Big Red players and came out the other end unscathed.

Summer 2023 Evaluation

Is No. 30 too high for the top short stick defensive midfielder? In most classes, probably. In this case? No, it’s not. Tantillo is a human eraser in 1v1 coverage, outstanding in transition and his compete level and toughness are off the charts. College coaches raved about his ability to shine day in and day out at every event. He’s mean, physical, aggressive and most importantly, knows exactly what he is. Tantillo takes pride in being a D-middie, knows what the role entails and doesn’t try to do more than what he’s supposed to.

“He’s the No. 1 draft pick if you have to pick a team to walk down a dark alley,” Big 4 HHH director Billy McKinney said. “I feel bad for other teams when they try to dodge him. He’s an animal. He can handle the ball and he’s a great athlete.”

“He’s just like (Ohio State four-time All-American and current PLL and NLL pro and U.S. National Team player) Ryan Terefenko,” one college coach said. “He’s unbelievable.”