Warrior/US Lacrosse High School Boys' Players of the Month

The Warrior/US Lacrosse Players of the Month recognize the most outstanding individual performances in high school boys’ lacrosse in each of the five regions — Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South, Midwest and West — outlined in our high school coverage.

NORTHEAST

Xavier Arline, Shoreham-Wading River (N.Y.)

Arline, a junior attackman who is committed to North Carolina, had a monster postseason to lead the Wildcats to the Class C state title. He finished the season with 70 goals and 67 assists, including five goals and two assists in the state final win over Jamesville-DeWitt (N.Y.), two goals and three assists in the Long Island championship win over Cold Spring Harbor (N.Y.) and six goals and two assists in the sectional final. In a sectional semifinal win over Bayport-Blue Point (N.Y.), Arline recorded six goals and six assists.

Also considered: Liam Haller, Victor (N.Y.); Brennan O’Neil, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.); Joey Spallina, Mt. Sinai (N.Y.); Connor Fingar, Penn Yan (N.Y.)

— Will Cleveland

MID-ATLANTIC

Will Pettit, Malvern Prep (Pa.)

Pettit was outstanding for the Friars in their double-overtime victory over Haverford (Pa.) to win the Inter-Ac title. The North Carolina commit made 13 saves and told PhillyLacrosse.com after the game that he felt proud of the way his team played in such a high-pressure type situation with their championship hopes on the line. Pettit was instrumental in helping Malvern Prep win 11 straight games to end the season.

Also considered: Canyon Birch, Mansaquan (N.J.); Cole Herbert, Calvert Hall (Md.); Nick DuPuis, St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Va.)

— Tom Peace

SOUTH

James Shipley, Weddington (N.C.)

The Warriors haven’t trailed much this season, but when they briefly fell behind in the state championship game, Shipley snapped them out of it, leading Weddington to the title with four goals and four assists. It was just his latest big performance in a big game, with Shipley also notching hat tricks against Lake Norman, Christ School and Charlotte Catholic, three of North Carolina’s top teams. He had seven points against Christ School (three goals, four assists) and six goals in the playoffs against Charlotte Catholic. He finished the season with 49 goals and 42 assists.

Also considered: Benny O’Rourk, Lambert (Ga.); Gerard Kane, Lambert (Ga.); Caden Zadell, Cardinal Gibbons (N.C.); Nick Gorman, Cardinal Gibbons (N.C.); Joe Torres, Cardinal Gibbons (N.C.); Dylan Hess, Ponte Vedra (Fla.); Davis Lindsey, Christ School (N.C.)

— Jonah Rosenblum

MIDWEST

Evan James, Dublin Coffman (Ohio)

James played a key role in the Shamrocks’ first state title. In the month of May, he had 34 goals and five assists. Then, in the state title game on June 1, James scored five times in a win over Cincinnati St. Xavier (Ohio). James is committed to Loyola.

Also considered: Justin Glod, Brother Rice (Mich.); Joey Kamish, Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.); Henry Scherb, New Trier (Ill.)

— Justin Boggs

WEST

Michael Shakerin, Lake Oswego (Ore.)

The senior captain was considered the heart and soul of the Lake Oswego boys lacrosse team, and he played a major role in his team’s surprising run to the state title. Over the final three games, the two-way middie totaled 41 faceoff wins, 30 groundballs, five goals and one assist. Shakerin’s performance in a 12-11 overtime win over top-seeded Lakeridge (Ore.) especially proved crucial, as six of his 13 faceoff wins came in the final quarter and overtime as the Lakers overcame a 9-3 deficit. He had two goals, 11 faceoff wins and eight groundballs in the state championship game, a 14-7 win over West Linn. For the season, Shakerin finished with 25 goals, 12 assists, 172 groundballs and a 62 percent success rate on faceoffs.

Also considered: Justin Barton, De La Salle (Calif.); Aidan Burke, Cherry Creek (Colo.); Stuart Pollard, St. Margaret’s (Calif.); Alex Slusher, Oregon Episcopal (Ore.)