ESPN High School continues its countdown to the ESPNHS 100 by breaking down the Top 25 players at each position.
The Top 25 is our selections for the best players at each position and will be released every Wednesday until Oct. 12. Wrapping up our boys coverage will be our choices for the Top 100 seniors and Top 50 juniors. Our girl's Top 25 begins in October.
A great faceoff man can help dominate a game by preventing opponents from gaining control of the ball and these 25 players are some of the best.
Top 25 Faceoff Men
1. Brad Lott, Trinity (Louisville, Ky.), Michigan
Lott won 71 percent of his faceoffs and scored 23 goals and added 18 assists last season. The future Wolverine was First Team All-State and an ESPNHS All-America Honorable Mention this season and led his team to a 15-1 record. Lott also dominated some of the top faceoff specialists in the country at the Under Armour games, playing for the Midwest underclass team, the second straight year he was selected for the squad.
2. Brent Armstrong, St. Stephens & St. Agnes (Alexandria, Va.), North Carolina
The future Tar Heel has the intangibles to be a great leader at the next level. A 2011 Varsity Captain, Armstrong was named an ESPNHS All-American and Washington Post All-Met Honorable Mention after last season. Armstrong was also selected to be on the Washington D.C. underclass team at the Under Armour games.
3. Ted Demiris, Hereford (Parkton, Md.), Navy
Demiris won 79 percent of his faceoffs as a first-year starter for the Bulls. The future Midshipman helped lead the Bulls to a 3A/2A Maryland Public School State title. He was named 2011 Honorable Mention by the MSCLA, which is a poll voted on by coaches in the state, and was named to the 2011 Freestate team.
4. Jake Froccaro, Port Washington (Port Washington, N.Y.), Princeton
Froccaro has one of the best dodges in the high school game. The future Princeton Tiger was a team captain as a junior, and is a two-time NCLCA All County Selection, two-time NCLCA Academic All-County Selection, and two-time Port Washington High School MVP.
5. Kacy Kapinos, Loyola-Blakefield (Towson, Md.), Ohio State
To say Kapinos is aggressive at the face off line is an understatement. The two-year starter mows people over when he wins a faceoff, loses a face, or just playing middie in general. Kapinos isn't afraid to deliver a hit. The future Buckeye, played for the Baltimore underclass team this summer at the Under Armour games, and was voted unsung player of the year for Loyola's varsity team.
6. Conor Pequigney, Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.), Syracuse
Pequigney plays with a strong passion for the game and has been dominant for several years at the faceoff line -- leading his team in points (27) and goals (20) last season. Pequigney was named 2011 All-Anne Arundel County, Freestate All-State Honorable Mention 2011 and played for the Washington D.C. team at the Under Armour games.
7. Ryan Matthews, Manhasset (Manhasset, N.Y.), Johns Hopkins
Matthews, with the huge frame and quick hands at the faceoff line, he will have a bright future at the next level. The future Blue Jay was named 2011 All-County Selection and Academic All-County Selection. Matthews is a three-year varsity starter at Manhasset and helped lead the team to back-to-back state titles in 2009 and 2010.
8. Joseph Bano, Dublin Jerome (Dublin, Ohio), Denver
Bano helped lead Dublin Jerome to a second consecutive Ohio State title in 2011. The rising senior won 74 percent of his faceoffs and added 89 groundballs and 33 goals. He was named First Team All-Midwest, All-State and All Conference. Bano was selected to the Midwest underclass team at the Under Armour games.
9. Patrick Young, Christchurch (Christchurch, Va.), UMBC
Young has explosive speed and quick hands. After last season, Young was named a US Lacrosse All-American and was selected to the New Jersey underclass squad at the Under Armour games. The future Retriever also earned All-State honors and was team offensive MVP for the two-time Division II state champions.
10. Brendan Newman, Lawrenceville (Lawrenceville, N.J.), Harvard
Newman is in the top tier of scorers for Lawrenceville and has led the team in groundballs the last two seasons. The 6-foot-4 senior was invited to tryout for the US Under-19 team and was named All-Prep, and First team-All Junior team in New Jersey. He won 75 percent of his more than 200 draws and finished the season with 27 goals and 14 assists.
The Next 15
11. Tae Young Kim, Worthington Kilbourne (Columbus, Ohio), Ohio State
12. P.J. Finley, Malvern Prep (Malvern, Pa.), Notre Dame
13. Craig Madarasz, Smithtown West (Smithtown, N.Y.), Johns Hopkins
14. Jackson Arnold, Kent Denver (Denver, Colo.), undecided
15. Charles Sipe, St. Anne's-Belfield (Charlottesville, Va.), Maryland
16. Giovanni Giradi Cold Spring Harbor (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.), Hofstra
17. Will McKee, St. Ignatius (San Francisco, Calif.), Lehigh
18. Eli Merritt, Berkshire School (Sheffield, Mass.), undecided
19. Dom Burg, Benilde-St. Margaret (Minneapolis, Minn.), undecided
20. Eric Monfort, Thomas Worthington (Columbus, Ohio), Bucknell
21. Mike Barnes, Radnor (Radnor, Pa.), Drexel
22. Will Gural, Haverford School (Haverford, Pa.), Brown
23. Tyler Mardian, Collegiate School (Richmond, Va.), Delaware
24. Frank Lucatuorto III, Ward Melville (East Setauket, N.Y.), Stony Brook
25. Dominic Montemurro, Kings Park (Kings Park, N.Y.), undecided