Bedford’s Matthews leads NH players ranked among top boys lacrosse prospects by Inside Lacrosse
The members of the class of 2026 are days away from their first opportunity to verbally commit to play college athletics.
The members of the class of 2026 are days away from their first opportunity to verbally commit to play college athletics.
For some boys lacrosse standouts from New Hampshire, there was good news heading into that date.
Inside Lacrosse this week released its lists of the top recruits from the current junior class, and more than a dozen players with ties to the Granite State were among those ranked.
Top among them was Bennett Matthews, from Bedford High School, who was one of 20 players from around the country ranked as a 5-star recruit by Inside Lacrosse. A midfielder, Matthews (NH Tomahawks) has been a two-year starter for the Bulldogs, and led Bedford in goals (68) and assists (36) last season.
Five players received a rating of 4-stars, including two from NHIAA schools – Brody Helton, Matthews’ teammate at Bedford, and Bishop Guertin’s Camden Hayden. Both are listed as midfielders and also play for NH Tomahawks.
Other 4-star recruits include attackman Hunter Thompson (4Leaf Army) and FOGO AJ Yeung (NH Tomahawks), who both play for the Holderness School, in Plymouth, and Griffin Cepiel, a midfielder at Deerfield (Mass.) Academy, who plays for the NH Tomahawks.
Bishop Guertin’s Owen King (attack, NH Tomahawks) leads a group of nine 3-star recruits with New Hampshire ties.
That list includes Carter Doherty (attack, St. Paul’s School), Tommy Lombardi (attack, Phillips Exeter) and Michael Savage (SSDM, Lawrenceville School), who are members of NH Tomahawks; Will Bennett (SSDM, New Hampton) and Jackson Chadwick (defense, New Hampton), who play for 3D New England; and Phillips Exeter’s Ethan Moore (attack, Laxachusetts), Gabe Moore (attack, Laxachusetts) and Alex Barbagallo (FOGO, Express North).
Savage, who transferred from Timberlane to Lawrenceville over the summer and reclassified to the class of 2026, recently committed verbally to the University of North Carolina. The remaining players will be eligible to verbally commit starting Sept. 1.
