June 19, 2008

The fifth-annual US Lacrosse National Senior Showcase, an all-star exhibition featuring 96 of the top high school boys' lacrosse seniors in the country and sponsored by Warrior, is Saturday at Benedictine University in Chicago.

Click here for a PDF of the all-star rosters representing the North, South, East and West regions, or here for an event schedule.

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by Davis Ely, Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online

It's hard to imagine that it will all soon come to an end.

For four years, they practiced together and trained together. They won together and lost together. Last month, they helped put the finishing touches on a perfect 17-0 season for the Governor's (Mass.) Academy and spearheaded its first outright Independent School League title in 72 years.

Essentially anything either Mike Shakespeare or Jeff Muscatello did on the lacrosse field could somehow be attributed to the other. On Saturday, however, the longtime friends and teammates will gear up and share the same midfield line for the final time as members of the North region all-stars during the fifth-annual US Lacrosse National Senior Showcase at Benedictine University in Chicago.

This time next year, they'll be ACC rivals.

"Jeff and I kind of grew up playing lacrosse together," Shakespeare said Thursday.

All those hours spent on the field developed a bond seldom seen between teammates on the high school level. During games, the connection became obvious, as Muscatello repeatedly found Shakespeare in position to score or dodge.

"Playing with Jeff is something you know," Shakespeare said. "He's an offensive threat. He's always looking to pass when you're playing on his line."

Muscatello's knack for the timely feed blended perfectly with Shakespeare's physical style built on power and strength. That isn't to say Muscatello could not create his own offense when needed. He often used his 6-foot, 180-pound frame to slash to the cage, creating one of the New England's most deadly dynamics when combined with Shakespeare's brutish force.

It was as if each player's strength matched up with the other's weakness.

"I'd say that's exactly the case," Shakespeare said. "I consider myself a strong, powerful dodger. He's a little bit of both. He's more of a flashy, pretty player, I'd like to say, and I consider myself like a grinder - a grinder that likes to hit the ball in the net."

Shakespeare and Muscatello were not always the punishing offensive tandem they are now. They both struggled as high school freshmen, and both dealt with the same doubt and insecurity on whether they could make it at the next level.

His first season at the Governor's Academy, Shakespeare didn't play much. Muscatello saw more of the field, but during the ensuing offseason, he didn't see the drastic improvement Shakespeare did. That compelled him to train harder.

"I started off my freshman year playing a little more than [Shakespeare]," Muscatello said. "He ended up being the more dominant force than I was. I was increasing at a little slower rate, and I saw that and it made me want to pick up my game."

However, it wasn't until the summer before their junior season that either truly believed he could be an elite lacrosse prospect. Perhaps it was a function of geography. Players from Connecticut, New York and the Chesapeake Bay region face nationally-ranked teams on a routine basis, so when they produce gaudy numbers, they aren't met with the same raised eyebrows as someone from, say, the Governor's Academy.

"I was never convinced I was a guy to play in the ACC," Muscatello said.

But in summer 2006 at the Jake Reed Blue Chip Lacrosse Camp, a high-profile recruiting draw for college coaches, both Muscatello and Shakespeare excelled against the nation's best.

"People kind of underestimated us," Muscatello said, "didn't think we played enough competition."

After the summer, there were no more doubts, no more questions as to whether they could make it playing Division I lacrosse.

"I showed people what I can do," Shakespeare said. "I showed off my athleticism. That's when it hit me that I had the potential."

Shakespeare went one to become one of the top midfield prospects in the nation, and Muscatello's inbox was flooded with offers. The following winter, Shakespeare committed to Maryland, and although he tried to get his teammate to follow suit, Muscatello committed to ACC rival North Carolina.

Both received full scholarships, according to the Newport Daily News.

"I was sad to see him to become a bitter rival now, but we had a great four years," Shakespeare said. "He always seemed to have eyes in the back of the head looking out for me - it will be tough playing without him."

But Shakespeare looks forward to lining up opposite his former teammate, and Muscatello admitted the possibility of a friendly competition evolving between the two.

"I've never been a huge guy on actual points numbers, but if I do happen to beat him out in points, I'll probably say something to him to rub it in," Muscatello said. "I think the main goal is to win a national championship before him."

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Are you a graduating high school senior with a great story to tell? E-mail it essay@laxmagazine.com for an opportunity to be the "Parting Shot" guest columnist in the August issue of Lacrosse Magazine.