When you are trying to build a program from the ground up, it is important to get players in the system that are going to be around for a while, to help instill that winning culture.

 

Manalapan sophomore faceoff/midfielder Grant Carle has already established himself in one of the most highly sought-after positions in the college game.

 

After five games of the 2022 NJSIAA boys' lacrosse campaign, Carle has helped the Braves get to 3-2. He is second on the team in goals (10) and points (13), but maybe more importantly, Carle has won 83 percent of his faceoffs so far in 2022.

 

And as anyone who watches high school lacrosse can tell you, if you have someone dominating the faceoffs, you always have a chance to win the game, even if the other team is better on paper.

 

In his freshman season, Carle won 76 percent of his faceoffs at the varsity level (183 of 240), so he has improved thus far in 2022 as a sophomore. It is something that he has worked hard to get better at, and Carle is helping his team to victories.

 

Off the field, Carle might work even harder: he has a 4.2 GPA in the classroom. It shows just how important schoolwork, and hard work, are for the sophomore.

 

Here is a scouting report on Carle from an opposing coach:

 

“We just could not win a faceoff against him. I think our teams were pretty evenly matched going in, but he just beat our guy so often, and our guy is pretty good. No matter what we tried, he had an answer for it. He had a pretty big day offensively as well against us, with a couple goals and assists.

 

A scouting report from a lacrosse analyst:

 

“Grant is a rare combination of being extremely competitive, gritty, athletic, intelligent, and offensively skilled. He is a product of the Face Off Academy at the faceoff X, but what separates Grant from many others is what he is able to do after the draw. He is great on ground balls, is a threat with the ball in his stick, and has a knack for getting the ball back if he loses a draw. His explosiveness and creativity on the offensive side of the ball is not easily found in a dominant face off midfielder.”