July 1, 2024
By Evan Lepler
Marques Brownlee, New York Empire
Talk about setting the tone. After the Empire O-line scored the game’s first goal in just 42 seconds, Marques Brownlee intercepted Salt Lake’s first throw and immediately tossed another score to give New York a 2-0 lead less than a minute into Saturday’s championship rematch. The Shred were immediately frazzled, and it failed to improve much from their for the best from the West, as Brownlee recorded his second block in as many points as the Empire made it 3-0 soon thereafter. By the end of the day, New York demolished Salt Lake 25-14 behind Brownlee’s career-high five assists and three blocks, not to mention his consistently excellent pulls that had the Shred scrambling all game long.
Lucas Coniaris, Indianapolis AlleyCats
Knowing that a loss would severely diminish the AlleyCats’ postseason chances, Lucas Coniaris played arguably the best game of his four-year UFA career in Saturday’s thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Radicals. The 24-year-old collected four goals, three assists, 352 throwing yards, and 325 receiving yards as Indy overcame a three-goal deficit to prevail 23-22, the Cats’ fifth consecutive victory against Madison, three of which have been decided by just a single score. For the season, Coniaris is one of just seven players across the league with at least 25 scores and a completion rate above 97 percent.
Thomas Edmonds, DC Breeze
If you’re involved in six scores while not playing a single O-point, you’ve got a pretty good shot at finding a spot on the Honor Roll. Frankly, it’s tough to select a single member of the Breeze after they so thoroughly dismantled the visiting Flyers on Friday night, but Thomas Edmonds gets the nod for his four-assist, two-goal, one-block, turnover-free performance in DC’s dominant 25-13 victory. He’s only played a single O-point in his last seven games combined, but he’s got 17 assists, seven goals, and five blocks during this stretch, anchoring the D-line for the first-place Breeze.
Khalif El-Salaam, Seattle Cascades (Pictured)
With the opportunity to help his franchise clinch its first playoff berth since 2016, Khalif El-Salaam undoubtedly played his best game of the season on Saturday night against the Summit, producing four assists, three goals, and three blocks in Seattle’s exhilarating 20-19 victory. El-Salaam also led the Cascades’ relatively balanced attack with 357 total yards and endured just a single throwaway. The last of his three blocks came with just under two minutes left and set up Seattle’s 11th and final break of the game, setting the stage for Spencer Lofink’s game-winning dime to Tommy Li just over a minute later. Not only are the ‘Scades back in the dance, but Seattle presently sits in first place in the West and will host the Division’s championship game if they can knock off Salt Lake in Utah in their monumental matchup on Friday, July 19.
Noah Hanson, Minnesota Wind Chill
Not every block is created equal, and Noah Hanson’s game-sealing deflection with time winding down on Friday night in Chicago could very well be remembered as one of the blocks of the year for the Wind Chill. It was also the third block of the night for the 24-year-old Carleton alum, and Hanson added two more blocks—not to mention three goals and two assists—in Saturday’s 16-goal destruction of Detroit. It was by far the best two-game performance of Hanson’s young UFA career, and it helped Minnesota officially clinch the top seed in the Central Division playoffs, ensuring that the Wind Chill are one home postseason win away from their second straight trip to Championship Weekend.
Lukas McClamrock, Atlanta Hustle
With every passing week, Lukas McClamrock’s season feels a little more Cody Spicer-ish. In terms of being a dual-threat impact guy from the D-line, McClamrock continues to pilot the Hustle’s break-train in a manner that is very reminiscent of Spicer’s play for Colorado the past two seasons. In Week 10, the 25-year-old had five scores on Friday and five blocks on Saturday, all while completing 50 passes with just one throwaway for an Atlanta outfit that went 2-0 in the Texas heat to surge into first place in the South. It remains to be seen whether McClamrock can rise all the way to Spicer’s Defensive Player of the Year level, but it’d be shocking if the South Carolina alum did not find his way onto the UFA All-Defense Team for the first time in his career.
Max Trifillis, Philadelphia Phoenix
Six goals, five blocks, and three assists across two wins for Max Trifillis up in Canada this past weekend, as the Phoenix earned their first road victories of the season. The athletic Philly defender, in his third year in the UFA, now has 19 goals, 11 assists, and 15 blocks in 10 games, numbers that represent career bests in all three categories. And in his last four games, in particular, he’s collected nine goals, nine blocks, and five assists with zero turns. Overall, the Phoenix are a couple games away from finishing up an ultimately disappointing season, but the team is poised to have another strong finish, with Trifillis’s superb June leading the way.
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