If you follow recruiting closely, you probably start to recognize a few high school names. Schools like Brentwood Academy in Tennessee, Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, and St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida show up regularly in Navy player bios. That’s no accident. Great teams produce great players, and Navy, like everyone else, recruits powerhouse programs. But it also speaks to the relationships Navy’s staff has built on the road with high school coaches.

For Archbishop Spalding, it’s both. Located just a few minutes up I-97 from Annapolis, the Cavaliers have built a tradition of winning, including three straight MIAA-A championships. They’ve also built a tradition of sending players to the Naval Academy. Zach Abey and Jayden Umbarger came through Spalding on their way to Annapolis. So did Trent Gillis, one of the most heralded recruits in Navy’s 2025 class.