West Chester Rustin's Jackson Lamb is DLN Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year for 2026

WESTTOWN – Jackson Lamb has been making good decisions, both on and off the lacrosse field, for quite some time at West Chester Rustin.

Whether it's locating a teammate for a high-quality scoring chance, finding a healthy balance between athletics and academics, or picking a college to study and play, Lamb seems to have the vision to make the right decision, and then the fortitude to see it through.

No player in Chester County amassed more assists this spring than the 2026 Daily Local News Boys' Lacrosse Player of the Year. Lamb dished out 59 of them to go along with 46 goals, and for his high school career, the senior shattered the Rustin record for points with 319.

"I had (the record) in the back of my mind heading into the season, but winning was the main goal," Lamb said.

"When he was getting ready to break Marek (Seaman's) scoring record, I told Jackson and his parents that even if we are playing an overmatched opponent, if he gets close I am just going to let him break it and get it over with," Golden Knights' head coach Kevin Philibin said. "But both Jackson and his parents told me not to worry about the record at all. They said ‘if we are up a bunch, give the younger kids the playing time.'

"That mindset from his parents was passed down to him, and that speaks volumes as to where his success comes from. He is constantly looking out for what is better for the team and not his own stat book."

Rustin went 15-4 this spring, and Lamb was a major catalyst. He was a consistent contributor – averaging 5.5 points per outing, with three-plus in every game and over four in 15 – and was a versatile threat all over the field. How many elite attackers have more career assists than goals?

"This season I drew a lot of gravity as a dodger, and that opened up opportunities for my teammates," Lamb said.

"We saw teams that tried to shut him off using a stud defenseman, or teams that slid early to him, or went into a zone," Philibin said. "But it really didn't matter what look they threw at him. He was able to vary his game, based on a defensive coverage, where he became a scorer, or became a feeder, or sometimes a mix of both.

"For nobody to have an answer for Jackson this season was very impressive."

To the surprise of no one, the postseason accolades have been pouring in. Lamb was the recipient of the Sandy Phillips Award as the Ches-Mont League MVP, earned All-State honors and nabbed Academic All-American status. And he did it all in limited playing time.

"With the way we play and some of the scores we had, there were games where Jackson was benched by the end of the first quarter," Philibin said. "He sat a lot of fourth quarters and entire second halves. If he played every minute of every game, I think he would have likely broken the Ches-Mont all-time scoring record."

The youngest of three siblings to parents Travis and Megan Lamb, Jackson lives in Westtown and comes from an athletic family. His father played lacrosse at Cornell and his mom was an NCAA Division I tennis player at Loyola (Md.). As a freshman, Jackson played lacrosse alongside his brother T.J. as the Knights captured the program's first District 1 crown.

"It was a very close group and a lot of the seniors were friends with my brother," Lamb said. "That closeness carried over to the rest of my high school career."

As a sophomore and junior, Lamb started to become a scoring weapon playing mostly from behind the cage. And even though he transitioned into more of a wing player in '26, he had developed into one of the state's most proficient playmakers.

"The thing that sets Jackson apart is his vision and his body control," Philibin said. "He was second in Eastern Pennsylvania in assists and first in assists per game. He just has a way of finding teammates, and throwing them open.

"He can see if a kid takes three steps a certain way, he can get it and score, so he has the ability to lead them with those types of passes. You don't see that often at the high school level."

At 5-foot-11, 155-pounds, Lamb is not an imposing figure on the field. But he is smart and athletic.

"I'm not the biggest guy, so I want to use my quickness and speed," Lamb said. "You want to be moving when the defender is caught off guard. I like using a change of direction and using the back of the net, for example. I also liked using a spin – that worked a lot for me."

"He's on the thinner side, but he is an athletic kid," Philibin said. "If you see him in school, he doesn't pop off the page. You don't see him and think: ‘OK, I'm sure that kid is an absolute animal on the field.'

"But with his quickness and footwork, he is able to put bigger defensemen on skates on a regular basis from baiting them one way, flipping his hips, and finding an opening for a shot or a pass."

For his high school career, Lamb sports a 4.2 grade point average. He was in Philibin's Advance Placement Environmental Science class recently.

"He checks all of the boxes there – he is an awesome student," Philibin said.

"There is always a possibility that an injury can happen in lacrosse, so you have to go to college for school first and then lacrosse," Lamb added.

"My parents definitely emphasised the student part more than the athlete part. And I like that too."

Just about a year ago, Lamb verbally committed to Gettysburg College, which has a rich tradition in Division III lacrosse and academic excellence. He plans to study business and is thinking of getting into finance.

"There was some interest from Division I programs during my junior year," Lamb said. "But I was looking for the right balance of academics and good lacrosse, and I hope to get on the field early in my college career. I waited for the right place, and when I went to Gettysburg last June, it just felt like the perfect place for me."

And even when some big time programs started putting out feelers during his record-breaking senior season, Lamb stuck with his commitment to the Bullets.

"I truly believe Jackson is a Division I lacrosse player," Philibin said. "He ended up committing to Gettysburg, which is a very strong Division III program. But as he kind of blew up this spring, there was some interest, but he didn't want to go that route. He made a commitment and that's where he was going. Once he commits to a team, school or group, he is all in."

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