Originally Posted by Anonymous
If parents understand this concept for college, why isn't it true for HS?

So many parents send their kids to the same MIAA student/lax mills and wonder why their kid isn't playing.

Guess reality hasn't set in for them yet.

Hi John Carroll Dad. Your argument is a mess - what's the parallel between "people sending kids to bad D1 programs with poor academics and poor athletics" and "people sending kids to McDonogh" (which has great academics and great sports)? And in a country where the average kid is in a trailer classroom with a 1:32 teacher student ratio, lead pipes, and 1 college counselor per 500-1000 kids, and probably has to share the lax field with 3 other sports in the spring, you think the MIAA big boy schools are "student mills?" LOL.

But I'll play.

First of all there's no "majors" in HS.

The academic outcomes are all over the place. Half of the MIAA-A are true prep schools and the average SAT scores approach 1400 (with 100% of students taking the SAT...unlike public schools). But some MIAA-A schools are not, namely MSJ and John Carroll. An average 1180on the SAT is just fine to go to Towson or Frostburg, and there's nothing wrong with that. To your point, your son would probably be far better off at Key, Friends, or Park school if you can swallow the politics at any of them, and your son can keep up academically (hardly a given) since their academic results are in line with McD, Gilman, St. Pauls, Loyola.

As for the lax outcomes, I know your belief is that "no teenager is mentally strong enough to ride the bench," but for the 14th time, maybe just maybe you have blinders on there. There's something to be said about getting reps with the best coaches, the most talented teammates, at the best facilities, and if you have a serious work ethic, suddenly at some point in 11th grade, boom, you're on the field, even if you're not a star, not a donor's son, etc. You're right that many kids like most of the 2028s applying to schools this fall, do not have that level of maturity (or it leads them to give it up). But some kids can - in fact - hack it, and grow stronger from it. And they get their moment of glory.

Here's the fact you'll detest the most: there are varsity players at the "lax mills" who never step foot on the field at their school (at varsity), and get D1 offers (no athletic scholarship of course).