BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums PENNSYLVANIA LACROSSE PENNSYLVANIA FORUM Boys 2023

The Main board is getting confusing with club teams getting mixed up by age.

Top 2023 Club Teams in Country
1. Team 91 Bandits
2. Igloo
3. S2S
4. Crabs
5. Brotherly Love
6. Express
7. Bethesda
8. Laxachusetts
9. Warriors
10. Madlax

S2S way too high. Last time Laxachusettes played on LI they beat Warriors 9-8, S2S 13-2 and lost to Express by a goal. Has S2S ever played in Md?

Brotherly Love came out of nowhere last year.

Brotherly Love lost to Crabs at Young Guns in overtime however bad reffing and BLove gave up 5 man down goals to some refs that must have graduated from Boys Latin, plus BL's best player wasn't at the tournament and BL Beat Crabs at Famous Autumn Classic 6-3

They did well because half that team is from Kennett Rec Program which was top notch and most of those kids have been playing together since they were five. But lets be honest the only reason Kennett was so good is because they were grabbing kids from Delaware, Unionville, and Avon Grove???

Freedom and BL this weekend, should be a good match

BL is bringing both AA and A team u mean good match with BL A team correct. Last time that Freedom played played BL top team I think it was 13-2 and BL stopped shooting by halftime

Totally new 2023 team for Freedom much improved will be a good match up

this

obviously they won't have the continuity that BL has which can't be understated, but I think talent wise should be a good matchup.

Interested to see the NXT team this year. They had a good tryout, not sure how many joined that team, but should be much improved.

They struggled, but did have some talent and size. All the teams will be better than last year.

It is interesting to see the Freedom 2023 model. Must have been at least 6 Dukes Nationals kids on that team. Not that it helped. Be careful who you jump into bed with Freedom just because you want to beat Brotherly Love. It was tight in first half until the BL boys recognized that it wasn't another team they were going to beat 10-1 and then they shut them out in the second half. Blatantly dirty hit at the end of the game, your better than that.

That coach you brought in cheats all the time with overGRADE kids. If you cheat in life at that degree for youth sports then.....

But winning matters when it comes to 11 year olds....doesn't it?

BL has about twelve 2022 re-classes on their 2023. This way they can win against younger smaller kids. They are Good athletes who are clearly not very well coached. If you want your kids to learn the game this is not the club. Buyers beware!!!

Jon-JonBL stay in your lane.

Yeah buyers I guess you will learn more from the Dad that sells (insert what ever you like) for a living than Frank Urso and Joe Kivlen.

Come watch a practice and than tell me that the kids aren't learning the game. Ask the top recruit in the country if he learned anything from this coaching staff.

Full disclosure - - I'm a Freedom parent but let me say this: What a crock. So many points to counter. Let's start at the end and work our way back.

Not a single kid on the Freedom Red 2023 roster is "overGRADE". BL, on the other hand, has been rumored to have MULTIPLE Kennet kids who are "old for their grade" because they were reclassified. Any truth to that or just some wild accusations--guess if you're going to mudsling with no evidence anyone can.

The "blatantly dirty hit" at the end was assessed by both refs as a 1 minute UR penalty because the defenseman took too many steps--that's a kid going a little too hard, not dirty.

It was 5-4 at half and 10-4 final because BL absolutely took advantage of their strengths in the 2nd half no argument.

"Be careful who you jump into bed with Freedom just because you want to beat Brotherly Love." That is seriously just embarrassing, it's one of the most narcissistic quotes I've seen on here. Try not to hurt your shoulder patting yourself on the back, coach.

Just curious as to the "must have been 6 Duke's Nationals kids" comment--what's your point? There are actually 8 because this is the club they are playing with locally. Are the Nationals kids some kind of monsters or why should anyone "Be careful" that they are playing lacrosse?

Just such a strange post about youth lacrosse. Sad, actually.

Oh nobody is going to argue the merits of those coaches--they're great instructors. But I don't remember seeing Frank on the sidelines at this tournament with the 2023s. Did I miss him??

Hey freedom dad keep doing what your doing. BL is a disgrace to youth lacrosse, but unkowing or knowing parents show up there. Ignorance is bliss. Who cares what they win. The kids will all figure it out in the long run....some will be able to look their kid in the eye while others....

He coaches 22's Joe K coaches 23's.

Sad is you saying none of Freedom kids are overGRADE. Some are definitely going to play there 2nd year of U13 this year making them overGrade.

As a unknowing BL parent what are they doing wrong? The team has stayed pretty much intact since day 1, they have great coaches and the kids all get along very well. Am I missing something? I want my son to play with better kids and learn the game, the fact that they win sometimes is a bonus. So please fill me in....

Wow! Would love to know who ISN'T a 2023 player on the team. Guess you know more than I do about my own son's team.

I know the BL team well. To be clear like many boys in any school system there are boys with summer birthdays that play for the BL 2023 team. Meaning there birthdays are in April, May, June, July, and August. So they miss the US Lacrosse cutoff of by September 1st by up to 6 months. This is a pretty common occurence in grade school. Since boys are notoriously immature at a young age starting your kid as an older kindgergarten student is actually encouraged. No academic institiution recognizes September 1st anyway solely and arbitratrely made up by US Lacrosse there isn't even another sport that uses that date consistently.

However "Reclassified" is a TOTALLY Different scenario. Occuring the most in private schools and in the lacrosse world most commonly used in Maryland in the MIAA. This is when a student REPEATS a grade with the sole intent of gaining advantage on the lacrosse field.

I can assure you that there is not a SINGLE player on the BL 2023 team that repeated a grade. FACT.

The reality is that the team is extremely athletic and fast to the point that the way they swarm to the ball it looks like they are playing with extra players. However, they are pitiful in settled offensive situations. They have literally had five practices with their new coach and there is NO playbook. The man up play was put in 15 minutes before the Freedom tournament with half the man up team in their cars on the way to the field.

Face it they aren't monsters, they aren't cheating, the club isn't evil...they are just a very talented group of good kids from good families and nothing more. Does it bother Freedom parents that 5 boys from Lionville play for this team ...I am guessing so. Stop villifying them and maybe just be happy that Philly lacrosse can only benefit from teams like this participating at the national level.

Hey jealous daddy what's your beef..... If BL is a disgrace to youth lacrosse what are they doing wrong. As an unknowing parent if I am in a state of ignorance enlighten me.

1. I pay less money for my son to play quality lacrosse than other clubs
2. The team has excellent practices
3. The nuclues of the talent is developed locally from CCLA based organizations.
4. They bring in professional lacrosse coaches to supplement
5. I don't hear any of their coaches verbally abusing their players (or other teams players for that matter which I heard this weekend)
6. My kid is having a blast
7. They practice good sportmanship. Unlike a Team 91 that will drop 20 on you without blinking they put the brakes on

Sounds pretty disgraceful....

This parent represents all that is wrong in youth lacrosse. Saying a kid is playing their second year of U13 means nothing you moron! USL, if you know what that means, sets birth dates based on a 9/1 cutoff which is not the same as a school cutoff. Having kids play 2023 who are born in the summer months does not mean they're over-grade you obnoxious and arrogant twit. And the top recruit in the country is no longer the GV kid, he's now #2 which is still great, BUT he was not recruited through GV, he was recruited 100% through his club team.

Summer birthdays are categorized as July and August, older than that means the kid was put into school late which many parents do for athletic reasons, it's the same as re-cladding. Now let's be objective, BL gets a ton of bad press on here so why is that? You will say it's because everyone is jealous because they win. There's a massive hole in that argument and here it is, Freedom 2022 is easily as dominant at their level yet you see nothing disparaging about them on here. Freedom 2021 just went 3-0 at the play day beating all the local teams except for Mesa and HHH yet there's nothing bad about them on here. Mesa 2021 had an unbelievable summer beating every top team but 91 and there's not much bad on here about them. So why is there so much bad press on BL?? It's not jealousy, it's something else. Where there's smoke there's fire!

Not a disgrace, just not doing it as squeaky clean as they lead everyone to believe. Define excellent practices? Based on what? Urso is not doing the practice plans and Norri (sp?) was barely a club player? "Professional lacrosse coaches", wth does that mean? Do you even know the game?
Your kid having fun is a great answer, but that's not why you're there. You're there because YOU believe winning is important at this age. And as far as running the score up I can show you more than a few times where BL did that.

My kid isn't on either but have played both and think both have quality players and good programs. Not sure why the venom on both sides.


On another note, harvest classic schedule is out. People's thoughts on the groups and outcomes?

Surprised to see NXT in the group 4, I recall at their tryout they indicated they were going to play in A this year. Changed their mind after the freedom tournament?

To me it's a lot more disgust with the arrogance from SOME (absolutely not all) of the BL posters. Beyond that, I probably wouldn't care even a little.

As for NXT, saw them play on Sunday and they are still in need of a lot of development. Not at all trying to be disrespectful, just saying that there are some good players but they are, as a whole, a pretty weak team.

Speaks volumes of how little you know about BL but as a Kennett rec program parent let me enlighten you.

1. Professional coaches: in the last three years they have brought in Joe Nardella, Tyler Barbarich, Steve Holmes (and his Canadian Box Staff) Frank Urso, and Paul Deniken. What coaches did your club bring in?

2. Frank Urso does every practice plan for his 2022 Team, runs every practice, and STAYS AFTER practice. Why don't you come and watch guarantee you will learn something. The 2023 Team also works with him and Kevlin as they often practice together.

3. Running up the score? I have watched lopsided games without a doubt but they definitely go into a 3 pass rule then a 5 pass rule. What do you want them to do after that....roll the ball to the goalie? That would be offensive.

4. As far as Nurry? My kid learned the game from him as a 6 year old. Could care less where he played don't know. What I do know is that he has never yelled negatively at my kid, he has taught him the value of hardwork, sportsmanship, respecting the other team, and coaches. Ask my kid who is his favorite coach and whoe taught him how to play lacrosse he won't even hesitate. All the kds from Unionville that jumped the boarder to play for Kennett, they were going for or one reason, Nurry. There is little doubt he is an excellent coach.

5. The Freedom 2022 that you say is excellent let's make sure everyone knows why they are excellent. There are five starters on that team...not from Downingtown, Conestoga or another Main Line School, etc. They are from the Kennett program. Two starting attackman, 2 starting middies, stud pole all start for Freedom 2022 thus 50% of the starting lineup is from Kennett. Guess who coached them at Kennett. The secret to Brotherly Love's "came from nowhere success" is that the strenght of that club is the Kennett Blue Demons rec program. It is the backbone of Brotherly Love. While it "takes a village" and there were a ton of fathers and moms who dedicated endless hours of volunteer time you ask most Kennett people why they "came from nowhere" and all of a sudden were one of the best CCLA teams they will tell you two coaches. Driggs and Nurry.

Look up where Ebe Helm played his lacrosse. Dukes Lacrosse is one of the most successful programs ever.

The reason why people are hating on Brotherly Love:
1. They came out of nowhere and all of a sudden started kicking [lacrosse]
2. They were started by two dads who didn't play elite lacrosse
3. Envy

I stayed and watched the 2024 Brothely Love Team play Freedom 2024 this past weekend and on one side I see 4 dad's that played at the following: Loyola, Johns Hopkins, Maryland and the Philadelphia Wings. On the othe side I see Nurry with a dad who never played lacrosse helping him. Looked like they were short handed. Once again, guess who prevailed. Haters will say that Brotherly Love 2024 has one dominant player, and he is exceptional.... I wonder where that kid learned how to play the game?

ummer birthdays are categorized as July and August, older than that means the kid was put into school late which many parents do for athletic reasons, it's the same as re-cladding. Now let's be objective, BL gets a ton of bad press on here so why is that? You will say it's because everyone is jealous because they win. There's a massive hole in that argument and here it is, Freedom 2022 is easily as dominant at their level yet you see nothing disparaging about them on here. Freedom 2021 just went 3-0 at the play day beating all the local teams except for Mesa and HHH yet there's nothing bad about them on here. Mesa 2021 had an unbelievable summer beating every top team but 91 and there's not much bad on here about them. So why is there so much bad press on BL?? It's not jealousy, it's something else. Where there's smoke there's fire!

Uh duh...its the Freedom and Mesa people bashing reread your above post and think about it. Get a clue unless you are one of them.

Yeah so this hearkens back to my earlier post about the arrogant BL posters.

Responding to a post where somebody spent time to provide information, albeit clearly information that hurt your feelings, regarding a perception with "Uh duh" and "reread your above post and think about it." and "Get a clue" is both condescending and very clearly just defensive on your part.

I, for one, am neither a Freedom or Mesa person and I have a very bad image of BL so I guess by your definition I'm just "clueless"--except I'm not.

Nothing better to help gt thru a boring conf call than reading BOC. Having a son that plays on neither BL or Freedom it is comical reading the constant bashing between the 2.

But reading the above post I have to believe the guy has hit the nail on the head, Freedom (and I say that since I hardly ever see Mesa's name mentioned) has a huge issue with BL for some reason. I guess if you want to get Mesa '21 and Freedom '22 involved someone just needs to start talking about them. I am on the road for a few days so please wait until next week to do it though.

What does your bad image of BL stem from?

"All the kds from Unionville that jumped the boarder to play for Kennett, they were going for or one reason, Nurry"
So are you admitting to breaking rules in the CCLA???

It is 6th grade lacrosse, who cares

I have not made any comments above, but I can tell you my bad image of them is because I watched them take players from their top team and play them with the B team this past summer. They claim they couldn't "help" it because they were short. I have been around lacrosse for a very long time and I know they could have found players if they tried, but it would be better for their B team to bring in "ringers". That is the "win at all costs mentality" and that is what people don't like. This is youth lacrosse and it is sad

Waaaaaahhhhhhh