BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM Boys 2022

What a joke api has holdbacks. Had them last year also. They would have more but no one wants to play for the coaches. Can't develop players. Daddy ball in king. Kids are leaving. Good coach in 3 grade but that's it.

I don't have a problem with kids coming from other states, if they tried out and made the team, paid the dues and is really a part of the team. This takes place on almost every club team in high school.Players want to play in the best league in the country. Did your kid try out for those teams?
What team has kids that are 2-3 years older? I find it really hard to believe that 14-15 years are on any of these teams.

As far as coaching almost every team at this level 2022 elite has top notch coaching. It is also very clear each year to see what teams get better and are being well coached. "All Star style teams " That is funny statement, What teams might they be? Every year clubs have try outs and every single player out there has a opportunity to tryout and play for any team. Luck has nothing to do with it.

The excuses made on this site are comical and dads who are bitter.

Start making some factual statements.

I do don't disagree with you . That is why API will blow up at the end of the summer . But I will say the kids could make the Hawks and crabs they made it Hawks last year but stayed with API.

Claiming development of a hold back/older kid is easy but not realistic. My son plays for batlimore club and my older son goes to McDonogh. These posters have no clue as these younger kids will catch up as the older kids have some reached or almost reached the talent ceiling. Seen this many times with 3 boys. Btw- is the hawks a fielder for st Mary's? McDonogh beat the pants off them 2 times this year so looks like the hold backs are not really being developed. Fools gold. Keep bringing in out of state kids to play and taking time from local players. Btw. Spalding has a lot of hawks players too. Wow. You buried yourself on this one. RIP poster. You been sentenced to stupidity.

Hawks out of area kids come to practice and earn PT. 91 kids fly in on game day and step right into starting lineup. The St. Mary's situation has more to do with coaching than talent. API does have great talent, but they are not put into a position to succeed. I see them going the way of the Cannons.

The spring season did not disappoint. Lots of competitive games and the best league in the country top to bottom. Regardless of how successful your team was in elite bracket, keep in mind that there were 32 other 2022 teams playing in lower level brackets. There are a ton of players in club lax and this elite group is among the best in the country.

The almighty, "I am from Baltimore and I have seen so I know all" poster. Look mom, if you read the post it is clear that the poster was making the coorelation of the coaching staff being at both organizations and neither of them winning. Nothing about hold backs. Sounds like mommy's little boys got burned by the bmore lacrosse politics and is bitter.

Glad your boys go to MCD, they are sure to get a better education and thrive at reading comprehension more than their mommy. Good luck to your other son. Sure Crabs is preparing him well.

And Mom, don't take yourself too serious on these blogs. It could ruin your lasting memories with your boys. Next thing you know you will be drinking Boone's Farm and smoking Virginia Slims again. I have seen this happen many times

The solution to the holdback nonsense that is played by the Baltimore clubs that feed to the MIAA schools is to follow US Lacrosse guidelines and go to age based classification this fill. The "eighth grade" teams that are being fielded by Crabs, FCA, Loonies, etc. are a joke. Teams full of 15 year olds pretending to be 8th graders. In Baltimore the term "elite" is interchangeable with "reclassed". If your kid can't compete - just have him repeat a grade....

The 2022 coaches have 11 or 12 wins in the Miaa a conference over 3 years and they are JV coaches. I was coached in college by one of them and they are respected in the miaa A. My older son plays for ND younger plays for crabs.

Playing for that Crabs team may be too much of a Hurdle to overcome.

Some of these 8th grade teams are HUGE.. It is hilarious when you hear "look at that great player" as he mows down a player 1-2 years younger.

Worst part is there actually are a few Huge true age 8th graders..But now they get lumped in with all the rest of the holdbacks.

Wont change as MIAA schools completely support this holdback/reclass/prefirst garbage due to having the majority enrolled in their schools.
And if you are a very good lacrosse player..MIAA is where you want to play ! So get used to it in Maryland.

Why would they leave one dumpster fire to go to another? Cannons? Come on.

They will stay with Api or tryout for a GOOD program.

API might have 2 players that could help the Hawks. Many could go to the Crabs.

They players will join the Rough Riders if they leave.

Not one of those teams has a 14 year old , not one

[quote=Anonymous]Claiming development of a hold back/older kid is easy but not realistic. My son plays for batlimore club and my older son goes to McDonogh. These posters have no clue as these younger kids will catch up as the older kids have some reached or almost reached the talent ceiling. Seen this many times with 3 boys. Btw- is the hawks a fielder for st Mary's? McDonogh beat the pants off them 2 times this year so looks like the hold backs are not really being developed. Fools gold. Keep bringing in out of state kids to play and taking time from local players. Btw. Spalding has a lot of hawks players too. Wow. You buried yourself on this one. RIP poster. You been sentenced to stupidity

[/quote

Stupidity is this statement! Funny you use this poster to bash Saint Marys,Spalding and Hawks. It is for certain that McDonogh and Baltimore clubs promote holdbacks and have the most in the country. McDonogh also recruits kids from all over the country and board them. Spalding and St Marys have the least amount as any school in the MIAA which is why they have struggled in that league. Oh wait just 3 years ago St Marys spanked Mcdonough for the league title with not 1 single holdback.
Sounds like bitterness towards the Hawks,
Hawks also play for almost every MIAA school this year.
Check the coaching staffs for every Hawks team and compare to all other clubs. 6 Hawks teams made it to Championship day in the HOCO league.
The only smart thing said is that boys always catch up __ Everything else is pure stupidity.
]

Clearly you are a hater. Did you read what you wrote?

Yep, DBags are destined to become 2022 Cannons, assuming their players can make other teams. They are in for a shock if they tryout for Roughriders or Hawks. Daddy's little superstar might not even make those teams or worse yet, they will but now will be daddy's little 4th line middie

You sound bitter. Your son get cut from API or something?

More likely those coaches will take an API 4th line middie and develop him into a contributing player.

That's not true. There are definitely 14 yr old 2022 players. Crabs has several. FCA has a couple. Hawks has plenty.

They all came from Crabs

I would make him quit the sport if he got cut from the dbags

So what weak team does your son play for.

Well, our "weak" team beat the dbags. Of course since everyone beats the dbags, it doesn't narrow it down any.

Everyone beats dbags full of [lacrosse] . Your son doesn't play for a elite team ...

LOL, I write in complete sentences and know when to capitalize proper nouns: I don't post on this forum as it contains little to no analysis of the game. Also, almost all of the 2022 coaches are young enough to be one of my sons. Was fortunate to be on the coaching staffs of four MIAA teams that went a collective 74-4 in four years. Catfish someone else please.

Summer season starts this weekend any good matchups ?

With such a great history of coaching, maybe you should try coaching this bunch. Three different coaching staffs have been unable to get through to them obviously.

Was a bit player for a great ensemble cast. At this point, its really about fundamentals and improvement and less about winning (although I'll be the first to tell you losing all of the time stinks). There will be enough time for that in high school and college.

Putting together a winning team is like building a three legged stool: 1) you need talent (at least 2 good A, D, LSM, two good keepers and four middies of which 2 can face off. 2) Schemes that match your personnel: if you have less talent on offense you need to take advantage of off ball movement, picks, screens and seals. Perfect your offensive system decision making while allowing kids to be creative. The less defensive talent you have, pack it in and pray you have a great keeper. Perfect the slide packages and decision making. 3) Game and practice planning: You need to watch yourselves on film (coaches first and then a coaches and players together) focusing on teaching moments so you don't keep making the same stupid mistakes again. Specialist coaches for keepers and FOGOS (wing play also) and contingency plans for the following: ten man ride, MDD or even up zone D, etc. Fundamental repetition in practices (min of 3-4 days per week in season) with a healthy dose of new situational teaching/coaching and old lesson reinforcement. Always use the Socratic method in film and practice sessions. Today's kids are visual learners. Teach them how to watch film and make them get up in front of their peers and explain it. If you can get a big enough classroom, invite the parents to sit (they have to be quiet as a church mouse) through the film sessions. When the parents and players all understand the objectives and fundamentals of the offensive and defensive schemes and hear the boys self evaluate, they quickly realize "the film never lies".

Look I agree with you. But you have watched this team(and club for that matter) for many years. Have you ever seen Crabs perfect an offensive system that wasn't solely reliant on having enough bigger, faster horses to drive the alley and shoot? I mean there is no ball movement in the offense the club runs. They dodge from the top off a screen. Every opponent knows what they run. RM is not a coach or a schemer.(Well at least not when it comes to lacrosse) The current 2022 coaches looked great when they had the 2021 team and the 2020's the year before. Those teams were full of bigger, faster kids. The 2022's are not and there has been absolutely ZERO effort made to develop a system that would improve them as players and also as a team.

Maybe API and Crabs can merge at this grade and have one competive team.

Competitive

Or, more likely, next year Crabs will just pick up most of the best players around that have emerged this season, and will complete building the team that will head into the HS years. 2022 has been a slow-developing class, not like the 2021's or 23's.

If you think anyone is moving to that Crabs team you are sorely mistaken. There's a reason RM is going to stay with the 2021's next year and not coach 8th grade like he always does.

Crabs: Their defense is poor. Middies good. Attack average.

There's no example in recent history for any of the classes, so take your personal stuff out of it, they will have top 10-15 team by Fall. 2022's are generally weak, so it will have taken about a year more than usual to build, but just no reason to believe kids/parents that are taking this seriously going into HS will pass up an opportunity to take advantage of proven success.

The landscape is changing. Plenty of high level D1 players in the last few years coming from programs like Looney's, Rock, Rough Riders, FCA, Hawks, etc., etc. Kids and parents realize that if you are good enough, you can and will be recruited regardless of what club you play for.

You say that the Crabs 2022 class has been slow developing and then admit that they will "just pick up the best players around" who want an " opportunity to take advantage of proven success." No denying that the Crabs have had their fair share of outstanding players in the past, but it also seems clear that today's Crabs teams aren't developing talent as much as they are trying to recruit talent developed by other clubs. If you want what is best for your son, find a coach and club that will develop his talent and not an organization that wants his talent to develop the club.

After next year everything changes for this age group the moment they start playing JV,Varsity for their High School.
It is also clear for those players and crazy parents which Club teams over the past 3 or 4 years has been getting better year after year.
Not winning every game or league or tournament doesn't mean that a club is getting better and coaching is top notch.

Problem is, everyone looking from the outside sees that those kids haven't gotten any better in now their 3rd year with the program. Meanwhile kids are developing on other teams. The first question any parent should ask is who is my son going to be playing for. Look at the Crabs. Tell me one coach in that program you would want in charge of developing your son's game. There are better options now and parents know that.

21's are hot, 23's are hot, all HS teams are top 10 literally. Sorry, 22's will fill in as always. Take personal out of it, just natural course of things. Despite your best intentions, the script is already written. Sorry, what did you want, perfection all of the time, every time!