BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM Boys 2022 - 8th Grade Fall 2017/Summer 2018

There are 3 very good 2022 teams. DCE Express, Dukes, and Hawks.

Watched one game involving Dukes and API, and another involving Crabs and Philadelphia Freedom. All of these teams looked solid, and the potential for growth and development opportunities was apparent. Dukes had kids from Koopers, Rising Sons, Looneys and I believe Brotherly Love (?) playing on team. Dukes goalie could not have been a 2022 (he was enormous and had facial hair), but someone mentioned the regular goalie was out of town. Dukes built a halftime lead over API but API played them even in second half, and always appeared competitive. Got some very good LSM play. Dukes defense solid, but all scoring came from two kids. Dukes deeper/more talented, but did not appear "invincible".

Crabs beat a very good Freedom team by 3 goals. Like all the teams I observed, way too many turnovers and losses of possession. Physical play. Good goaltending and adequate defense. Offense looked improved over what i observed last year.

By the way, the Delaware facility is tremendous. Shame we don't have a similar complex in Maryland. All of these 2022 teams looked great and not much separates them. Wish I could have seem a Hawks game, but most of the 2022's played at the same time intervals.

There are 3 very good 2022 teams. DCE Express, Dukes, and Hawks.

Crabs , Rough Riders, are very good too. DCE has not even really been tested - won a controlled scrimmage vs Hawks after Hawks destroyed them 2 weeks before.(didn't they lose to MADLAX this weekend). RR play Hawks better than any team in the league and have gotten way better this year. Crabs were very solid this weekend . Dukes are not very good except 2 players who are exceptional and a lot of fun to watch. Teams better learn how to deal with them.They are 1-1 with Hawks and they can be beat. All teams can be beat because the Elite division is full of very good teams. Don't expect the any team to run the table. Exciting to see all these teams get after it.

How did API and Crabs look today

Watched one game involving Dukes and API, and another involving Crabs and Philadelphia Freedom. All of these teams looked solid, and the potential for growth and development opportunities was apparent. Dukes had kids from Koopers, Rising Sons, Looneys and I believe Brotherly Love (?) playing on team. Dukes goalie could not have been a 2022 (he was enormous and had facial hair), but someone mentioned the regular goalie was out of town. Dukes built a halftime lead over API but API played them even in second half, and always appeared competitive. Got some very good LSM play. Dukes defense solid, but all scoring came from two kids. Dukes deeper/more talented, but did not appear "invincible".

Crabs beat a very good Freedom team by 3 goals. Like all the teams I observed, way too many turnovers and losses of possession. Physical play. Good goaltending and adequate defense. Offense looked improved over what i observed last year.

By the way, the Delaware facility is tremendous. Shame we don't have a similar complex in Maryland. All of these 2022 teams looked great and not much separates them. Wish I could have seem a Hawks game, but most of the 2022's played at the same time intervals

Facial Hair! Hilarious.. So many over age players for the proper grade now. It is a shame, but it does work..Look at Dukes roster. They show birthdays for many players. Some are two years older than they should be for class. Many are 1 and many are older for their year. Bottom line. Hold your child back if you want to play D1. Your changes are better

The goalie does not have facial hair. He is the usual goalie for the team. He plays for Koopers. Not sure where you think that Dukes has a roster posted at all, let alone one with birthdates. My son is on the team as well as 2 of his club teammates and all 3 of them are normal age 2022 players.

Guessing he's referring to Duke University. There are a bunch of reasons why college players are older - they were held back when they 4-5, did a PG after HS, redshirt due to injury, Grad student. There was one Duke player that joined the military after graduating, did a couple of tours in middle east and then cam back and played as a grad student at 26. Also my 13 and 16 year started shaving at the same time, Go figure....

Yes , Duke U. The majority of players are on the older side for their class. Not talking about the odd grad student or the odd post Military student.

Call it what you want..Prefirst/reclass/holdback for youth and redshirt/PG for post graduation. If you go this route your chances are much better to play at any top D1 College. Its a fact. The majority of May thru Aug birthdays are players that were helback. Another fact.

Now that lacrosse is somewhat growing ...expect to see more kids heldback in youth lacrosse. It sure isnt going to be less Prefirst/reclass/holdbacks.. And for all you MIAA people, a prefirst is a heldback student. He was just held back in Kindergarten, And yes there are other reasons besides sports. Still shouldnt give him an advantage others cant have with exact same birthday.

I think the new recruiting rules have made it less beneficial to have your kid repeat 7th or 8th grade. There really haven't been that many examples of this happening in the last year. There were no lacrosse players repeating 8th grade at BL or McDonogh this year. I can't speak on the rest, but I don't know of any in Baltimore.

Both McDonogh and BL have pre-first, so they've already done their extra year. That's why there are so many kids on Crabs, FCA and Hawks that are 15 already.

And DCE, RR,MD91,API ---Every team has them

And DCE, RR,MD91,API ---Every team has them

It's till happening a lot. And I don't understand why -- especially with the new recruiting rules. Frankly, I find it embarrassing. My kid's a private school kid, and we're not going to do it. I think it's cheating. Just my two cents. What I really don't get is that schools give financial aid to these kids to repeat a grade for sports. I don't understand how any board of any private school is allowing that to happen. If a kid has educational challenges, that is one thing. But reclassing for sports on the school's dime is a waste of resources. Work hard. Get better. Wait your turn.

All these schools have rules about integrity and honor. Well what about it? There is an inherent hypocrisy in letting this happen. I'm not bitter. My kid doesn't "stink" or anything like that -- which I'm sure people will get on here and say -- he can't hang with the big boys. I'm just disappointed that parents -- and schools -- allow kids to take the easy way out, to play down.

Saw payday game yesterday. Madlax chemistry and coaching beat Bethesda/DCE's size and moxie. There will be days when the opposite is true, but not yesterday. DCE ongoing issues on face-offs, fixing that would change a lot.

Where did they play at? Was it a close game? Score? Sounds like a good win for MADLAX if this is true. Didn't plates jump ship to DCE?

Agree with most, but don't think for a second that a private schools success in sports doesn't translate into higher enrollment and Alumni participation. If you took sports away from those schools, how would it change the student landscape and enrollment?

There is a difference between teams that have 1-3 kids that are on the boarder because of their birth date and decided to wait an extra year to go to kindergarten back in 2002-2003, OR maybe a player who was held back because of early educational issues, vs Teams full of players who all decided to do it in 8th grade. One is doing it specifically for lacrosse, the others made the decision early, most likely to accommodate for life circumstances, not necessarily a sport. Its not usually hard to tell the difference when you look at the teams and rosters. The teams filled with players who decided to do it for lacrosse would struggle to win without their older players. The teams that do not recruit, or openly encourage it would not struggle as much without their older players. To each his own, but there is a difference.

Madlax got lucky, they will not get lucky again!!!

Sour grapes^^^

That was a beating. Own up to it like a man. DCE is beatable just like every team.

Who is saying anything about taking sports away from the schools? When I was in school, lacrosse was just as big as it is now. But no one reclassed. Alum still gave their money, kids still got money to attend the high schools where they were recruited to play. Now it's become a "if you can't beat them, join them" mentality by the parents and the schools. And it's shameful. Like the person said above -- money is given for kids to repeat a grade for a sport. Not for educational purposes. Money is given for a kid to be bigger than other kids and look better than other kids because he is older. Instead of telling that kid - hey, hit the gym, hit the wall, get a trainer - they say, here, repeat a grade. Cheat. Play against people who are younger, smaller, weaker. Beat up on kids who can't afford to repeat, who don't get money from their school to reclass. It's so ridiculous I can't even believe it happens. Yet it does. And everyone just pretends likes it is okay. What a horrible lesson for kids.

Sour grapes^^^

That was a beating. Own up to it like a man. DCE is beatable just like every team.

Own it like a man? What number were you? Oh, you didn’t actually play, you’re just a dad living through your son’s 8th grade lacrosse conquests? Hahahaha.

It does give kids/schools an advantage and it is currently within the rules, so you cant really fault a private school for doing what it takes to have an edge competitively, because sports is a big draw to enrollment. As long as it is permitted, they will all do it to compete in the athletic popularity contest.

DCE has the best talent in the DMV period. DCE has superior coaching and passion. Its a marathon not a sprint. DCE will dominate HOCO along with Hawks. Book it.

Madlax got lucky, they will not get lucky again!!!

DCE has the best talent in the DMV period. DCE has superior coaching and passion. Its a marathon not a sprint. DCE will dominate HOCO along with Hawks. Book it.

DCE has the best talent in the DMV period. DCE has superior coaching and passion. Its a marathon not a sprint. DCE will dominate HOCO along with Hawks. Book it.

Has the best talent in the DMV really? How many players refused offers from tryouts which made you make offers to other kids? I heard DCE had a lot of kids at tryouts, this team cant be all the best talent from tryouts, no team gets to keep all the talent that comes to there tryouts. Its okay to be in the middle of this pack of teams. It's the best league in the country. It's okay for other teams to have good talent too, is it not?

Stand by best talent in DMV - bulk of team is from a very good Bethesda team, plus best players from Club Blue, Next Level and 3d. Everyone who got offers for DCE top team took the offers. Team loaded with future Gonzaga, Bullis, Landon, Georgetown Prep, Churchill top players. Book it.

Due to league politics and money, best team in 2022 division most likely won’t be in the elite division.
Pay your club fees.
Work out year round.
Hold him back.
Sit back next year and watch.
As the colleges focus on others, what will you do?
You can’t play for son.
You can only pay for your son.
Reality.

Due to league politics and money, best team in 2022 division most likely won’t be in the elite division.
Pay your club fees.
Work out year round.
Hold him back.
Sit back next year and watch.
As the colleges focus on others, what will you do?
You can’t play for son.
You can only pay for your son.
Reality.

DCE is aLott better that 92-1 MD.

Stand by best talent in DMV - bulk of team is from a very good Bethesda team, plus best players from Club Blue, Next Level and 3d. Everyone who got offers for DCE top team took the offers. Team loaded with future Gonzaga, Bullis, Landon, Georgetown Prep, Churchill top players. Book it.

First place for beating 91MD wins broken arms. Second place gets to see their coach do 50 squat jumps, learns the referee's first names and gets a 45 minute speech about Passion afterwards.