BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NEW JERSEY LACROSSE NEW JERSEY FORUM Top Boy's Club Teams in New Jersey

Age matters. If a team is full of re-classed kids it's a sham. Worse than steroids. For those of you who choose not to cheat - make sure you put your kid on at team where they can have fun and develop as players.

Is re-classed really the correct terminology, or are we simply talking about 7th graders that were born before 9/1/2004. A lot of teams have a few kids that miss the cut-off, but they are not "reclassed" in the sense of a holdback. Either way, I agree that the WSYL teams are probably not a good measure of the regular BBL vs. Tri-State 2023 teams, but I think that, putting aside the WSYL teams,the suggestion that they are the top two 2023 teams in the state is pretty accurate.

I will give credit to BBL for holding their tryouts in August. They have balls. All their parents will have to sign on with other clubs and wait it out.

Agreed - but reclassed is a much different situation than kids that do not make WSYL cut-off - so be careful about suggesting that a team has reclassed kids without knowing the facts

Yes. The WSYL is more lenient. In order to compete you must have been born after 9/1/2004. Anyone born before that date and playing on a 2023 team is a re class. They even leave a little room. I believe the cutoff in our town is October 1. I believe everything should be strictly age based.

Anyone know anything about Blue Star at the middle school levels? They have 3 teams at '23 when other clubs are struggling at that age.

The buzz has not been good this year. I know several parents and they are very unhappy.

Seems kind of odd that the re-class conversation is coming up in the NJ forum, it is not that common in NJ lacrosse... although I suspect that it may become more prevalent in the future (unless things change to age-based)

As with any other club, it is difficult to group all the teams under one umbrella, most clubs are very different at each age group

So, basically an A team, a B team and a money grab team. No team in new jersey can carry 3 strong teams at any age level.

RFH kids that have been together for years. The '23 team is controlled by a group of Dads, old Shore Stars. They shopped the team and Tri-State took them. They started a Tri-State Shore '24 & '25. The '24s all jumped ship last year and the '25 have a couple of players. The top '25s will end up at Mad Dog, they have the best '25 team.
Not sure how long Tri-State Shore will last, would not be surprised if you don't see a few of the '23 move to LE next year based on what LE offers at the 8th-grade level and the other players start playing with Tri-State north.
[/quote]

Monmouth County team....heavy with RFH kids, but a few other local kids mixed in...dads are not part of coaching mix anymore...as for LE, not sure why a kid would leave for an inferior 2023 team[/quote]

RFH has some strong ties to LE. LE will not be inferior within 2 months

Monmouth County team....heavy with RFH kids, but a few other local kids mixed in...dads are not part of coaching mix anymore...as for LE, not sure why a kid would leave for an inferior 2023 team[/quote]

RFH has some strong ties to LE. LE will not be inferior within 2 months[/quote]

Wow, BBL2023 getting into the holdback thing. Good team but sheesh.

Wow, BBL2023 getting into the holdback thing. Good team but sheesh. [/quote]

They have a good team, but Blue Hen A bracket was filled with a bunch of mediocre teams...BBL could beat them all with their WSYL team

'23 BS had 18 kids on the sidelines this weekend. Not sure how parents can be happy with playtime.

They have a good team, but Blue Hen A bracket was filled with a bunch of mediocre teams...BBL could beat them all with their WSYL team[/quote]

Maybe, but the world will never know. Interested to see how they do next weekend without 14 year olds.

Maybe, but the world will never know. Interested to see how they do next weekend without 14 year olds.[/quote]

They have a pretty tough first day at the WSYL, the final standings at the qualifier really make a difference with the championship schedule.

What’s up with all these random Team 91 teams (South, West and East)? And how does this impact LE Elite? I guess brand doesn’t matter.

It will just be another group of second-tier, or below, 91 teams...while there are a few instances of success by youth 91 teams outside of Long Island, 91 is not the place that top NJ youth lacrosse players will consider. That being said, when it comes to high school, there is no question that LE Elite has, and will continue to have, excellent high school aged teams. At the youth level, would my kid play for 91 Bandits or 91 Crush, sure...but not for the product being offered at the youth level in NJ, or the second tier 91 teams elsewhere like 91 warriors. The south team is simply the former LE South team that has never been competitive, even in the B bracket, and I have not heard much about Red and Black which will make up 91 west.

Any other '23 Blue Star kids jumping the over populated ship?

MV has bad karma. Blue star is founded on deception

Wow. BBL got smoked in their first game at the WSYL. 13 to 4.

Not a surprise. They have a bunch of older kids on their '23 team who didn't qualify for this tourney. Average team once they play age appropriate.

Can anyone tell me who coaches the 2024 Mad Dog Squad.

Someone said Sean Cunningham, Manasquan HS, will be picking them up next year. He has the '22s but cannot coach them when they get into high school.

Can anyone tell me why Tri-State is only sending their 26/27 teams to their own tournament?

Why would Tri-State & Leading Edge have events on the same weekend?

TriState is sending more than just their '26 but agree not sure why on the same weekend!

I'm I the only one who is just totally mind blown by how money grubbing these clubs have become? As the emails land in my mailbox I vomit a little each time.

I think a $2,250 price range is fair because they have costs (coaches, tournaments, uniforms, hotels, insurance, fields, etc) but anything above that especially in the 3s or even 4s in straight robbery and insane how they get away with it. There is a NEW club on LI and they are charging 3rd graders over 2300 and with younger kids, the tournaments are much cheaper so its crazy.

Actually, I will pay a lot for quality coaching and good organization - but the amount of expansion of these clubs takes away from the core focus. Core teams. They get greedy quick. Even taking large sums of money from parents in order to get their kid on a specific team. Many of these club teams are under performing - yet they are expanding. Don't get me wrong. There are a couple of people with their heads in the right place -- but buyer beware.

The costs are high, but many clubs will work with you. If you think about it annually, 200$ a month is nothing compared to tennis lessons, golf lessons. And at least it’s all pretty local (tournaments within a few hours) and at reasonable hours. Imagine hockey.

I don’t have girls so don’t know about gymnastics and other sports.

Different demographics, LE has many of the NLF teams

Which Riot program is typically stronger from top to bottom ? Morris or North ? Or does it vary on grad year? Thanks

They have a good team, but Blue Hen A bracket was filled with a bunch of mediocre teams...BBL could beat them all with their WSYL team[/quote]


Interesting point about BBL, looks like the BBL North team played True National on Sunday at Tri-lax final and got beat pretty good at 11-3, the following day at Naptown, BBL Elite team lost 13-2 to the same True National team. North team must be a new additional to the BBL group. Different kids or mixed team from Elite?

Interesting point about BBL, looks like the BBL North team played True National on Sunday at Tri-lax final and got beat pretty good at 11-3, the following day at Naptown, BBL Elite team lost 13-2 to the same True National team. North team must be a new additional to the BBL group. Different kids or mixed team from Elite?[/quote]
90% of parents with boys born in the summer hold their boys in kindergarten so enough with the WSYL cutoff being some magical date.

I have no kid that plays for BBL and was at Naptown. BBL looked like a non-hold back team, their big kids had baby faces and moved like 7th graders. They might have a couple of summer birthdays but Ture, Dukes, Hawks and Team Baltimore are at a different level. Even the team from Texas that was not good had 10+ holdbacks.

BBL is one of the top '23 teams in NJ.

It would be interesting if the NJ club owners could do what's best for the kids and start a Sunday spring league. Until NJs top clubs & players break away from town lacrosse they will never compete with the top teams in Maryland. At least provide additional opportunities to play at a high level but that would require effort from the clubs.

90% of parents with boys born in the summer hold their boys in kindergarten so enough with the WSYL cutoff being some magical date.

I have no kid that plays for BBL and was at Naptown. BBL looked like a non-hold back team, their big kids had baby faces and moved like 7th graders. They might have a couple of summer birthdays but Ture, Dukes, Hawks and Team Baltimore are at a different level. Even the team from Texas that was not good had 10+ holdbacks.

BBL is one of the top '23 teams in NJ.

It would be interesting if the NJ club owners could do what's best for the kids and start a Sunday spring league. Until NJs top clubs & players break away from town lacrosse they will never compete with the top teams in Maryland. At least provide additional opportunities to play at a high level but that would require effort from the clubs.
[/quote]

Great idea, but none of the NJ clubs want to risk losing players to another club. The market is so diluted right now that it is hard to assemble a high level competitive team.

90% of parents with boys born in the summer hold their boys in kindergarten so enough with the WSYL cutoff being some magical date.

I have no kid that plays for BBL and was at Naptown. BBL looked like a non-hold back team, their big kids had baby faces and moved like 7th graders. They might have a couple of summer birthdays but Ture, Dukes, Hawks and Team Baltimore are at a different level. Even the team from Texas that was not good had 10+ holdbacks.

BBL is one of the top '23 teams in NJ.

It would be interesting if the NJ club owners could do what's best for the kids and start a Sunday spring league. Until NJs top clubs & players break away from town lacrosse they will never compete with the top teams in Maryland. At least provide additional opportunities to play at a high level but that would require effort from the clubs.
[/quote]


The Sunday league would be great and I'm sure it would succeed. I'm sure the concern is the town teams would slowly die off. The concern for many would be an escalation of club fees to the point it gets unreachable for many.

Saw results of bash at beach tourney, leading edge got spanked in final championship game by a town team on LI.

That "town team" is way better than any NJ club team.

That "town team" is way better than any NJ club team.

That was an A level LI town team playing in a B tournament. LE 2023 is not, and has not been for the last few years, a competitive team.