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

Why do you care?

Because the results are being used to draw the conclusion that 3 villages is better than any NJ club team, simply not the case

Because the results are being used to draw the conclusion that 3 villages is better than any NJ club team, simply not the case[/quote

Sorry to break it to you, but they are. BBL might give them a game but I'd say the Ward Melville kids are better.

BBL def has holdbacks but at normal levels after WSYL. 100% right about other teams that are dominated by holdbacks. They don't even recognize holdbacks as a term, their normal is just way older kids. Sorry state of affairs-- clubs know they just older, bigger boys to win. Hope BBL doesnt chase after it but that model works for wins.

What happened to Tri-State at 2023 National Championship? 1-3 and they lost to 2Way who got beat by both Blue Star and Mad Dog this summer.

Maybe 90% of rich white kids who will probably play lacrosse get held back if they were born in the summer. For the rest of the population, they don’t. Bottom line - If your kid was born before the school year starts, they’re a holdback. Not saying it isn’t in the best interest for the kid, some need it. It’s just something that needs perspective. If your kid (or kids on your team) is/are in that category, just be mindful that they have a short term advantage.

They did fine. Why is everyone obsessed with wins? These kids are 13 and probably playing against older kids. They more than held their own.

Playing 5 games in one day with a 13 man roster takes its toll, particularly against a Ward Melville team.

So true, they play on age and almost beat Express...probably a BBL parent looking for some validation that they are the greatest team in NJ, guess what, nobody cares

Anyone know what is going on with Tri-States tryouts? Are their AA teams coming out of Central, Shore or Both? The Instagram post was unclear.

AA teams will pull top kids from regional teams (i.e. Central, Shore, etc.) on to one centralized team, plus any additions from tryouts. Regional teams will stay intact, but will probably play A schedule. Hope that helps.

Agree. They play down a grade in tournaments

I've seen the 23' beat O2, GSLA, NJLA , NJ Select LC, 3D Garden State ; Have seen the 22's beat Upper Level, GLSA, Team 11, LI Empire -Green and Mad Dog this year alone
Remember, this is a 'Town' team coming from a town of about 4k.

So it started that they can beat any NJ club team... now we should remember that this is a town team from of a town of about 4k people...things have certainly changed...not one of the NJ teams listed is considered a top NJ club team....I believe that Mad Dog is the only team that plays A bracket tournaments, and they are average at best...the rest are B teams

Correction...I see that you were referring to Mad Dog '22 team not '23 team, so no context there...but at the '23 level, BBL Elite and Tri-State Shore are typically the strongest teams out of NJ

And even those two aren’t very strong in the grand scheme of things.

Hey where can I get an pinion about joining leading edge young team (2026). I know they are known for older kids, is it better to wait?

Tri-Stare Shore is dead, all kids moving to other teams or going to Tri-State Central
At '23 BBL Elite is the top team with Blue Star behind it. Blue Star will get better with new kids and if they trim their roster.
Leading Edge Elite was very weak but will be strong next year after 5 to 10 kids reclass from '22.
Tri-State all moving to central but major issues
Mad Dog '23 does play AA but loses 3rd game of day because of numbers, they are 3 to 5 players away from being a real AA team.
NJ Riot - AA team and A teams. Parents not on AA are unhappy. Not sure what parents are watching if they think their kids are AA.

Every club in NJ has issues. Parents all complain about the same things, outside of maybe BBL & Blue Star: Communication is a joke, lack of any player development and bottom 5 kids on the roster are a money grab.

Yes, heard about tri-state shore issues, there are some good players on that team, might be a solid central team if they hold on to the right players and get a few replacements
I agree BBL elite is looking like the front runner right now, the team has really improved this season
Not sure what to think about Blue Star, I heard that there were a ton of players on the team this year, might be some unhappy parents who decide to move on.
The real issue for the NJ teams is that, other than a few instances, they don't really play the holdback game, so it really puts them at a disadvantage playing in the AA national tournaments. I'm sure that you will see some clubs move towards playing kids down in order to compete, for example, how can a team like Leading Edge expect to compete in the NLF with on-age teams, it was not pretty this past summer.

It's better to wait until 7/8th or high school.

To reclass?

It's better to wait until 7/8th or high school.

No, to join Leading Edge.

8th grade seems to be the time to make the move if you are interested in LE, but unconfirmed rumor is that LE will be playing kids down a year, probably the only way they can compete in NLF

Mad Dog plays some AA teams in tournaments when there is only one 2023 blended A division, if there is an AA and A bracket, Mad Dog plays A. No shame in playing A, but let's be honest. They will definitely get better with some player adjustments, but I do know that some people are turned off from Mad Dog because they rely heavily on local kids.

And the other statement you make is that Mad Dog is 3-5 players away from being a real AA team, not an easy find in the market

You seem to be wired in at Mad Dog. Did they pick up any new players?

Tri-Stare Shore is dead, all kids moving to other teams or going to Tri-State Central
At '23 BBL Elite is the top team with Blue Star behind it. Blue Star will get better with new kids and if they trim their roster.
Leading Edge Elite was very weak but will be strong next year after 5 to 10 kids reclass from '22.
Tri-State all moving to central but major issues
Mad Dog '23 does play AA but loses 3rd game of day because of numbers, they are 3 to 5 players away from being a real AA team.
NJ Riot - AA team and A teams. Parents not on AA are unhappy. Not sure what parents are watching if they think their kids are AA.

Every club in NJ has issues. Parents all complain about the same things, outside of maybe BBL & Blue Star: Communication is a joke, lack of any player development and bottom 5 kids on the roster are a money grab.
[/quote]

Mad Dog plays some AA teams in tournaments when there is only one 2023 blended A division, if there is an AA and A bracket, Mad Dog plays A. No shame in playing A, but let's be honest. They will definitely get better with some player adjustments, but I do know that some people are turned off from Mad Dog because they rely heavily on local kids. [/quote]

And the other statement you make is that Mad Dog is 3-5 players away from being a real AA team, not an easy find in the market[/quote]

You seem to be wired in at Mad Dog. Did they pick up any new players? [/quote]

Not really wired into Mad Dog, but it is a small market, most people involved with club lacrosse in the area know what is going on with each team, and who the top players are, no idea if they picked anybody up after tryouts. Obviously, the best option for players would have been tri-state shore 2023 kids, but I haven't heard about any of them going to Mad Dog

Any advice on what clubs to join for 2026? Is that too young to join a top club as I heard most of them turn over talent. My son is on a local club team(highschool coach) but did make a more competitive top club (not bbl).

For instance should we tryout for patriots or leading edge next year?

Probably not a huge deal right now, it seems that most people really start to evaluate their situation around 7th or 8th grade. Right now, if your kid is good enough to play for a top club, it is probably a good move, he will just get frustrated at a less competitive level and will stall in his development. I went through the same situation with my son and the move to a club that plays a tougher schedule was a huge positive for his development, but to be honest, it was an adjustment not being the top dog on a local club anymore, the game starts to move much faster and it gets a little more complicated because they will run more complex plays.

Thanks for the advice. Maybe we will stick with more low key for one more year. Even though he did get an offer to join a top club. I don’t want him
To burn out.

When did your son join a more competitive club. He had a lot of fun this past year with lost of playing time but also got annoyed because a bunch of the kids kind of goof off.

Do you think a top club won’t offer a stop next year (6th) if we turned down in 5th, seems most clubs like to mix up thier talent as kids get older anyway.

He did the change between 6th and 7th grade, it was the right opportunity at the right time. Every club has tryouts every year, so there is little chance that your son would not have an opportunity later on. As you can see by the posts above, there is a lot of moving around come eighth grade (along with reclassing, which seems to be a trend catching on in NJ) because kids are starting to think about high school, exposure, etc.. If your son is a good fit for a particular team, he will have a spot.

If he has friends on the club team and you don't mind dropping the money let him play. He will enjoy playing against his club teammates in town.

The only downside to starting this young are the parents that like to coach from the sideline, that all stops in 7th grade.

Coaching from the sidelines stops at 7th grade?? Wishful thinking. Have you attended a MD tournament? I am not a fan of it but parents are experts well into HS and beyond.

What do you mean by playing kids down a year? And what is “reclass”?

Welcome to BOTC... "reclass" - kids repeat the 8th grade for sports.

For example, 2022 kids playing down at 2023 on Leading Edge. Not surprising that the NJ trend is starting with Leading Edge, they play in the NLF which is filled with teams known for their holdbacks.. Laxachussetts, Crabs, True, etc...most prevalent in Maryland with the kids intending to play at private lacrosse powerhouse high schools.

Anyone know how the NJ Swarm 2021 Team is or how they were last year?

NJ Swarm has 2 teams; one is 2020 and the other is 2021 & the program is ran by the Don Bosco Prep goalie coach. Small but solid program that is growing although they should merge with O2 Lacrosse considering they are all coaches at DBP and this would strengthen their teams.

I agree with O2 Lacrosse & NJ Swarm merging - 1) it makes sense with the DBP coaches which would be similar to Express but they don't just pull from St Anthony's, they also pull from Chaminade & Kellenberg and 2) O2 folded a couple of age groups such as their 2021s so by these two merging, the team would be much more competitive.