BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Boys 2026-5th Grade Fall 2018/Summer 2019

I'm a Long Island dad here and I totally agree with this post. Plenty of 91 teams beat the same teams in different age groups. The bottom line is that the talent pool on Long Island at this age group isn't that deep. It just seems to vary from age group to age group. [/quote]

Ever think that maybe there are too many clubs in LI and the talent pool is watered down. There were kids on clubs teams who couldnt catch and throw or use their off hand. i'm not sure what you all pay for club ball but some of these kids should just play for their town team [/quote]


I 100% agree. There are so many options for club teams here on LI, the majority of talent is concentrated to a handful of competitive teams. You also have some quality kids on some B level teams. But they are surrounded by kids who didn't make the other teams and have parents who will just pay to have them play.
The kids who have more talent are going to start making the shift to better teams. The ones who make it will leave where they are and the ones who don't, the parents will eventually get frustrated.
I think you'll see in the next year or two a shift and some of these B teams will start to fizzle out. You can't sustain a club like that.

I'm sure this will be unpopular but age, size or talent isn't the primary issue. The largest factor in favor of Maryland teams playing better in this age group is team chemistry. They play year round together and don't have town teams that they also play for. Most Maryland teams have played at least 30 games as a group this year and practices 60+ times, in some cases 100+ games together over three years at this point in 5th grade. It's hard for any team, even with equal talent to match up with a team that has played that much together.

The gap will close, it always does and alway will. We should all relax and stop having the same arguments. Who cares if they don't go to the WSYL.

I 100% agree that we will never see the Hawks at a tournament where birth certificates are checked. It's never happened and never will.

Check them!!! They are all of age to play in their age group- ESPECIALLY when we are talking about elementary school aged children!! When you get to middle and high that may be a different story and kids surely will be held back for sports by the overbearing over reaching parents but no one is holding their should be 7th or 8th grader back into 5th grade. That’s just ridiculous to even assume.

This is so true...... My son played against the Hawks this weekend and we had 4-6 practices before that tournament. They are very talented, don't get me wrong but the chemistry they have puts them over the top. The team d , knowing where the other guy is or will be, the clears, the cuts and feeds from the attack, and their riding. Their riding was more aggressive and high speed than my oldest son's jv team. That's effort, and getting 5th graders to go that hard on rides is done in practice, lots of practices together.

2026 Long Island goalie looking for some extra work in July - travel season ends for him right after July 4th.......

If you have an opening due to injury or vacation reach out to me separately looking to keep him going until 8/1 when football starts........

TIA

Which Long Island goalie?

I just left you a voicemail. Definitely give me a call back

they all seemed to get a ton of action at the NLF event...

saw some of the 2026AA bracket is playing at cantiague fields. are they grass or turf? any good?

saw part of the 2026 bracket plays at cantiague fields-- anyone know if they are grass or turf? any good?

The East / West fields are turf fields

that is great. big change from the stony brook fields where the ball couldnt roll out of bounds.

Absolutely correct. We played them twice. The 6-8 months of practicing and playing together is a major advantage.

Anybody know anything about ECLIPSE 2026 / i have seen most 2026 AA teams never them ..laxachusetts dad

You’re all losers. You’re kids are in 5th grade. None of this matters.

Eclipse is good!!!!

Id like to see Laxachussetts, Eclipse, Hawks and Tigers play

This may not matter, but the proper use of YOUR/YOU'RE sure does.

This may not matter, but the proper use of YOUR/YOU'RE sure does.

If only there was a way to get them all at the same tournament...

Can someone give me the low-down on Laxachusettes Black? Are they really good? Are they big? What sets them apart?

Both of your questions are the answers. They are really good and they are really big.And that's what sets them apart from the LI teams

And the LI parents most likely assume they are holdbacks.

I am a long island parent , and played laxachusettes yesterday , we have played Hawks and Laxachusettes the last couple of weeks , both in playoff games . First thing that comes to mind is the Laxachusettes parents are great , respectful , and are awesome win or loose , they love there sports and are competitive but understand most of the boys we are talking about havent reached puberty . thyt as a whole have some very good players , of age , if one or two kids are bigger does not make them holbacks or cheaters , class act and a good team . Now the Hawks , not only are the parents unbearable , maybe living there unrealized dreams through there kids , they flat out cheat the system ! for the benefit of winning a t shirt would hold back kids that already are 1 year older then most others. One parent from Bethesda real nice mon laughed when i said the Hawks say the whole roster is 11 and younger ,, COME ON MAN ,,,let it go ,,you keep yelling HAWKS until these touraments smarten up and require Birth year and Matrix charts ,,,like every other sports,,so to your question,,,LI parents respect laxachusetts and laugh at HAWKS

without a big discussion the 4 best teams in 2026 are Laxachusetts , Exspress , Hawks and 91 ,,,,just based on results of real tornaments ,,would be fun in denver in 2 years ,,,but why cant the other 2 come ??

Great tournament and great competition. First class "LI Style". Championship vs 91 was a closer than the score and semis against LI Express was a dogfight (love watching that #32 take a FO...lights out). All the kids played their hearts out in hot conditions and in the end, a few more went in for us. High end youth lax for sure. We won't know anything for 5 or 6 years until these kids have gone through their growth spurts but until then, just kids playing a game they love. We as parents, can ALL get caught up in the emotion of this great game. And the passion of the LI parents is great. As we drove home, we must have passed a dozen or so fields, each with a half dozen lacrosse goals. Told both my boys that lax in LI is like hockey in MA. Pretty cool to see. So many good teams. Hope to see these teams again at Prime Time (CT) or NLF National (UMass). Until then, play hard and fast. - LXC dad

Laxachusettes Black is probably #3 in the country #1 Annapolis Hawk #2 Tigers #3 Laxachusettes #4 Long Island Express. - Express Dad

probably say hawks, tigers, laxachussets and express in that order. hawks#1 beat everyone & undefeated (they are the yankees of lacrosse); tigers #2 beat everyne but hawks, laxachussets #3 beat everyone but lost to hawks and tigers, express #4 lost to top 3 above but beat blc, blc beat 91 handily. #5 is either blc or arden. this weekend arden will get a shot to play the hawks and tigers at millon so maybe we will have more information

I dont see the Tigers XXVI on the Millon schedule.

Correction. Lost to Tigers, not Hawks. In fact, beat Hawks last year to win Young Guns.

I am a Tigers XXVI father. Having played the Hawks, Laxachusetts, and Express this year I have to say that I have exchanged kind words with parents on all three teams. At the same time I have heard nonsense out of the mouths of parents on all three teams as well. Open your eyes LI parent, you have some winners on your sidelines as well. Every team does. Also, you realize that the Massachusetts age cut off for school is the same as Maryland don't you? You never see LI parents complaining about that in here. heck, the biggest kid in the NLF tournament was on the Tigers, and no one that I heard questioned his age.

MD is known for holding kids back along with the school cut off being different. So many of the kids are 1 1/2 to 2 years older than LI kids.

MA dad - Not LXC

Arden didn't win a game in their MD season. I see the top competition is coming out.

That's fair. Maybe there are a few but the LI parents behave as if there are 18 holdbacks out there.

Are the Tigers a single team (2026) or is it an actual program? I don't see anything on line about it other than XXVI. If so, what is the purpose of this single age team and who started it?

So are we to believe that the players at Chaminade and St. Anthony's are all on age for their class?

Only a 2026 team. Started by the coach that played at Princeton is what I was told.

Sweetlax deserves to be in conversation. At least when they fly the Florida goalie in for the tournament.

Not a chance. Look around in the different forums and there are plenty of posts from LI parents to other LI parents complaining about LI kids being held back.

Correct. I am a LI parent of public school children, and there are hold backs at the private schools. Less than in MD I'm sure, but that's probably only because there are only 2 big private lacrosse programs on LI.