BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM Boys 2024 Grads - Mid Atlantic Region

Use this thread to discuss lacrosse for Boys from the class of 2024 in the Mid-Atlantic region.

I'm not going to call out the name of the club (in fear that the kid will drive over and kick my butt) but how can a kid that will be 16 during the school year be eligible to play at the 24 age group? I have no issue with being held back a year. My son has a summer birthday and was held back in KG (to give him a head start in tinker toys) but 2 years is a bit excessive. I mean he will literally be 20 years old when he graduates.

Answer: T-shirts and bragging rights about being the best to drum up more business, am I right.

Mine will still be 16 when he starts his senior year in high school

I think all the top private school conferences (IAC, WCAC, MIAA, etc) in the DMV have rules that deny eligibility to a senior who turns 19 by September 1 of senior year. And I’ve never heard of that happening (I know some kids will do a PG year at boarding school but that’s exactly what it is, a post graduate year). My son is one of the oldest kids on his 2024 team and he is already 14. 16 can’t be right.

You shouldnt call out anyone. Your son is getting an advantage the majority of children dont get. Playing down in age. The majority of children born on your sons same birthday will never get that advantage in YOUTH sports. You always will. Your only complaint is that someone is doing it more than you. Hilarious.

The holdback/reclass/prefirst lacrosse world is really getting bad when the holdbacks start calling out the other holdbacks for being to old !!

That is actually young. Majority of students will be 17 on first day and turn 18 during school year and that summer.

Now if you go to any MIAA Private School ..The odds are that you will be 18 at beginning of year and turn 19 during school year, especially Boys

My son is senior as of Sept 1. He turned 18 this summer. Yes, he is a holdback, doesn’t matter the reason.
His best friend will also be a senior. He won’t turn 17 until the end of December.
Imagine that, they get along. Why can’t all of you?

If your reason what ever it is, is for anything other then sports great. He should still play on his appropriate age level in club sports. It’s a choice to play down not automatic because he was held back. Play up and that’s commendable, play down that’s embarrassing.

They do. The double hold back is a myth. My 2024 is the youngest of 3 boys that have gone thru the club circuit. I've coached the older 2 until HS so I had a pretty good idea of birthdays because of tryout registration lists. The worst I've seen is a sept birthday that was held back. That kid would have been one of the oldest in his natural grade. A kid like that would be around 2 years older than kids in the same grade where the school cutoff is dec or jan. For instance a sept 05 in NY would be a 2023. MD kid with Sept 05 would naturally be 2024 but if held back once would be 2026. This 2 year gap is extreme and rare but does happen and plays into the perception of double hold backs. Lacrosse should have 9/1 age cutoff until 8th grade

I am all for age based lacrosse. My son would be fine either way and I could careless why a parent holds their kid back (we had ours and the decision was well before he picked up a lacrosse stick). It's their decision, just like it was ours. Does it happen to work in my favor sure but we made the decision in KG, not middle school. So sports had zero factor and I have no issue a parent holds a kid back a year for sports. If you have to hold a kid back 2 years, then I have an issue but my concern is equal to choosing Diet Coke or Pepsi for lunch. At the end of the day if your kid is going to be 20 when he or she graduates (sports or no sports) they should be going to PG instead of being held back another year. As others mentioned he is more than likely not even eligible to play his senior year due to his age.

The thing people have to remember is that the rules use to allow recruitment in 8 and 9th grade, so who cares if they can not play their senior year, worst case there are club tournaments. Now the rules have changed, it still does not matter because if the kid is good he will commit as a Jr and not have to play Sr year anyway. So being 20 and a Sr does not really matter......

Now for some real talk (as the boys say).....These boys are in 8th grade, its time to forget the HB argument. I agree that 16 is ridiculous, and yes it happens, last year the 2023 Crabs and Madlax Dogs, both had multiple 16 year olds, so its not something new. also remember that some of the kids that you are referring to played against you last year and they were already 2 years older than your kid, so why complain now. Here is the thing if we are having this discussion it means that next year we are hoping that our kids play Varsity or worst case JV, but the kids they will be playing with and against will be 3 to 4 years older (sophomores, juniors & seniors) and would have been working out for years (bigger faster stranger).

Recommendation: Use this year to prepare for next year because its going to come very quickly (unfortunately) and if your son is still whining about holdbacks or even has that in his head he won't make it in HS Lax, as there will always be kids much older.

Best response ever!!!

The lack of intelligence on this thread amazes me. 95% of the holdbacks advantage has disappeared by the Spring of his junior year, the exact time when most players start getting playing time on top HS teams. Like a puff of smoke, that advantage which by that point has been waining for years, has now basically completely disappeared. The advantage which was the sole reason most holdbacks get any playing time at all during their youth years is now gone. Now the substandard athlete is completely exposed for what he has always been. The only wining you will be hearing in HS, is from your substandard-athlete-kid-holdback, as he rides the pines during the only time in his career that actually matters. That’s right, daddy-o his playing days are numbered. It’s a slow steady decline, the rest of the way.

So basically, you and you son(s) will whine about Holdbacks for the next 3 years? Remember there are hold backs in 2025 that may be a year older than your son, so sonny will also loose his advantage too and continue to ride the pine ... now that stinks....

wow.. harsh reality check! you sure don't sugarcoat. this particular thread is gold since this is our boys' last year before hs. let's hear more.

The reality is what it is, it is within the current rules. No amount of "whining" will change it. But it's human nature to rage (e.g. whine) against sense of injustice, lacking of fair play and even playing field, irregardless of being warranted or not. It's completely based on that emotion and nothing more, and it is impossible to repress (at least for another 3 years).

I am confident my son will end up at an MIAA school. He plays on one of the teams in the elite division. He has teammates 18 months older than him. A lot are a full year older than him(and on age). If my son was in the 2025 class like he should be, and I then reclassed him into 2026, I am sure right now he would be one of the best players in the country. I can't deny reclassing works if your goal is to be a better player in your grade.

sure he would dad

You need to finish that sentence... "if you want your kid to be a better player in his grade".. DURING HIS YOUTH YEARS. Beginning with Junior year, your BIG STUD 7th grader could very well be the smallest kid on the team, even though he is still a year older than everyone else. And since he no longer has the advantage that you gave him during the youth years, most kids on the team will be better than he is, since he was really never that good of a player, without the advantage. So, yeah, if you want to give your kid an unfair advantage during a time that is completely meaningless, and waste a year of the kids life in the process, then be my guest. In the end, father time will catch up with him and everyone else, and water will ultimately seek it's correct level. Suffice to say... no D1 scholarship for you!!

I'm curious... a question for all you holdback parents out there... let's jump ahead a couple of years and it's now the Junior year in HS for your holdback kid, and you are faced with the stark reality that he is no longer one of the largest players on the field. In fact, maybe he is one of the smallest kids out there. As a result, your youth stud is now an inconsequential player, struggling just to make the HS team. What then? What is your Plan B? Hold him back again?? FYI. Too late for that, right? That ship has sailed. Now what??

How did Next Level tryouts look? When does Next Level announce its rosters?

He finishes up high school and goes to college, gets a solid education and eventually becomes a productive citizen.

This year and next year are the two big years for reclass. Prefirsts are already in the holdback book.

First, Holding back works for most players. Especially in youth. And Frankly, sorry to tell you this, but it works in High School too. Does it work for everyone, of course not. But lacrosse is land of a huge amount 5-8 to 5-11 similar skilled athletes. Give them one extra year and he is better than others. If you are the rare highly skilled athlete, you are playing football, BB or ever rarer playing lacrosse which means you could care less about the holdbacks . And if heldback, you are a man among children.

My advice is, if your son is serious about playing at a High Level , Hold him back. Look at all the top clubs , Full of holdbacks. These are the boys getting offers. This baloney about everyone getting bigger and passing holdbacks is true only sometimes, but for the most part, holdbacks keep their starting position.

Look at Dukes Roster ( Birthdays for most players) if you think holding back doesn't filter up to college. I just looked at two starting D poles. One is a single holdback and the other is a double holdback ( maybe redshirted ??) . Then i looked at their top middie and he is a holdback. I looked at top attackman and he is a double holdback ( maybe redshirted) .. These are based on age, I have no idea why they are older, maybe redshirt, held back HS, prefirst, etc but bottom line is they are older.

Saying all this , I do think it is sad . At HS and above it is what it is by grade. But Youth should be by age, Youth Lacrosse is the poster child for all that is wrong in youth sports.

Read the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.. maybe he was on to something.. maybe not.. who really knows.

Read the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.. maybe he was on to something.. maybe not.. who really knows. [/quote]

It's a good read, I read it last year while my kid was driving us to practice and games

Next Level tryouts were impressive. They had over 70 kids out there for the 2024 year. NL added several new good kids including maybe the best player from DCE and one of the best players from Madlax. They should be one of the better teams in HOCO this year.

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First, Holding back works for most players. Especially in youth. And Frankly, sorry to tell you this, but it works in High School too. Does it work for everyone, of course not. But lacrosse is land of a huge amount 5-8 to 5-11 similar skilled athletes. Give them one extra year and he is better than others. If you are the rare highly skilled athlete, you are playing football, BB or ever rarer playing lacrosse which means you could care less about the holdbacks . And if heldback, you are a man among children.

My advice is, if your son is serious about playing at a High Level , Hold him back. Look at all the top clubs , Full of holdbacks. These are the boys getting offers. This baloney about everyone getting bigger and passing holdbacks is true only sometimes, but for the most part, holdbacks keep their starting position.

Look at Dukes Roster ( Birthdays for most players) if you think holding back doesn't filter up to college. I just looked at two starting D poles. One is a single holdback and the other is a double holdback ( maybe redshirted ??) . Then i looked at their top middie and he is a holdback. I looked at top attackman and he is a double holdback ( maybe redshirted) .. These are based on age, I have no idea why they are older, maybe redshirt, held back HS, prefirst, etc but bottom line is they are older.

Saying all this , I do think it is sad . At HS and above it is what it is by grade. But Youth should be by age, Youth Lacrosse is the poster child for all that is wrong in youth sports.
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THIS COMMENT IS SPOT-ON.

Holding back works in lacrosse if your goal is to be on the best club teams and increase chances for a scholarship. It is a sport dominated by mediocre sized priviledged kids who are not elite athletes and, therefore, age and opportunity are the biggest factors in success.

But the major effect holding back has on a child is detrimental-- which is why Am Assoc of Pediatrics officially recommends against it. Kids who are held back regress in life-- they dense themselves down. They acquire bad coping skills.

But try telling that to dads who feel their kid isn't mature enough yet for KG.

DMV and NE, are you reading this?

Well if I remember correctly they ended HOCO in the playoffs, so weren't they already one of the best teams? Its early but how would you rank the top 5 teams based on what is being heard about tryouts and released rosters?

If the rumors I am hearing about NL are true they make a huge jump. Maybe all the way to #2. I've got my top five as Madlax, NL (big unknown, could really shake things up this year), Looneys (based on summer play), T91 MD (MM seems less interested in this team now that he is more focused on 23 and 25), Hawks (all about match ups, eg, they tend to play ML close, can beat any team any weekend).

This is funny! The best player from DCE? Considering they did not have a 2024 team last year I assume this would be a reclass from 2023? Are you going to claim that the BEST kid on the DCE 2023 team (who is a older "summer birthday" 2023) is now going to NL 2024?

Maybe from BLC since they and DCE are essentially the same organization. But it could certainly be a 2023 hb since that is standard practice for most BLC and DCE players.

From what I am hearing, he has always played up (you should ask you son to confirm) and now that 2023 is HS he has to play with the 24s. If this is true, it really won't matter as you will still complain.

The old he has been playing up and now he is on grade routine . LOL . Who really cares if he is a holdback prefirst reclass,, He just joins a large group of players who need an advantage and helping hand to compete .

Pre-season 2020

1. Mad Lax
2. Hawks
3. Next Level
4. 91 MD
5. Express

No idea who you're talking about. But at least give kids that were held back or did a prefirst etc some credit if they played with age peers until 8th grade. Which is when they don't have a choice for spring lax.

It will be 91 MD and Madlax in championship game again.

Where is Looneys? They're perennially solid.

I would put Looney's ahead of Express and maybe even 91 since they seemed to have their number last Summer. NL will be better and Hawks is always in the mix.