BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Westchester NY/Fairfield CT Youth Lacrosse

Express North has always been a mess at 2023. Eclipse made the tough but correct move a couple of years ago to discontinue its 2023 A team and stick with a single 2023 team. The team stayed together for a couple of years and got much stronger. Now with the team nationally ranked reclasses are going to that team making it even stronger. So strong that the new A team is as strong as some 2023 AA teams.

Just curious why we're talking Sophomores on youth thread?

It’s the only thread for Westchester/CT.

I totally agree with your statement; this thread shouldn't be limited to Youth and it should encompass all Hudson Valley lax (Boys/Girls youth and HS) matters.

High School and Youth are not so different. I think we can handle both on this thread.....

Fair point. Lead on!

And leading on we shall. Did anyone see what happened today at lax nationals in Md. Oh how the mighty have fallen. I know people will say some kids couldn't make it, covid, they are at prep schiools, blah blah blah. REGARDLESS, Connecticut and NY in the 2022 went 0-6!! and in the 2023 went 1-5. This is what happens with NO TRYOUTS and COACHES who HANDPICK THEIR OWN PLAYERS. Embarrassing! something needs to change with the selection of these teams (and UA). Look at the majority of the rosters and they are all NLF teams to begin with or the coaches picks. This was supposedly to be an "open team" where NLF affiliation didn't matter.

The Lax Nationals are a joke. It is run/overseen by the NLF. It was done to try to replace the UA AA games so they can control it.


Each Region is run by an NLF program. You can see it clearly on their website. I think the signups for tryouts in most regions were very low and why most tryouts were canceled. Several of the teams had 16-18 player rosters. That is SO low. Also multiple regions that were supposed to have teams were not able to field them. This also costs a lot more $$ for each than UA.

From what I have seen, the UA games and talent are much more competitive and independent (though UA is not perfect).

Agree. When you take the majority of players from a couple of teams like Primetime or Eclipse that's what happens. While these are obviously excellent teams with excellent players, other areas truly took from many local teams who have a individuals who are superior and is an actual all star team and not getting beaten handily. Lets see if they can win a game today.

In fairness to Eclipse and Primetime, COVID impacted the tryouts so it was not entirely possible to make it work. I think coaches from Eclipse ran all the teams so it was just easier to take their kids. Maybe next year it will work out better (maybe not....)

A month and half without any chatter!

I got the news yesterday that the annual gobbler games (at SUNY Purchase) has been canceled, which stinks.

Fall ball is just about wrapped up.

On to box lacrosse!
I think Superstar lacrosse is the only program in the area that is not an in-house program.
Team 91 Tristate offers box training and 2Way does the same, with an in-house competition.

Is there any other box programs?

Not any others. SuperStar has best players but not the best coaching.

I disagree! I'm not a fan of RC, but he is an excellent coach when he doesn't have one of his sons on the team.

To be fair you are right on the RC statement or if your son doesn't play attack.

When did Pace U become the catch all for Yorktown lacrosse players? Used to send kids to Hopkins and 'Cuse now Pace and Marist? Lacrosse evolving and growing.

A few years ago. Especially with uncertainty these days due to covid many kids staying very close to home. Also cost less the 'Cuse.

Y and Lakeland players have been attending and playing at Pace for a while. The draw to Pace started with Coach V (if you need to ask who is V, go back to Baseball) in the mid 90's and since Coach Mariano took over in 2014.

Also, Pace is a respected school in the metropolitan area and Marist is DI.

Y continues to send players to the top ten schools; unfortunately, Cuse and Hop haven't been what they use to be and that is a whole other topic.

Let’s be honest here, Y has been falling off as of late. They do not send their kids to top D1 schools anymore, besides Boyer. Lacrosse around the country has become bigger and better, and the Y hasn’t kept up. I think they are living off their laurels, and not producing the top lax players from years past. Class of 2020 (3 recruits) class of 2021(4 recruits) class of 2022 (2 recruits)

what do you attribute the drop off to? its not just yorktown- John jay is struggling with numbers from high school to youth

John Jay I think is attributed to the fact that the head coach likes a short bench and players want to play. Also, a lot of the team historically was Primetime as youth players who eventually got cut as late middle school and HS players so they stopped playing. The Assistant coach is PT head. Look at the make up of PT youth versus the PT HS teams. PT youth has many John Jay kids versus a few on the HS travel teams. Unfortuately many of these boys look at PT as the only team worth playing as they get older since they played with them at the younger age and stop playing. This has been happening for a few years now.

Let's stay focused on the purpose of this thread; it was about Pace being a landing spot for Y players.

Y's drop off, is still leading the Section and I agree that Y is no longer what it use to be. But the Y program has set the bar high and continues to be the dominate program within the section (and I'm not from Y).
I have posted before that the Y alumni are not happy and that there has been a signature win in a long time. The slow decline from the top is unavoidable.

J is just Y's younger brother that always wants to overcome it's sibling, especially since the J head coach is a Y (and Section I) legend. Also, I have heard from one J alumni that youth level has diminished due to the lack of lax experienced people/coaches moving into the school district. The housing market in that area is a huge hurdle for some to return.

PT - is an exceptional program! I have first hand experience, as my son WAS on the 2026 team. Brian Smith is a great HC and Nick is extremely organized.

Westchester families need to know that the Predators are now TOP travel lacrosse program in the area. Get off the PT train and come to top class program, run by former Yorktown greats. Most of the teams coaches are HS coaches and educators. They build the program organically and love to develop their players, not cut them for bigger and better holdbacks.

Ytown is not leading the Section anymore and that's a sad development for all lacrosse fans. They should've won the last few Section finals. Is the varsity coaching job even settled? Seems like they could use a fresh perspective. I think we can expect to see more Y kids heading to Pace.

Is that why Colsey never came over to Predators?

I thought Colsey did time with PT and Pred, prior to Eclipse?

holdbacks/reclassified players are and will always be part of every program. Unless, USL and NLF decides it's an aged based system, which will never happen.

Also, I thought LIE North was the only program that does not build/develop players "organically". LIE N seems to cut players, coaches or a whole team, in the blink of an eye, if not producing WINS or parents are unhappy with the coaches decisions.

This has to be one of the most delusional posts EVER on BOTC. By all important metrics; practices, training, tournaments, play days,coaching quality, communications, connections, etc, etc, etc Pred is the worst program around. They play the least, have the worst coaching, least contacts and branding. I bit on the post because lets be clear, if you’re not a Rye mommy or BXV daddy Pred are a JOKE! 2023 maybe but look below and they dont hold up against the basic local offerings. And yes, 100% a disgruntled former Preds parent. AWFUL experience. Ask any of the 2024, 2025 and 2026 parents if they like their coaches. Pay for the magnet.......if you get it. PT, Eclipse, EN for me and mine! Oh and 2wsy if you are in to the Prep school thing.

Laughable that anyone would say Preds isn't filled with holdbacks. My son, who plays for Prime Time, has a bunch of friends on Preds - same year - every single one of them is a holdback at Brunswick. One of them is literally the oldest kid in the grade at Brunswick which is saying something. Anyone can say anything on this forum I guess, but it doesn't make it true.

This thread started with Ytown demise and ran into holdbacks at Brunswick. That is truly the main issue facing the Westchester lacrosse scene: the rise of preps. Every single public HS coach keeps fingers crossed his best players stay in his program but the formula of players transferring to a holdback prep year dominates the lax recruiting landscape right now. 95% of top recruits are holdbacks according to Inside Lacrosse's own lists.

Whichever clubs have the most preps will have the most holdbacks (2Way leads by far). I think PT and Preds still have way more public HS players than private. Compared to MD or Mass clubs where Id guess the vast, vast majority of players are holdbacks, Westchester still plays it straight.

Ytown and JJ were always more immune from the prep invasion than schools like Rye, New Canaan, Greenwich or Mamaroneck. I think the decline in spotlight talent for upper Westchester is tied to weaker youth programs and local preps getting more attention. If those rich lower Westchester towns didn't lose so many to preps each year, the balance of power would have flipped years ago.

This board is starting to devolve/rival the MD boards. Congrats?

I guess you spend a lot of time here then, to know what a MD board looks/sounds like. Lol

Westchester families need to know that the Predators are now TOP travel lacrosse program in the area. Get off the PT train and come to top class program, run by former Yorktown greats. Most of the teams coaches are HS coaches and educators. They build the program organically and love to develop their players, not cut them for bigger and better holdbacks.[/quote]


Preds 2023 lost in OT to Express North 2023 B team on Nov. 8th at SUNY Purchase. Fact.

Preds 2023 lost in OT to Express North 2023 B team on Nov. 8th at SUNY Purchase. Fact.[/quote]

which team? They have 2 teams. an A team and a B (black) team

which team? They have 2 teams. an A team and a B (black) team[/quote]

Predator's has two teams for the 2023 Class?
I know 2W has two teams per class on the lower levels and they call their B teams (Black), so are you confusing the two programs?

While people in this forum have talked about the decline Y and to get a bit of perspective on Y, i recent found the following article in the NYT from 1981 about lax in Westchester:

LACROSSE BOOMING AT HIGH SCHOOLS https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/26/nyre ... ools.html (https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/26/nyregion/lacrosse-booming-at-high-schools.html)

Several interesting points are mentioned, but Y's competition in 1981 was Mamaroneck, Greeley WP, Fox Lane and Croton. None of these programs have reached the level of Y and they all have been around since the formation of Westchester lax.

Lets give Y the respect they deserve in setting the bar and maintaining a consistent program over 50 years!

FYI, the article was found in the reinvented laxpower forums. Also, i'm not from Y, but I've been involved in Westchester lax since 1984 and i know Y remains the top program in section 1.

which team? They have 2 teams. an A team and a B (black) team[/quote]
Preds develop players?

Not a Preds parent but friends complain that one of the biggest challenges they have with Preds is that all the organizers and coaches have professional careers and have lacrosse coaching around 5th on their to do list (well behind playing golf and far behind being pompous buttheade$.) Developing players doesn't even make the list.

Predators have two 2023 teams. The second one is called 2023 Black. The first one does not have any unique name other than 2023. The Black team is a good competitive team. Just does not compete at the level that the 2023 team does.

Very interesting that 2W also utilizes the "Black" for the second level team. Their top tier teams in four grades are called "Carolina".

Does anyone want to make a bet that they change the name from "black" to something else due to the racial injustice movement?

My son has been on PrimeTime for a number of years. What I like is that they have only one team at each grade level and the organization is fully committed to those players. The program director knows each player and family. There is no money grab secondary team distractions like many other programs. Yes, rosters are more fluid at the younger grades, but stabilize at the high school level with few roster changes in those years. It is much harder to crack the roster at the HS level.

I agree. 1 team keeps things cleaner, higher end, and better for organization focus. B teams can make kids feel like they are minor leaguers, they are no fools. But I think by high school age, the B team players are really playing because they love the sport and want to play more rather than only playing in their HS spring season. Or, in covid, B team play is the only way they get to play at all.

2Way started B teams because their popularity grew so much. I think Preds was gonna fold their 2023 B team but the players rallied to keep it going. Express North B team does well on numbers. i don't think any of those clubs feel having B teams hurts them but it does likely add a layer of work and complication but easily outweighed by some money and kids content to rep the team colors everywhere.