BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM Boys 2028 Grads - Mid Atlantic Region

91 will be in maryland next weekend and then at umass in july for nlf

As a Hawks parent— would love to play 91 Venom!

I think 2Way is better than some of those other teams.

Good list though

Agree 2way is a top team and FYI venom isn’t playing any quality teams this weekend

Yeah, looks like The Tristar tournament this weekend will provide some good insight as to where many of the northern teams that haven’t played down here fit in (e.g., 2way, Eclipse, Mooselax) since several of the NAL teams are playing at Tristar. If 2way gets through a tournament with Legacy, BBL, and Express North, then they definitely belong in the top tier with Madlax and Hawks. Venom is hard to rank because they’ve played kind of a weird schedule. Looks like they are coming down here for the Millon event at HoCo in two weeks and the Millon site suggests that Next Level, BBL, and Freedom are also there. So that will be a decent comp. But July NLF will be a much better comp since it has Madlax and Hawks.

Who needs US Club rankings? It looks like random dads on the internet are doing a good job here!

i think its 2way, then 91, then legacy... we'll see this summer

This is a solid list.

Unfortunately, the two best 2028 teams out west - 3d Dallas 2028 and 3d Colorado 2028 - aren't playing Vail, so Madlax will only get second tier western competition next week in Colorado. I'm sure it'll still be a fun trip though. If you want to measure the western competition, check this weekend's Denver Shootout on Tourney Machine.

Who has 2Way played this spring? Not questioning your ranking of these 3, just curious as I can’t find any events with the ‘28s.

The only two decent teams at the Denver Shootout are the two you mention— 3d Dallas and 3d Colorado, the rest are weak or even 2029. Alpha Elite came east last week and got blown out. Couple 29 teams in there too. Who makes this an accurate “measure of the western competition?” Nothing to learn whatsoever from this field of teams... Dallas and CO might have some decent games with one another, but there’s zero cross pollination that will give us a proper read....


For what it’s worth— the 3d Dallas kids teamed up with some other 3d kids from CO, NJ, and a few other spots for a “National” team in Orlando. They were good as an All Star team, but 0-2 against Madlax. Again, not a great barometer— but Denver Elite, Mad Dog Elite, and True National (another all star team from all of the True programs) should tell us at least something more than these two 3d teams playing one another in Denver.

Nothing to add I just love this post

Any Madlax/Next Level/True/Hawks parents willing to put it out there (anon of course) that they are looking to change teams this fall at tryouts?

Do rebels rank??

My son’s good. Loves his coaches and teammates. - Hawks Dad

Kids change programs every year. What’s the intent of the question?

I think I can speak for most Hawks parents, no shot we leave. There is no other team other than True, I guess, that they could go to and play at that level that’s near Annapolis. I love Hogan, no bs, just hard love.

My kid loves the coach as do I. I’m sure a kid or two will leave to play more but even then the coach plays everyone every game and they are practicing with the best. Even the kids at the end of the bench are contributing and getting better.

Would you care to answer? Does your kid play? is he one of those on the end of the roster or like a big contributor? I see mentioned before the Hawks brought down some kids that were playing 27s. I only ask because we’d consider a move but want to see the dynamic

Looking back at this thread, Hawks were ranked 3rd-5th by everyone, folks said Hawks had the best goalie but not sure they could put points on the board. They lost 3-1 to NL in the fall. Then, win HOCO and Summer Exposure with the same fall roster. Might be a top team in the country - after beating Madlax 3x. Hawks try out 7/31…who’s in?

Serious question though: why are the Hawks so good at every level? I know they have lots of parent coaches. What's the secret sauce?

He contributes but there are a lot of contributors. Kids are starting to move to more specialized roles, scorers, distributors, defensive middies etc. there isn’t really a “best middie” or “best attacker” like when they were younger. There were a lot of kids who came from other teams, not just down from 27. We’re glad they came, no big deal. The culture comes from the club director, but the coaches are all great in different ways. They work the kids hard and but also love the kids, just the way I would want it.

My kids have played for several club teams, this has been the best situation. I’m sure there are other great spots, but my kid is happy and getting better. What else is there?

I just hope he makes it next year LOL.

No fancy social media. Haven’t changed uniforms in years. Practice at AACC’s crappy dirt fields. Somebody please enlighten us...

The club director is great, it starts there with culture. No bs but he knows my 11 y/o by name and doesn’t really ever coach the team so I’m not even sure how he knows him.

There may be parent coaches, but they aren’t all parent coaches. And the parent coaches all played at the places you might want your kid to play. Navy, Maryland (lots), UMass, Penn, UNC (at least 2) etc etc so it’s not like some random dad coaching.

The last thing is the most obvious, they work the kids hard. No secrets. THe 28s started as a B team with maybe 3 or 4 legit A players and a bunch of 29s. Over the years the kids there got better and new kids were added each year. Now they are pretty good. The 27s walked on field as the best team on day one in 3rd grade, it depends on the team I guess.

The did change the uniforms… the trim went from black to green one year LOL.

It starts with how they define success and how they define a great player.

What I have noticed after several years is it doesn't matter what background the kids parents come from. On the field these kids are straight blue collar animals from top to bottom. The weak sort themselves out and as the kids get older the ones on other teams see it, parents see it and if your kid is good enough it's almost a natural progression in AA county. You will see Matt Hogan walking around at every level practice engaging the kids one on one. Hope that helps.

They are very well coached as others have said. They also draw kids from a very large are. And unlike the Baltimore and DC/Bethesda area they don’t have 4 or 5 other clubs competing for kids. They are hands down best in area and get all the top players and then coach them up.

Why don't they seem to produce any of the top recruits each year, unlike other clubs? Am I wrong on that? It seems like the Hawks always have great teams focused on winning tournaments. But are they producing great players for high school?

I've never looked at other club's websites to check, but a quick look at this year's Hawks commits (2022) and it seems like they are doing ok.

Sure, but several of those players joined recently (e.g., Petro's boys). The question is more fundamental: do you join the Hawks to win club tournaments, or join because they will develop you into a player for the MIAA or beyond. It seems like only the former to me. But that's why I'm asking.

Hawks do a poor job in promoting this versus other clubs. If you check inside lacrosse Hawks do very well and the 2022 class was incredibly successful at the high school ranks. For 2022 alone a quick look at contributors - BL had two players, St John’s had 3-4 and the Spalding was almost all Hawks. St Mary’s and Severn have starters from Hawks teams as well. Going to be interesting in a post COVID recruitment cycle where the 23 and 24 class go and how they (and 25) all perform in high school. Hawks have not have Top 5 teams in every age until recently so who knows.

The 23 class of Hawks is very strong. They have players at St. Mary’s as well as Calvert Hall, LB, Severn, and various out of state high schools. They will have at least 8-10 D1 commits.

What clubs are getting beat by the Hawks in tournaments while sending more kids to better schools?

Honest question, but I can’t imagine there are too many. I’ve never gone to FCA’s website to check for example.

How often do the 28 Hawks practice? Just curious given that they seem so much patient with the ball and have a better sense of how to generate offense than some of the other 28 teams.

Madlax, 91md, crabs and are factories for getting kids recruited both into elite high school programs and college. Hawks, next level, and DCE (BLC) are also good since their teams play on a big stage and the kids get looks. FCA is linked with Calvert Hall and other catholic schools for different pathway. This is a 2028 board so a little bit of reality, it all changes with puberty. Some kids will remain but don’t choose a club based on current success, choose a situation where your son can get good coaching, get better in practices and enjoy some game reps. Burnout is very real so find a place where he can love the sport and make friends. If you get both of those winning is a bonus.

Cabell, they aren't going to give you practice film.

3 times a week, games on Sunday during HOCO

2 times a week currently

They certainly have a best Middie, and they certainly have 1 or 2 Best attackers!

With 7-9 different scorers per game, Hawks use their attack and middies and have depth, which other teams don’t seem to have in this age group. From other’s posts, It sounds like a very talented group that has been playing together less than a year under unprecedented circumstances and, to date, have put it all on the field. There’s a lot to be excited about with that team as they are just starting out. I’m hoping my kid makes the team next year.

Good luck to him. Tryouts are always fun.

As a parent who has watched a lot, I don’t know who the best middie is.

Anonymously of course- who do you play for now?

Ok Hawks dad. We got you.