BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM Boys 2026 Grads - Mid Atlantic Region

The only correct same sentence use is- "The Predators beat Team 91, again."

DCE 26 already beat 91 this past fall. But oh year “their best players were at football”. See ya at HOCO.

91 will be in AAA this year. MM has a plan to win big there.

91 is terrible….they need new coaches. Have no offense and the defensive coach screams at the kids constantly.

Know ratings are subject, but how are folks feeling about these going into spring?

https://www.USCL.com/rank?v=1026&y=2021

The 91 trolls out in full force. Team has talent and the kids are great. But hey troll away.

And nice link. Maybe post one that works.

Fall scrimmages don't count for squat Einstein.

Yes they do, at this level. By 8th grade, all kids on elite level travel teams are hoping to play lacrosse in high school and college, and most are playing year round. Most teams have roughly the same roster as they do for spring and summer, and often it is the weaker players missing, which is actually a net plus. And, in the rare case where a team is missing a large chunk of its roster, they choose they choose their tournaments accordingly. So if team A beats Team B when both teams have 90% of their rosters, that is a good indicator of where the teams stand.

By the way, I love the word "scrimmage" - were the coaches on the field stopping play when they wanted to teach something?

This is laughable. If you think elite lacrosse players aren't playing basketball, wrestling, box lacrosse and other sports right now over getting gimmicked out of thousands of dollars to travel to FL and CA to play a couple of games. Then I have a bridge to sell you. The fall is a hodge podge of whoever is available, even on "Elite" teams. But you're club director told your team "you guys are so close" in a game this fall so you believe him.

The 91 trolls out in full force. Team has talent and the kids are great. But hey troll away.

Talent....where??? We are talking about the 26 91 team...Not the 25's

Yup if the Baltimore Ravens Pre-season games counted they would have made the playoffs. But, they don't count. Fall tournaments in college count as wins in the spring too!

You can leave BOTC now.............

Assuming that the "tournaments do count at this level" poster is either MM or an MM minion, he is correct in one specific way that is SUPER important to MM - National rankings absolutely include fall tournament games against other "relevant" teams. As MM knows well, you get almost as many ranking points for losing to a top-ranked team, as you do for beating a semi-elite team. The 2028 91MD team went something like 2-15 last year, including 5? losses to Madlax, and if that's repeated this year, the team will be well ranked.

So tournaments count FOR WHAT is really the appropriate question.

If "FOR RECRUITING!" is the answer, that's kind of a joke, being that the average college coaching tenure is about 3 years and we are talking about 8th graders. Only 30% of coaches make it 5 years and 24% of coaches make it 6 years. Heck, that coach that looks at your kid in 8th grade, there's an almost equal chance that he won't even be coaching college - anywhere - by the time your son reaches 11th grade.

I am the earlier poster who said that fall scores do count, and I have no particular interest in either DCE or 91. Rest assured I am not MM! My son's team played in HoCo last spring and competed against both teams, and I was surprised how bad 91 was after their bragging on this board. My only point in today's post is that if Dads want to banter about how teams compare, fall games are a perfectly good indicator in my book. They are not 100% accurate, but they do tell you a lot, and for that matter spring and summer games do not prove anything with 100% clarity either. Teams always have excuses why they did not have their best roster or play their best game. I stand by what I said and have no plans to leave BOTC!

You are better off being a significant contributor playing against a top-ranked team then being an end of the bench player on the top ranked team if you are trying to get recruited. All the people who are hung up on their kids teams ranking are apparently not paying attention to the fact that their kid is just sitting on the end of the bench and not actually developing progressing or being seen by a recruiter. If this was 1988 you could get recruited by being part of a team that was successful. Nowadays there is too much film footage access to video and social networking to get recruited without actually performing on the field. So if you are that hung up on whether your team is ranked 4th or 7th in the elite division instead why don't you ask how well your own son is playing against the team that is ranked number two or three when somebody comes out to watch and recruit a kid on the top ranked teams. My guess is that if you are that hung up on those rankings, then you are missing the point of all of it. In a couple of years when we no longer have the opportunity to watch our kids play, I will have just as many positive memories of them playing badminton in the backyard as I will of them running by your kid who was on the bench and getting a ground ball and a game that maybe his team ultimately lost but that he flat out balled in. Candidly I could care less if any of the secret posters are mm or king crab or rage or whoever the heck else. For the people who are trying to decide whether or not fall scrimmages matter, try to decide whether or not eighth grade games actually matter. If the best accomplishment or most memorable feat your son has occurs when he's 13 or 14 years old (or 16 if you play for the Crabs and are in the 8th grade) then you're probably screwed up as a parent.

TLDR

With that attitude , D1 is not in the future for your son. If you arent elite and playing and devoting most of your time to lacrosse. Look at D2 and D3 schools.

If your kid isn't playing multiple sports he's not a real D1 athlete.

Lax-only is for D3 kids and D1 practice squadders.

The insecurity on this Board is comical.

Couldn't agree more. You are better off dropping your kid down to AAA to get some good PT rather than ride the pine. It's not just games either. They get less reps in practice during 6 on 6, and no reps during man up.

Sorry to interrupt the trolling but...question about Hoco.

I've heard our start date is on a Saturday (March 26th) this year but that we will play Sundays the rest of the season. Does that sound right?

Also - I assume no games on the 17th for Easter but games the rest of the spring? (i.e. no breaks for a standard Spring Break or similar?)

Greater Howard Club Lacrosse (GHCLC) – Spring 2022
Regular Season
▪ Start Date – Saturday, March 26th (2026 and 2027) and Sunday, March 27th
(2028-2031) – 7th grade (2027) will be on Saturday’s this year
▪ Playoff/Championship Weekend – Saturday, May 21st (Semi – Finals) / Sunday,
May 22nd (Championships)

A coach once said if you aren't getting 60% playing time you are playing at the wrong level.

Fantastic point.

High School is a different story. If you arent on a top HS Private MIAA team, chances are slim you are D1. Backups are getting offers in MIAA while starters in other leagues and teams get nothing.

Same logic with Clubs, get on best , even if limited playing time and work. Best Clubs feed Best HS Teams.. Sorry, thats the way it is.

This is too funny. Not what BK, Hilgartner and Phipps had to say to my son when sitting in their office recently. But you do you, I am sure you are more in the know then those 3.

There are exceptions to every rule. However, the back ups get less playing time and way less practice.

What is the purpose of playing in high school to never step on the field?

No way you sat in "their office" - Andy Hilgartner, McDonough, Brian Kelly, Calvert Hall and Brian Phipps,Spaulding. All good choices for your sons' high school years.

This is too funny. Not what BK, Hilgartner and Phipps had to say to my son when sitting in their office recently. But you do you, I am sure you are more in the know then those 3.

No way you sat in "their office" - Andy Hilgartner, McDonough, Brian Kelly, Calvert Hall and Brian Phipps,Spaulding. All good choices for your sons' high school years.


Probably one of the ultra talented 91 kids off the 26 team.

Wonder if it’s one of the 16 year olds

If you have a talented kid with good grades, represents himself well on and off the field and has solid parents you'd be surprised how many coaches reach out. There's more to high school then youth lax glory. If not, read the writing on the wall, could be the kid........ or the parents.

What club teams are primary feeders for what schools.

Looking at MIAA, IAC, WCAC

If you have to ask, you have zero chance of playing in any of those . Should have been in a top club over 3 years ago...Think Good Public now

Wow. Just ... Wow! Do you ever read your own posts and cringe?

Who are the HOCO sleeper teams that could surprise?

Predators - you heard it here first

Why in the world would a Crabs parent send their 2026 to California to play on the 2027 team?

[quote=Anonymous]Who are the HOCO sleeper teams that could surprise?[/quote

Looneys without question. They have 2 solid FO guys now and added a midfielder from FCA. They are a top 5 top; maybe top 3 in HOCO this Spring.

Do they have the 17 year old goalie?

Agree

Predators - you heard it here second , Talk of Baltimore

Wow. A Summer’s Eve canoe is what you are.