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This thread has been quiet. What's been happening during CONNY-region club tryouts?

Not Youth news, but it will indirectly impact the local youth lacrosse community.

Iona University will be the newest school to be playing DI, in the 2025 season. Iona will be in the MAAC lacrosse league.
Iona already has DI women's lacrosse, which has 5 local players on that team.

The potential trickle-down effect of this will be game-day youth activities, camps and prospect days.

Time to think about spring time. Lots of fall/winter coaching moves with some vacancies still out there. Schedules seem to be delayed until after the new year - going to be interesting into the spring.

Looks like schedules are finally coming out. Head Coaches are set with Eastchester finally getting their guy in the door, some good sectional matchups and non-sectional games. Practice is not far off and many teams doing winter training.

Who wants to start the way-to-early-but-really-not predictions...

A- Scarsdale
B- Somers
C- Rye
D- Bronxville

No comments on the predictions although I think with Scarsdale’s FOGO they are likely favorites. I am commenting just to say what has happened to Westchester lacrosse. These are the commits among these teams (per IL) and then I just added a cpl more historical powerhouses for reference. I remember as recently as 3/4 years ago when Yorktown played John Jay you could have 30 commits from that one game alone! Now it looks like 1 or 2 a class.

Scarsdale - Amherst, Penn State, Union
Somers- Susquehanna, Iona
Rye - Colby, Washington & Lee, Virginia
Bronxville - Hobart, Colby, North Carolina

Yorktown - Union, Wesleyan, Monmouth, Lehigh
John Jay - Ithaca, Colgate, Umass

A - I like Scarsdale but the battle between them and Mamaroneck I think will be a good one for a few years to come. Arlington was a fantastic bright spot last year and Wappingers can always do some damage.White Plains is a dark horse in A
B - Somers I don't think is as a done deal with Yorktown always hanging around - though they will drop from the dominant teams of the past. A battle looms for the top spot with Mahopac. Many others battling for the mid-pack there. This is the best Somers team in years and it's a perfect storm for them Dark Horse: Fox Lane
C - This will be the grinder class this year with Rye the team to beat But the threat of John Jay, Byram as a sleeper - with new coaching staff, and never counting out Pelham is formidable. This could be any one of those 4 teams. Dark horse here is Sleepy Hollow
D - Will be down to Briarcliff and Bronxville again. Like A, I don't see that changing much in the next few years. There will be individual talent in D but I don't see a team taking either of them down. Dark Horse: Pleasentville always seems to find a way to get it done.

There was a lot of coaching movement this off-season. Seeing programs adjust to new ways versus teams that have established staffs will be interesting to see what happens. I will take the experience this year.

A - Two-horse race here with Mamaroneck and Scarsdale. Scarsdale is going to be even better than they were last year, don't expect a slow start from them this time around. I think Mamo has a shot, they need to have a great game plan but they also have a great FOGO so maybe they can steal a few possessions. Arlington and North Rockland will be decent and have some talent. The dark horse nobody is talking about is Carmel. They return almost everybody on both sides of the ball and were hanging around with Scarsdale until the 4th quarter in the playoffs last year. It wouldnt suprise me if they ended up being the 3rd best team in A.

B - It's shaping up to be Somers vs Yorktown in the final. They have contrasting styles as Somers has offensive firepower and Yorktown has a stout defense with 3 divison 1 commits respectively. The deciding factor will be goalie play for Yorktown. I think Mahopac is the clear number 3 and are a talented bunch but are clearly a step behind the top dogs in the class. Lakeland and Fox Lane will be an interesting watches, talent is there but not sure what to make of them in 2023. I think the dark horse is Horace Greeley. They were a young team last year with underclassmen starting on both sides of the ball and can take a step foward to competing with the top dogs in section 1.

C - Most depth out of all the classes. In my opinion, I think John Jay is the team to beat. They have a lethal offense but can they get stops? Rye is considered by most to be the favorites and there is no doubting their talent. They lost a lot of talent to graduation but they have a good feeder program. Pelham is the defending champ and the 3rd best team, they return a lot from last year. Some teams who could be considered dark horses are Tappan Zee, Byram Hills, Pearl River, Hendrick Hudson, and Sleepy Hollow. All of those teams have talent and you can't expect to roll over any of them.

D - There are three teams vying for the Class D title. I would say Bronxville is the favorite. They return some studs on both sides of the ball and may have the best goalie in the section. Briarcliff is the defending champ and will be a tough out. Their 2022 senior class may have been the best in the section and those guys will be tough to replace. They have a stout defense and will want to win ugly. Pleasantville will be solid this year and will surprise a lot of people. They return their entire offense but will need to figure out the defense as they lost a ton to graduation on that side of the ball. Putnam Valley is a solid team and will need to be taken seriously but is a notch below the three teams above. Haldane is always feisty and has some talent. The dark horse is Rye Neck. They return the Section 1 points leader on offense and the Section 1 caused turnover leader on defense. They also have more firepower on offense than you'd expect on offense and a great goalie. Look out for these guys they should be a very interesting watch in 2023

Is the drop in public commits tied to the rise of the privates? Stepinac is poised to be a power for some time, Iona has been around for a bit and continues to bring in local players from far and wide via their paid to play football and basketball model. Note: Do not go there for lacrosse unless you play for EN and have been asked by the coach. Brunswick is taking kids from Rye, Mahopac and all over while sending the entire roster to top 10 schools and teams. In years past these kids were playing for their local HS teams and would have been the top recruits. Avon Old Farms, Berkshire and TP are also pulling in local kids now as well…..with that view it is even more impressive what a town like Darien does year in and year out. Great to see the game growing and kids getting opportunities.

John jay has no offensive firepower - come on

I think
This is probably a more "fair" point. Who are the kids that are committing from private that would otherwise be a Section 1 player? There is some validity there. You also have to consider that the last few years of NCAA covid rules caused bloated rosters at the college level and limited slots for HS kids so Schools can afford to be more picky. It's all cyclical.

Jay Returns almost their entire O. The question will be on the D end and goalie.


B is the Group of Death this year. It's Yorktown vs. Somers barring a shocker. Both are solid teams with experienced coaches . I don't see anyone else pulling that off. Lakeland might stir something up and Fox Lane is always hanging around. Mahopac are always gritty enough to challenge some. They had a good game vs. Somers last year, but their FOGO is gone as is their goalie I believe I agree Greeley has some young talent, but it's still a mess behind the scenes and that's not changing soon

They beat Rye last year and return almost everyone on that side of the ball so we'll have to agree to disagree on that one.

More of a factor, I think, is that lacrosse has become a lot more popular very recently in many other areas of the country. Local kids are no longer competing with just MD and LI for college spots. The rest of the country, especially in warm weather areas, are producing a lot more players, and I think kids that are older than Section 1 public schools kids - which may be precipitating a slight move to the private schools.

Final Four for each class:
A - Scarsdale, Mamaroneck, Carmel, Arlington
B - Somers, Mahopac, Yorktown, Lakeland/Panas
C- JJ, Rye, TZ, PR
D - Bronxville, Briarcliff, Pleasantville, Putnam Valley

Very fair point. The lacrosse world is small with many more events than before so kids far and wide are being seen outside the hotbeds. Local teams like 91 have players from Texas, the National teams are a part of every club and lord knows there is a showcase for anyone and everyone with coaches at it. Do Yorktown kids play top club or still focus on their town/club team?

I am not going to argue with the fact that many kids are going private because of better education and much better lacrosse but in my opinion it doesn't speak to the drastic and literally overnight downgrade in Westchester lacrosse. As I mentioned in my earlier post watching Yorktown vs John Jay as recently as 3/4 years ago enabled one to see the best players around. Over 30 players going D1-D3. The private schools exist on LI/CT including St Anthony's and Chaminade as well as traveling to the Founders league with the AOF, Salisbury and Taft, etc but their teams still seem to be producing at a high level. Manhasset this year shows 11 players committed (including Duke, Harvard, BU), Garden City 7 (including Duke, Princeton, Virginia), South Side 10 (Cornell, BU), Ridgefield 7 (Virginia, Brown, Notre Dame). I will add that it appears Ct and Long Island have taken a hit as well but the drop doesn't seem as drastic as Westchester. Its actually insane when you look at St Anthonys and Chaminade and their commits and there is no comparison for Westchester. St. Anthony's has 26 D1 commits and Chaminade has 18. Also, I know stars are not the end all and be all but Westchester has ONLY 3 four star recruits in its public schools for both the 2023 and 2024 class COMBINED. Very surprising if you ask me especially wtht the traditional powerhouses in Westchester and historically the overall play of the game here.

New to the forum and club lax in Section 1.

What's pro / cons of True Westchester?

It was Pride and they evolved to True last summer. It's a program on my son's radar for tryouts for the 2023/2024 season.

PR... seriously?
Pelham had them in running time in the 3rd quarter of the section finals last year. They only got there because of some big injuries to top BH players. Pelham also returns more starters than PR. But you must be from Rockland so that makes sense..

Good luck first day to everyone! Looks like some snow ahead. Break out the hoods and the vinyl gloves!

What happened to daily predictions guy ?

kid likely graduated, and he took laxpower with him

It's crickets in here... I don't know if anyone else has this issue, but optimum seems to be blocking this website - could that be the issue?
Or could it be the new posting rules - i've tried to make a few and they never make it up here. What gives?

Congrats to Pleasentville on cracking the Top 25 nationally list.

Incidentally, some of the lone bright spots in Section 1 teams playing non-section opponents.

So it looks like Pleasentville is the tops in Section 1. I want to be surprised but I am not.
Yorktown over Scarsdale was a heck of a game. It does not take the luster of Scarsdale and I think it makes Yorktown more formidable than anyone anticipated. We may be surprised by that but we shouldn't be.
Here is what I think after 3.5 weeks...

A - Still down to MAMO and Scarsdale. I don't see anyone making a serious run at either. Dark Horse: Arlington

B - Also a two horse race between Yorktown and Somers. L/P maybe if they can put it together. Mahopac perhaps but based on the early season I don't think so. Dark horse: I am not really seeing one in B. It's all Yorktown and Somers

C - this is the fun class now. Pelham has the tools to get it going, but their two losses were the only strong competition they have this season. Byram putting up big numbers in their games and the Bronxville game this weekend will be a good barometer of where they are at. Tappan Zee is hot and cold. I'd like to see them threaten here but I think is a JJCR/Rye final unless they somehow meet in the semis. Dark Horse: Pelham

D - It's all Pleasentville right now. The only real competition is Briarcliff and Bronxville. The later part of the season will fill this out but if the season ended today, Its P'Ville all the way. Putnam Valley is the Dark Horse in D.

I'll pick up the baton....

Thursday 4/13
Blind Brook over Pawling
PV over Croton
Hastings over Yonkers
Pleasentville big over Rye Neck
Dobbs over Ossining

Friday 4/14
Westlake over Harrison
Ardsley over Blind Brook
TZ over Clarks N
Arlington over Haldane
JJCR over Yorktown in OT. Two phenomenal freshman goalies. Whoever has the better game will win this game. Yorktown doesn't have a FO guy, but it didn't hurt them vs. Scarsdale. Savastano is a bigger O threat IMO
Mercer Island over L/P
Somers of Mahopac
Pelham over New Ro
North Rockland over Nanuet
Dobbs over N. Salem
Ossining over Sleepy Hollow
Suffern Pearl river TOSSUP picking Suffern
Eastchester over WP

Saturday 4/15
Greeley over Brewster Though I would not be surprised at a Brewster upset here
P'ville over HH
PV over Irvington
Mamo over Wantagh (heart over head pick here)
Scarsdale over Massapequa in a tough one
Suffern over Pawling
Pelham over Warwick
TZ over Kingston

Sunday 4/16
Haldane over Greeley

Forgot some...
Bronxville over Byram
Wapp over FL
Suffern over Pawling

3-1 on the first day. Not too bad
Croton with a nail biter in a win over PV for the game of the day.
Let’s see what tomorrow brings!

No, I'm still here and I'm far from a kid (I'm 55). Job change has limited my free time and employer's firewall blocks BOTC.

Incredible win for Y (over Scar) and Capt. America. It's been a long time since Y has had a signature WIN. Back in the day, signature wins for Y where only over non-regional teams (LI/CT).
Tonight's Y v JJ game is epic for both programs. JJ has the advantage (HOME) and Y is still enjoying the moment over Scar. JJ by 2.

Today's other marquee games:

Bronxville at Byram Hills, BH

Somers at Mahopac, SMS

Suffern at Pearl River, PR (PR's coach is a Suffern school teacher; he will bring the intensity).

Other picker here... Gentlemen's wager for the rest of the season?

I look forward to the competition!

LFG!

Let's limit the selection to 4 games; you're 3-1 and after my 4 games above, we can then start round 2.
Winner of each round gets first selection of games.

We can met at Dunne's pub for the collection of the season results.

Ooof 6-8 on the day moves me to 9-9 on the season since 4/13

Missed some tight ones in White Plains/Eastchester, JJCR/Yorktown - great game if you go back and watch it, Dobbs over N Salem in 2OT and I think the surprise of the day was Mahopac over Somers.

Look out Class B, We have a new contender in Mahopac. This may not be the runaway for Yorktown and Somers it once looked like.

Some observations

A- Down to Scarsdale and Mamo. Scarsdale is really good but I expected them to be ahead of where they are right now. It's hard to win on the island but the loss to Massapequa was surprising to me. Mamo is trending in the right direction. The comeback win over LI power Wantagh was noteworthy. North Rockland is the third-best team but they would need a stellar performance from their goalie to take down one of the top two teams.

B- Yorktown is the clear favorite at this point. Their goalie has played very well so far, however, he is a freshman so be prepared for some inconsistency. Somers is not the team I thought they would be so far this year. I would say Mahopac and Horace Greeley have jumped them. The Somers vs Greeley matchup this Saturday will be interesting.

C- Down to Rye and Jay as predicted. I would give the edge to Rye as of now. Jay is not as good as I expected this year but still has room to grow. They are both fairly young teams so I expect them both to be firing on all cylinders by May. Pelham is a team to keep an eye on. They have a lot of talent and can take down Rye or Jay if they have an off day. A lot of the teams that I thought were going to be in the mix have underperformed. Byram Hills, Tappan Zee, Pearl River, and Hendrick Hudson are not in a position to compete for the title as of right now.

D- Nationally ranked Pleasantville is without a doubt the favorite as of now and may be the best team in Section 1. I predicted their offense would be great but their inexperienced defense deserves some respect. They bend but don't break. Bronxville and Briarcliff cannot be taken lightly. I would say Bronxville is the clear number two and have some close losses. They should trend upward. Briarcliff is trying to win rock fights with their zone defense and they have a surprising win over Mamo. Haldane is the team to watch and we have to wait until the last day of the regular season if they can surpass Briarcliff

A - Spot on, I said much of the same last week. It's going to be a slugfest and I do hope they meet in the final for A.

B- I am leaning Yorktown more than Somers now, but I wouldn't count Somers out yet. Mahopac is turning heads and the only other real threat in B. Greeley hasn't played anyone of note yet, so the Somers game this weekend will set the stage for where they really are. I don't see them surviving league play very well.

C- Agree with you on Rye and Jay. Jay had an OT scare from L/P yesterday which is uncharacteristic for Jay. Pelham can come back around, but they already lost to Jay, they don't see Rye until late in the season and they have Scarsdale this weekend - which will let us know where they are at right now. I wouldn't count out Byram either.

D- Pleasentville all the way. the battle here is for #2 and it's Briarcliff or Bronxville. I am disappointed in where PV is at, I thought they would be better by now.

Can we talk about the Pelham/Mamo game getting cancelled yesterday due to a lack of officials.

At a VARSITY game.

In Westchester

This is 2023.

This is happening nearly everyday in Section 1 and it's going to get worse before it gets better. Have you noticed the how old the officials are too?

Every year (January-March) the HVLOA offers training sessions. I recommend all former players/coaches consider taking on this new responsibility. Contact: president@hvloa.com

Also, the school districts are partial at fault for this problem. The staff at these games should have a zero tolerance policy for the spectators that openly abuse the officials.

They should be giving out cards to unruly parents! That parents kids team should have to take a penalty. Then you will see the other parents do something about shutting other parents up in the stands. Have schools security kick parents like that out already! Schools can do better with that!!

I fully agree that any fan, be it parent, student, whomever. The second there is anything said in the direction of officials you get one warning and then you're gone. A second ejection and you are gone for the season.
The problem with this is getting staff at the games to actually do this. I don't see any scenario - short of having a police presence at every game - where someone from the schools staff will be telling people to leave.

There are 4 really compelling games today that will shape the season as we start getting into competitive & league Games:

JJCR @ Rye
Pelham @ Scarsdale
Mahopac @ Byram
Yorktown @ Bronxville

Let's see what the day brings!!

JJCR is absolutely terrible, kids playing positions that have no business playing, goalie is a very good up and comer, decent fogo few good middies, attack are nonexistent --Rye is going to Roll